Meta Business Suite vs. Meta Business Portfolio: What’s the Difference?

Meta’s two main business tools are often confused, and it’s easy to see why. Not only are their features closely connected, but they partially share the same interface, which can make them feel interchangeable at first glance.

But in practice, they serve very different purposes.

👉 Meta Business Portfolio is focused on the backend of your business: asset ownership, user access, security, billing, and overall settings control.

👉 Meta Business Suite, on the other hand, is built for day-to-day work: publishing content, managing messages, checking insights, and running simple ads.

Understanding the difference matters whether you’re running your own business or managing accounts on behalf of clients. It affects how your assets are set up, who has access to them, and how easily teams or agencies can work without running into permission or ownership issues.

In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how Meta Business Suite and Meta Business Portfolio differ, how they work together, and when you should use each.

Prefer a video? 👇

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Summary: How Meta Business Suite and Meta Business Portfolio differ

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What is Meta Business Portfolio?

Meta Business Portfolio is a central hub for managing your business’s assets and user access across Meta.

It lets you organize Facebook Pages, Instagram accounts, ad accounts, catalogues, datasets, and other Meta assets in one place, reducing password sharing and the need to switch accounts. 

Inside your Business Portfolio, you’ll find a settings-style side panel where you can:

• Add and manage users, including teammates and external partners (such as agencies)
• Assign roles and permissions at both the portfolio level and individual asset level
• View and manage ad accounts, Pages, Instagram accounts, and catalogues‍
• Access data sources, domains, apps, and security settings 

This setup ensures that business assets are owned by the business, not a personal Facebook account, which is especially important when teams grow or external partners are involved.

📌 Update 2024: Meta renamed Meta Business Manager to Meta Business Portfolio. While some Meta documentation still uses the old term, Business Portfolio is the current interface, and all Business Manager links now redirect to it.

🔗 Related article: How to Create a Meta Business Portfolio

When is a Business Portfolio necessary?

You’ll need a Meta Business Portfolio to manage your business effectively across Meta tools, especially if you run ads, manage multiple assets, or work with external partners.

A Business Portfolio is required if you want to:

• Use Meta Business Suite: Business Suite relies on a Business Portfolio to connect Pages, Instagram accounts, and other assets in one place.‍
• Run ads across Facebook and Instagram with full control: Ad accounts, billing, and Ads Manager access are all set up and owned at the portfolio level.‍
• Create and manage Shops: Commerce features for Facebook and Instagram require a Business Portfolio to manage products and settings.‍
• Verify your website domain: Domain verification is handled through Business Portfolio settings, not personal accounts.‍
• Enroll in monthly invoicing: Advanced billing options are only available through a Business Portfolio.‍
• Run ads related to social issues, elections, or politics: These campaigns require additional verification that can only be completed through a Business Portfolio.‍
• Work with agencies or external partners: A Business Portfolio lets you grant access securely without sharing personal logins or transferring ownership.‍
• Manage multiple Pages, ad accounts, or brands in one place: Portfolios keep assets organised as your business or client list grows.

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What is Meta Business Suite?

Meta Business Suite is a free, centralized workspace for businesses to manage day-to-day tasks, including content publishing and advertising.

This way, you can manage activity across Facebook and Instagram without jumping between multiple apps.

With Meta Business Suite, you can:

• Create, schedule, and publish posts, stories, and reels for Facebook and Instagram
  
• Manage messages and comments from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp Business in one inbox
  
• View insights on content and audience performance
  
• Create or boost ads and track basic performance
  
• Access other Meta tools, such as Ads Manager, from one central hub

When do you need Meta Business Suite?

You’ll likely need Meta Business Suite if you manage Facebook Pages or Instagram business accounts and regularly handle content or engagement.

Meta Business Suite is useful if you:

• Publish content as a business, not a personal profile.
  
• Post frequently and want to plan ahead. The content calendar and scheduler make it easier to manage consistent posting without logging in every day.
  
• Manage messages, comments, or DMs at scale. A unified inbox helps businesses or their agencies respond across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp Business in one place.
  
• Want a simple way to monitor performance. Business Suite provides insights so you can track what’s working without using advanced reporting tools.‍
• Allow internal teams or marketing agencies to manage posts and messages for a business account without sharing personal logins.

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Meta Business Suite vs. Business Portfolio [feature differences]

Meta Business Suite and Meta Business Portfolio are closely linked, which makes them easy to mix up. Even though Business Portfolio is usually accessed through Meta Business Suite, the two tools play different roles.

Here’s how their features compare:

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1. User permissions and access control

User access and permissions are managed through Meta Business Portfolio. This is where businesses can control who has access, what they can work on, and at what level.

For example, in a Business Portfolio, you can:

• Add teammates or external partners (such as agencies), including people who have access through connected Facebook or Instagram accounts

and

• Assign access at two basic levels:
  
  • Portfolio-level access, which controls who can manage settings, people, and assets for the business as a whole
  • Asset-level access, which controls what someone can do on specific assets like Pages, Instagram accounts, or ad accounts

You can also use more granular options like:

• Advanced access, such as finance permissions, which allow someone to view or manage billing, invoices, and ad spend without giving them full control of the business
• Temporary access, which lets you grant time-limited permissions that are automatically revoked after a set period

Learn more about user permissions here. 

Meta Business Suite doesn’t let you manage user permissions directly. When you click on settings, you’re redirected to Meta Business Portfolio, where permissions are actually managed.

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2. Social media scheduling and content management

Meta Business Suite is where content creation, scheduling, and day-to-day engagement happen.

With Meta Business Suite, you can:

• Create and schedule posts for Facebook and Instagram from one place
  
• Publish posts to multiple formats, including feed posts and Stories
  
• Plan content ahead of time using a shared content calendar
  
• Manage drafts and review scheduled or published posts
  
• Boost existing posts to increase reach
  
• Reply to messages and comments from Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp Business in a single inbox
  
• View insights on post performance and audience engagement
  

Meta Business Portfolio doesn’t support content creation or scheduling, but it’s where you link Instagram accounts to Facebook Pages. 

This connection allows both accounts to be managed together in Meta Business Suite, which is ideal for cross-posting, using a unified inbox for messages and comments, and viewing insights across both platforms in one place. 

3. Unified inbox for messages and comments

Meta Business Suite includes a unified inbox that brings messages and comments from multiple platforms into one place. This means you can manage conversations across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and WhatsApp Business without switching tools.

With the Business Suite inbox, you can:

• Read and reply to messages from Messenger, Instagram, and WhatsApp in one view
  
• Respond to comments on Facebook and Instagram posts from the same inbox
  
• Filter conversations by platform, status (unread, follow-up), or assignment
  
• Organise messages by marking them as unread, done, or needing follow-up
  
• Set up simple automations, such as greeting messages or away replies
  
• Search conversations and view basic customer details while responding

This makes it easier to stay on top of customer conversations, especially when multiple people are handling messages or when messages come in from different channels throughout the day.

Meta Business Portfolio doesn’t include an inbox or messaging tools. 

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4. Creating and managing ads

Meta Business Suite provides a more accessible entry point for running ads.

From Business Suite, you can:

• Create basic ads for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network
• Boost existing posts to increase reach
• Set budgets, schedules, and payment methods during ad creation
• View basic ad performance and insights

For more complex needs such as advanced targeting, detailed reporting, campaign structure, or large-scale optimisation, use Ads Manager.

Meta Business Portfolio doesn’t include tools for creating ads. Instead, it can be used to set up new ad accounts, manage who has access to them, and handle ad-related billing.

Ads themselves are then created and managed in Ads Manager or Meta Business Suite.

In Business Portfolio, you can:

• Create and own ad accounts
• Assign and manage ad account access for teammates or external partners
• Manage billing setup and invoicing at the business level
• Create and manage supporting assets such as datasets, catalogues, and offline event sets, which can be used to track results and support advanced advertising features

📌 Note: You don’t need a Business Portfolio to have an ad account in Ads Manager. However, using it allows the business to own and manage ad accounts independently of individual Facebook profiles. Once an ad account is created or linked to a Business Portfolio, access, billing, and partner permissions are managed there instead.

Learn more about connecting an existing ad account to a Business Portfolio here.

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5. Audience targeting and management

While audiences are created and used in Ads Manager, linking an ad account to a Business Portfolio shifts audience sharing settings to the portfolio.

Meta Business Portfolio is where audience ownership and sharing are managed. 

In the portfolio, you can:

• Share custom and lookalike audiences between ad accounts
  This allows you to reuse audiences across different ad accounts without having to recreate them each time, which is especially useful when running similar campaigns or working across multiple brands or clients.
  
• Control who can access those audiences
  You can decide which teams, ad accounts, or external partners (such as agencies) are allowed to use specific audiences, helping keep sensitive data secure.
  
• View audiences that have been shared with your business
  This is particularly useful for agencies managing multiple ad accounts from one Business Portfolio, as it provides visibility into which audiences are available to use across different clients or campaigns.

Meta Business Suite, by contrast, doesn’t manage audiences directly. When you click on audiences or advanced targeting options in Business Suite, you’re redirected to Ads Manager. 

Inside Business Suite, you can only:

• Use basic audience settings when creating an ad (such as location, age, and gender)
• Select existing audiences for simple campaigns or boosted posts

For more advanced tasks, Ads Manager is required.

6. Integrations with CRMs and third-party tools

In Meta Business Portfolio, integrations are managed at a governance level. This is where you control which tools and partners can access your business data.

From the portfolio, you can:

• View and remove apps connected to your business
  See which apps are linked to your Business Portfolio and revoke access if a tool or partner no longer needs it.
  
• Manage leads access
  Control which people, CRMs, or tools are allowed to receive leads generated from lead ads.
  
• Connect custom apps
  Add your own app using an App ID if you’re using a custom-built integration or working with a technical partner.
  
• Set up conversation routing for messaging partners
  If you use third-party messaging providers for Messenger or Instagram, you can define which partners can respond to messages and when. This helps prevent unintended access and avoids one partner controlling all conversations.

Meta Business Suite is where you can connect Meta-approved business apps to your Facebook Page and use them as part of your daily workflows.

In Meta Business Suite, you can:

• Manage which business apps are connected to your Facebook Page
• Connect a CRM to automatically receive leads from lead ad campaigns
• Use direct CRM integrations or tools like Zapier or LeadsBridge
• View and manage incoming leads without exporting CSV files

This is where integrations are used most actively for marketing, lead management, and day-to-day workflows.

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7. Analytics and insights

Between Business Suite and Business Portfolio, only Meta Business Suite includes performance insights.

Meta Business Suite offers easy-to-read insights for Facebook and Instagram in a single dashboard. It’s designed to help businesses and agencies quickly understand how content and ads are performing without needing to dig into advanced reporting tools.

In Business Suite, you can:

• See an overview of performance across your Facebook Page, Instagram account, and connected ad account
• Track how individual posts, reels, and ads are performing (reach, engagement, clicks, etc.)
• Monitor follower growth and engagement trends over time
• View basic audience demographics such as age, gender, and location
• Compare performance against past content or similar businesses in your category
• Identify which types of content or ads are working best so you can adjust your strategy

Meta Business Portfolio doesn’t provide performance analytics or reporting. While you may see references to “portfolio performance” in Meta interfaces, any actual insights or metrics are surfaced through Meta Business Suite or Ads Manager, not within the Business Portfolio itself.

8. Billing and payments

For billing, payments, and financial control, Meta Business Portfolio is where everything happens. 

It’s designed to handle finances at a business level, especially when you’re managing multiple ad accounts, brands, or clients.

From the Billing and payments section in Business Portfolio, you can:

• Track payments and balances
  View current balances, transaction history, and account spending limits across connected ad accounts.
  
• Manage payment methods
  Add, edit, and share payment methods such as credit/debit cards, direct debit, PayPal, or credit lines.
  
• Handle invoices
  If you’re on monthly invoicing, you can view, download, and pay invoices separately from regular payment activity.
  
• Manage lines of credit
  Apply for new credit lines, view credit details, and share credit across business portfolios where applicable.
  
• View connected accounts in one place
  See all ad accounts and WhatsApp Business accounts linked to your business portfolio, along with their payment status.
  
• Take payment actions
  Pay outstanding balances, review account-level spending limits, and drill into detailed payment activity.

This setup removes the need to switch between tools or individual ad accounts to manage billing, which is especially important for businesses running multiple campaigns or agencies managing spend across clients.

Meta Business Suite doesn’t have a dedicated billing or payments area. When you need to manage billing settings, invoices, or payment methods, it redirects you to Business Portfolio.

The only exception is during specific tasks, such as:

• Adding or selecting a payment method while creating or boosting an ad
• Viewing basic payment prompts tied to individual ad actions

These are just convenience shortcuts rather than full billing management features.

9. Mobile app

Meta Business Suite has a dedicated mobile app available on iOS and Android.

From the Meta Business Suite mobile app, you can:

• See an overview of your connected Facebook Pages and Instagram accounts
  
• Check notifications for messages, comments, likes, and other activity
  
• See and boost recently published content, including posts, stories, and reels
  
• Review recent ads and create simple ads
  
• View basic insights for both organic and paid performance
  
• Access your inbox, content creation tools, and other key features from the bottom menu

Meta Business Portfolio doesn’t have a standalone mobile app. However, it can be accessed through the Meta Business Suite mobile app via the settings.

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How to switch from Meta Business Suite to Business Portfolio

If you’re in Business Suite and want to access Business Portfolio, here’s how:

Step 1. Click “Help” in the bottom-left corner.

Step 2. Click “Go to Business Manager.”

You’ll notice the option still says Business Manager. This button hasn’t been updated yet, but it will take you to Meta Business Portfolio. 

Meta is gradually phasing out the Business Manager name, so some menus and help links still use the old terminology.

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How to switch from Meta Portfolio to Meta Business Suite 

If you’re in Business Portfolio and want to switch back to Business Suite, follow these steps:

Step 1. Click the three-line (menu) icon in the top-left corner.

Step 2. Select “Meta Business Suite.”

You’ll be taken back to the Business Suite dashboard, where you can manage content, messages, insights, and ads.

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