Why it happens
Ad blockers stop the pixel
Ad blockers stop the pixel
A blocked script sends nothing. The server never runs in the visitor's browser.
Browsers cut cookie life short
Safari and privacy browsers shorten how long the browser ID survives, so later purchases lose the link to the ad click.
Consent and closed tabs
Visitors who decline cookies, or close the tab before the confirmation page loads, never fire the browser event.
Some events never touch a browser
Renewals, refunds and sales stages in a CRM happen on your server. Only the Conversions API can report them.
The server alone misses browser context
Run only server events and Meta loses page-level signals the pixel collects. That is why the answer is both, with deduplication.
How to fix it, step by step
See what you run today
In Events Manager, open Data sources, your dataset, Overview. Each event shows Browser, Server or both.
Add the server side
Use your platform's partner integration (Shopify, WooCommerce and most big platforms have one), the Conversions API Gateway, or a direct setup with an access token.
Share one event ID
Send the same event_id from browser and server for each action.
Send customer information
Hashed email and phone, fbp and fbc on server events lift Event Match Quality.
Confirm both sides
In Test events, fire the event once and watch the browser and server versions arrive and pair.
Steps checked against Meta Business Help Center articles: About Meta Pixel; About the Conversions API; Best practices for the Conversions API; About deduplication for the Meta Pixel and Conversions API.
Sprites diagnoses this
Sprites diagnoses it
Sprites reads your pixel and CAPI health and shows where it breaks: per event, whether the browser, the server or both are sending.
What Sprites does
- Splits every event into browser pixel and Conversions API counts over 7 and 28 days.
- Flags events that arrive only from the browser, with no server twin.
- Reads how many server events arrive per browser event, so a half-wired server side stands out.
- Reads deduplication health per event once both sides send.
What it doesn't do
- Install the pixel on your site
- Send events to the Conversions API
- Change settings on your dataset
Questions
What is the Meta pixel?
A piece of JavaScript on your site that tells Meta what visitors do: view a page, add to cart, buy. Meta uses those events to report results and find more people likely to act.
Is the Conversions API replacing the pixel?
No. Meta recommends running both. They cover each other's gaps.
Can I use only the Conversions API?
You can. You lose the browser signals the pixel collects, and you depend fully on your server sending every event with good customer information.
Do I need a developer for the Conversions API?
Not on most store platforms. Their Meta integration turns it on. Custom sites need a developer or the Conversions API Gateway.
Is the pixel still worth it after iOS privacy changes?
Yes, alongside the Conversions API. The pixel still sees most visits; the server recovers part of what it loses.
See where it breaks
Connect your accounts. Sprites reads them side by side and shows you exactly where the numbers split.