.svg)
You've spent hours perfecting your Facebook ad creative—the copy hits just right, the visuals are on-brand, and your offer is compelling. But when your ad goes live, it looks completely different than you expected. The text gets cut off on mobile. The image crops awkwardly in Stories. Your call-to-action button disappears on certain placements.
This is why previewing your Facebook ads before launch isn't optional—it's essential. The right preview tool helps you catch formatting issues, ensure your creative looks polished across every placement, and avoid wasting ad spend on poorly displayed content.
We evaluated tools based on ease of use, placement coverage, collaboration features, and integration capabilities. Here are the top Facebook ads preview tools that range from Meta's native options to third-party solutions offering advanced preview and mockup features.
Best for: Real-time accuracy during ad creation and campaign setup
Meta Ads Manager is Facebook's built-in ad preview functionality that shows exactly how your ads will appear across all Meta placements during the ad creation process.
The native preview in Ads Manager gives you the most accurate representation of how your ads will actually render. Since it's the same system that will display your live ads, there's no guesswork about formatting or cropping.
This tool updates in real-time as you make changes to your ad creative, copy, or targeting. You can instantly see how headline edits affect mobile display or how your image crops across different placements without leaving the ad creation workflow.
Real-time preview across all placements: See your ad in Feed, Stories, Reels, Right Column, and Audience Network simultaneously.
Accurate rendering: Shows exactly how ads will display with Meta's actual rendering engine.
Device-specific previews: Toggle between mobile and desktop views to catch platform-specific issues.
Integrated workflow: Preview happens directly within the ad creation process—no separate tools needed.
Placement recommendations: Highlights potential issues with specific placements before you publish.
Marketers who want the most accurate preview possible and prefer working directly within Facebook's native tools. Ideal for anyone running campaigns who needs to verify creative formatting before committing budget.
Completely free—included with your Facebook Ads account. No additional cost or subscription required.
Best for: Creating and sharing ad mockups before launching campaigns
Facebook Creative Hub is Meta's dedicated mockup and collaboration tool for creating, previewing, and sharing ad concepts before committing budget.
Creative Hub lets you build ad mockups without actually creating a campaign or spending money. This makes it perfect for testing creative concepts, getting client approval, or exploring different ad formats before you commit to production.
The shareable preview links are particularly valuable for agencies. You can send a link to clients showing exactly how their ads will look across all placements, making approval workflows significantly smoother.
Create mockups without running ads: Build and test creative concepts without launching campaigns or spending budget.
Shareable preview links: Generate unique URLs that clients or team members can view without Facebook access.
Test across all Meta placements: Preview how creative performs in Feed, Stories, Reels, and more.
Save and organize concepts: Build a library of ad mockups for future reference or iteration.
Inspiration gallery: Browse successful ad examples from other brands for creative ideas.
Agencies managing client approvals, creative teams testing multiple concepts, and marketers who want to experiment with ad formats before creating actual campaigns.
Free for all Facebook Business users. No subscription or usage limits.
Best for: Creating presentation-ready ad mockups for client proposals
AdMockups is a dedicated Facebook ad mockup generator designed for creating professional preview images for client presentations and proposals.
AdMockups focuses specifically on creating high-quality, exportable mockups that look professional in presentations. Unlike native preview tools that are designed for internal use, these mockups are polished enough to include in client decks and proposals.
The tool generates mockups quickly with minimal setup. You upload your creative, select the ad format, and get a presentation-ready image in seconds—perfect for agencies that need to show multiple concepts to clients.
High-quality mockup exports: Generate clean, professional images suitable for presentations and proposals.
Multiple ad format templates: Cover Feed ads, Stories, Reels, and other Facebook placements.
Quick mockup generation: Create preview images in seconds without complex setup.
Presentation-ready outputs: Mockups are designed to look professional in client decks and reports.
Batch processing: Generate multiple mockup variations simultaneously for A/B testing presentations.
Marketing agencies presenting concepts to clients, freelancers creating professional proposals, and teams that need polished mockups for internal presentations.
Free tier available with basic features. Pro plans start at $9/month for unlimited mockups and additional formats.
Best for: All-in-one design and preview with pre-sized ad templates
Canva is a popular design platform with Facebook ad templates that let you design and preview ads with correct dimensions for each placement.
Canva combines design creation with preview functionality in one platform. The pre-sized templates ensure your creative is built to the exact specifications for each Facebook placement, eliminating formatting surprises when you upload to Ads Manager.
The drag-and-drop interface makes it accessible for marketers without design experience. You can create professional-looking ads quickly using templates, stock photos, and brand assets, then export them in the correct dimensions for immediate upload.
Pre-sized Facebook ad templates: Templates built to exact specifications for Feed, Stories, Reels, and other placements.
Drag-and-drop design tools: Create professional ads without design experience or complex software.
Brand kit integration: Save your logos, colors, and fonts for consistent ad creative across campaigns.
Direct export in correct dimensions: Download ads ready to upload to Ads Manager without resizing.
Team collaboration: Share designs with team members for feedback and approval.
Small businesses and marketers who want to design and preview ads in one platform, teams without dedicated designers, and anyone looking for quick ad creation with correct sizing.
Free tier available with basic features. Canva Pro starts at $12.99/month with additional templates, stock assets, and brand kit features.
Best for: Professional design teams collaborating on ad creative
Figma is a professional design tool with Facebook ad templates and real-time collaboration features for design teams creating ad creatives.
Figma offers precise design control that professional designers need while enabling real-time collaboration across your entire team. Multiple people can work on the same ad creative simultaneously, leaving comments and iterating together.
The version history feature is particularly valuable for ad creative. You can track every change, revert to previous versions, and see exactly who made what edits—essential when managing complex creative workflows with multiple stakeholders.
Real-time team collaboration: Multiple team members can design, comment, and iterate simultaneously.
Precise design control: Professional-grade tools for pixel-perfect ad creative.
Community ad templates: Access Facebook ad templates shared by the design community.
Version history and comments: Track changes and communicate feedback directly within the design file.
Component libraries: Create reusable ad elements for consistent branding across campaigns.
Design teams working on complex ad creative, agencies managing multiple clients, and marketing departments that need robust collaboration and version control.
Free tier available for individual use. Professional plans start at $15/editor/month with advanced features and unlimited version history.
Best for: Previewing multiple ad variations before launching A/B tests
AdEspresso is a Facebook ad management platform with built-in preview functionality that lets you see multiple ad variations before launching campaigns.
AdEspresso excels at managing split tests with multiple creative variations. The preview interface lets you see all your ad variations side-by-side, making it easy to compare how different headlines, images, or copy perform visually before you commit budget.
The platform integrates preview with campaign management, so you can move seamlessly from previewing variations to launching tests. This streamlined workflow is particularly valuable for marketers running continuous optimization campaigns.
Preview multiple ad variations simultaneously: See all your split test variations in one view for easy comparison.
A/B test visual comparison: Compare how different creative elements look across placements before testing.
Campaign management integration: Move directly from preview to campaign launch without switching tools.
Performance analytics: Track which variations perform best and iterate based on data.
Automated optimization: Get recommendations on which variations to scale based on performance.
Performance marketers running continuous A/B tests, teams managing multiple campaigns simultaneously, and advertisers who want preview functionality integrated with campaign management.
Plans start at $49/month for up to $1,000 in monthly ad spend, scaling up based on budget managed.
Best for: Enterprise teams managing high-volume ad production at scale
Smartly.io is an enterprise ad creative platform with dynamic preview capabilities for brands managing high-volume Facebook ad production.
Smartly.io is built for enterprise-scale ad production. The platform can generate hundreds or thousands of ad variations automatically, and the preview functionality lets you review these variations efficiently before launch.
The dynamic creative features are particularly powerful for brands with large product catalogs. You can preview how product feeds will render across different ad formats and placements, ensuring consistency at scale without manually checking each variation.
Dynamic creative previews: Preview automatically generated ad variations from product feeds and data sources.
Automated ad variations: Generate hundreds of ad combinations and preview them efficiently.
Enterprise workflow tools: Approval workflows, team permissions, and collaboration features for large organizations.
Cross-platform support: Preview ads for Facebook, Instagram, and other platforms in one interface.
Creative automation: Build templates that automatically populate with product data and preview correctly.
Enterprise brands managing large product catalogs, e-commerce companies running dynamic product ads at scale, and marketing teams coordinating complex, multi-platform campaigns.
Custom enterprise pricing based on ad spend and feature requirements. Contact sales for a quote.
Best for: Creating realistic device mockups for presentations and case studies
Previewed.app is a device mockup tool that shows your Facebook ads within realistic phone and tablet frames for presentations and case studies.
Previewed.app creates mockups that look like actual screenshots on real devices. This is perfect for case studies, portfolio pieces, and client presentations where you want to show ads in a realistic context rather than just flat images.
The 3D mockup options add visual interest to presentations. You can show your ads on angled devices, in hands, or in lifestyle settings—making your presentations more engaging than standard flat mockups.
Realistic device frames: Show ads within accurate iPhone, Android, and tablet frames.
3D mockup options: Create angled, perspective, and lifestyle mockups for more engaging presentations.
Video ad preview support: Generate mockups showing video ads playing on devices.
High-resolution exports: Download mockups suitable for print materials and high-quality presentations.
Customizable backgrounds: Place device mockups in various settings for realistic context.
Agencies building case studies and portfolio pieces, marketers creating visually engaging presentations, and teams that want realistic device mockups for client proposals.
Free tier available with basic mockup options. Pro plans start at $7.99/month for unlimited exports and premium device frames.
The best Facebook ads preview tool depends on where you are in your creative process and what you're trying to accomplish.
For accuracy during ad creation, nothing beats Meta Ads Manager's native preview. It shows exactly how your ads will render across all placements because it uses the same system that displays live ads. If you're actively building campaigns in Ads Manager, this should be your primary preview tool.
Creative Hub is ideal for the exploration phase—when you're testing concepts, getting client approval, or experimenting with different formats before committing to production. The shareable preview links make collaboration seamless.
If you need an all-in-one solution that handles both design and preview, Canva offers the best balance of ease and functionality for most marketers. You can design ads with correct dimensions and preview how they'll look without switching between multiple tools.
For teams managing continuous A/B testing and optimization, AdEspresso integrates preview with campaign management, letting you compare variations and launch tests in one workflow. Enterprise teams managing high-volume ad production will find Smartly.io's dynamic preview capabilities essential for reviewing automated variations at scale.
Proper ad preview is just one piece of successful Facebook advertising. Once your ads are live, understanding which creative variations actually drive conversions requires accurate attribution across every touchpoint in the customer journey.
Ready to elevate your marketing game with precision and confidence? Discover how Cometly's AI-driven recommendations can transform your ad strategy—Get your free demo today and start capturing every touchpoint to maximize your conversions.
Learn how Cometly can help you pinpoint channels driving revenue.
.svg)
Network with the top performance marketers in the industry
