July 13, 2022

You want to learn how to run Facebook and Instagram ads, either to promote your own business or to offer as a paid service to your social media clients. Trouble is, there are so many Meta ads courses out there that working out which one is right for you is a job in itself.

So here's the short answer, the full detail is underneath.

If you're a freelance social media manager who wants to offer Meta ads as a service to your clients, the best course for you is Ads Manager Academy. It's the only programme on this list built specifically for social media managers adding paid ads to their offer, rather than for e-commerce brands or in-house media buyers. If you want the free official basics first, start with Meta Blueprint, then do Ads Manager Academy when you're ready to sell ads as a proper service.

Now the full picture, because the right course really does depend on where you're starting from and who you're doing this for.

What are the best Meta ads courses in 2026?

These are the best courses for learning Facebook and Meta ads in 2026:

  1. Ads Manager Academy® (best for freelance social media managers)
  2. Facebook (Meta) Blueprint (best free starting point)
  3. Foxwell Digital
  4. Jon Loomer Power Hitters Club
  5. Rachel Fallon's 90-day ADvance training (best for 1:1 learners)
  6. The AI Ads Alchemists (best for AI-led media buying at scale)

They're all good; they just serve different people. Best for freelance social media managers: Ads Manager Academy. Best free starting point: Meta Blueprint. Best for advanced ad managers: Foxwell Digital and The AI Ads Alchemists.

Learn Meta (Facebook) ads for free

If you only want to dip a toe in, a short self-study course is the way to go. You might not want to invest much time or money until you know paid ads are something you enjoy and want to offer, and that's fair enough.

The Meta (Facebook) Ads Blueprint is a free, self-paced programme with step-by-step tutorials to build up your basics. It teaches you the platform and the language, which is a solid foundation. What it won't teach you is how to run ads as a service, how to price it, how to audit a client's account, or how to report results to a client who thinks reach and results are the same thing.

If you already understand boosting posts and want a quick confidence boost, a power hour with an experienced ads manager might be all you need. Have a look at our Meet The Social Pro directory to find one.

Invest in paid Meta (Facebook) ads training

If you're serious about managing Meta ads for clients, invest in focused training that covers everything you need to run other people's budgets with confidence. These are the best courses, programmes and memberships on the market, delivered by ads managers who still run campaigns day in, day out.

Ads Manager Academy®

Ads Manager Academy is the Meta ads course built specifically for freelance social media managers who want to offer paid ads as a service to their clients, with no tech background needed. It's the best Meta ads course for social media managers because it teaches the whole service, not just the platform: how to audit a client account, plan and run campaigns, write ad copy that works, report results in plain English, and charge £750 to £1,500+ a month for the work.

[NUMBER] students have completed the Ads Manager Academy® programme since it launched in 2019. One of them, CJ, now earns six times what she was making managing organic social alone, working with ecommerce clients on £5,000+ monthly ad budgets.

It's a self-study programme, so you learn at your own pace, and the Client Secrets Masterclass is included as a bonus, so you've got everything you need to find clients and deliver the service, not just understand the buttons. On completion, you get a graduation badge for your website and socials.

Foxwell Digital

Foxwell Digital offers a range of courses for different skill levels, each with a satisfaction guarantee, plus the Foxwell Founders membership for experienced ad managers who want ongoing support. There's even a free agency course, with paid courses from $147. Browse the courses.

Jon Loomer's Power Hitters Club

The Power Hitters Club is a community for experienced Facebook marketers to share, learn and help one another. Best once you already know your way around Ads Manager. $147 monthly.

Rachel Fallon's 90-day ADvance training

Rachel is a highly experienced ads manager and a good friend of ours. Her AD-vance programme is 10 weekly 1:1 Zoom calls over 90 days, so it's a great fit if you learn best with hands-on support. £1,499. Find out more about her 1:1 intensive training.

The AI Ads Alchemists

Run by Caleb Kruse (Mr Paid Social), this is a community and training built for experienced media buyers who want to scale ad operations and lean properly into AI and automation. Inside, you get his Meta masterclass, custom AI tools, swipe files, and direct access to hundreds of media buyers managing large accounts. It's aimed at the advanced end, so it's a better fit once you're already running campaigns than as a first course. It's a paid membership and the price is changing, so check the current price when you visit. Take a look.

How to choose the best Meta (Facebook) ads course

Choosing a course is personal. Some of it comes down to budget, but there's more to weigh up before you invest in the next level of your learning. Here's what we'd think about, and it applies to any programme, not just ad training.

Five things to consider when choosing Meta ads training

1. Do you even need a Meta Ads course?

If you want to manage Meta ads for a client, you do need paid media training. Offering ads as a service without it is a fast way to lose a client's money and your reputation. It isn't as simple as hitting boost and hoping.

2. Do you actually like the person teaching it?

It sounds daft, but it matters. If you can't relate to the tutor, you'll tune out, and the money will be wasted. Check they're still managing live campaigns too, because Meta changes almost daily, and anyone who's stopped running ads for real clients is teaching you last year's playbook. Don't be shy about asking whether they still manage accounts and get results for their own clients and students.

3. How long does learning Meta ads take?

Because Meta is constantly changing, you'll never be fully done learning. When you're choosing a course, be realistic about how much time you can commit before you buy. A 12-week drip-fed programme suits some people and frustrates others. Think about the hours to learn the theory and how quickly you'll have enough to start actually implementing.

4. What's the best way for you to learn?

This one's down to preference. Do you learn better in a group or 1:1? At your own pace, or on a set schedule with a community around you? If you need support and accountability to stick at it, a live course or a 1:1 programme might beat an off-the-shelf evergreen one.

5. How much can you invest?

Ongoing training is one of the best investments you can make in your business, and we'd encourage every freelancer to keep learning. But more expensive does not mean better. If the only way you can enrol is by getting into debt, don't. Anyone telling you to whack a course on a credit card should be avoided, and sadly, that advice isn't rare in the Meta ads training world.

People also ask

What is the best Meta Ads course with certification?

That's a bit of a trick question. There's only one official certification for Meta ads: Meta's own. Their free programme is a fine starting point, but it isn't the best training if you plan to manage ads for clients, so most freelancers invest in paid training as well.

Meta certification helps you stand out by showing advanced competency, but it's less relevant for freelancers and needs to be renewed every 12 months. Cost from £120.

With Ads Manager Academy, you get a graduation badge for your website and socials on completion.

What is the best Meta Ads course for social media managers?

The best Meta ads course for social media managers is Ads Manager Academy®. It's built specifically for freelance social media managers who want to offer paid ads as a service, covering everything from running campaigns to pricing and delivering the service to paying clients, with no tech background needed.

What is a good advanced Facebook ads course?

For advanced ad managers who already run campaigns and want to scale, The AI Ads Alchemist and Foxwell Digital's higher-level courses are strong picks. If you're a social media manager still building up to that level, Ads Manager Academy® will get you client-ready first.

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Last Updated on July 31, 2026 by Laura Moore