Ad Frequency Cap
A setting that limits the maximum number of times a specific user can see an ad within a defined time period.
What Ad Frequency Cap means
An ad frequency cap is a campaign setting that limits how many times a unique user can see a specific ad or campaign within a defined time period (daily, weekly, or over the campaign lifetime). Frequency caps serve both performance and compliance purposes — they prevent ad fatigue, reduce negative user experiences, and ensure budget is spread across more unique users rather than repeatedly targeting the same individuals. Meta offers frequency caps primarily through the Reach objective, Google provides frequency capping across Display and Video campaigns, and most other platforms offer similar controls. For compliance, excessive frequency without caps can lead to user complaints, negative feedback that damages account health, and in extreme cases may be considered a form of harassment. Best practices suggest caps of 3-5 impressions per week for feed ads and 1-2 per day for more intrusive formats.
Related terms
Frequency
The average number of times a unique user sees a specific ad within a given time period.
Ad Fatigue
The decline in ad performance that occurs when an audience sees the same ad too many times.
Reach
The total number of unique users who saw an ad at least once during a campaign period.
Impressions
The number of times an ad is displayed on a screen, regardless of whether it was actually seen or clicked.