Facebook group vs Page: the differences side by side
The short version: a Page talks, a group talks back.
| Page | Group | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A public profile for a business, brand or public figure | A community around a topic, place or interest |
| Who posts | The Page (its admins post as the Page) | Members, as themselves or as a Page where allowed |
| Privacy | Always public | Public or private |
| How people join | Follow or like, no approval | Join, often with admin approval and questions |
| Ads | Yes, through Ads Manager | No |
| Insights | Full Page insights in Meta Business Suite | Group insights for admins |
| Scheduling | Meta Business Suite or the Page | Admins and moderators only, inside the group |
| Messaging | Inbox for customer messages | No shared inbox; members message each other |
| Posting in other groups | Can join and post where groups allow Pages | Not applicable |
Two of these rows decide most choices. Only a Page can advertise, so if paid reach is part of your plan, you need one. And only a group lets your audience post, so if the value is in people helping each other, a Page won’t give you that.
Which one should you use?
Choose a Page if you are a business, brand, creator or public figure and you mainly publish: offers, news, opening hours, videos. You want to be found in search, run ads, answer customer messages and see who your posts reach. A dentist, a shop, a band and a local council all need a Page.
Choose a group if your audience has something to say to each other: customers helping customers, a hobby community, parents at one school, buyers and sellers in one town. A group needs more work, because someone has to approve members and moderate posts. In return, members tend to see and answer posts far more than followers do.
Choose both if you are a business with a community around it. That’s the common setup: the Page is the shop window and the advertiser, the group is where loyal customers talk. A software company with a support group, a fitness coach with a client group and a brand with a fan club all work this way.
If you want to post your business into groups other people run, that’s a third option and it doesn’t need a group of your own. How to advertise in Facebook groups covers how to do it without getting removed.
Can you convert a Facebook Page into a group, or a group into a Page?
No. Facebook has no setting to turn a Page into a group or a group into a Page, and no tool can do it for you. They are different objects: a Page has followers, a group has members, and Facebook doesn’t move one list into the other.
What you can do is build the second one next to the first, connect them, and move your audience across with posts and invites. The steps are below for both directions. Expect only part of your audience to follow: people chose to follow a Page or join a group, and they have to make that choice again.
How to move a Page audience into a group
On a computer:
- Click your profile picture at the top right and switch to your Page.
- Go to Groups in the left menu and click Create new group. Because you are using Facebook as your Page, the Page becomes the group’s admin.
- Give the group a name, choose Public or Private, and click Create.
- Add rules and membership questions. How to create a Facebook group goes through every setting.
- On the Page, post the group’s link with a reason to join, then pin that post. How to pin a post shows where the pin option is.
In the app:
- Tap your profile picture and switch to your Page.
- Tap the menu, then Groups, then Create.
- Name the group, choose the privacy and tap Create group.
- Share the invite link on the Page and in your Page’s Stories.
The labels move around between app versions. If you can’t find group creation while using your Page, create the group from your personal profile and then add the Page as an admin in the group’s settings.
How to move a group to a Page
This is the less common direction, usually when a group has grown into a business.
- Create the Page: click Pages in the menu, then Create new Page, and fill in the name and category.
- In the group, add the Page as an admin, or link the group from the Page’s settings, so the Page shows as connected.
- Post an announcement in the group with a link to the new Page, and pin it.
- Decide what happens to the group. You can keep it running, or archive it so members can still read old posts but nothing new can be added.
Don’t delete a large group to force people over. Deleting it removes years of posts, and most members won’t follow a link they never saw.
Using a Page and a group together
Linked properly, the two feed each other. The Page attracts people through search and ads and points the keenest ones to the group. The group keeps them engaged and shows the Page’s posts to people who care. A few habits that work:
- Post as the Page inside your own group for official news, and as yourself for conversation.
- Pin a post in the group that explains what the Page is for.
- Keep promotions on the Page, and keep the group about members, or it turns into a feed of ads nobody reads.
Pages can also join other people’s groups and post there where the admins allow Pages; how to post in a Facebook group as a Page explains when that works. If you run several Pages, posting to multiple Facebook Pages covers that side, and if you post the same announcement into many groups, MultiGroupPoster is the Chrome extension we make for it: one post, sent to each group you pick from your own session, as you or as your Page where the group allows it.
FAQ
What is the difference between a Facebook group and a Page?
A Page is a public profile for a business, brand or public figure: the Page posts and people follow it. A group is a community: members post and talk to each other, admins approve who joins, and it can be public or private. Pages can run ads and get detailed insights; groups can’t run ads.
Can you convert a Facebook Page into a group?
No. Facebook has no option to convert a Page into a group or a group into a Page. You create the other one, link them, and invite your audience across. Followers and members don’t move automatically.
Is a Facebook group or a Page better for a business?
Most businesses need a Page first, because only Pages can run ads, appear as a business in search and handle customer messages. A group is worth adding when customers have something to say to each other, such as support, a hobby or a local community. Many businesses use both and link them.
Can a Facebook Page create or join a group?
Yes. A Page can create a group, which makes the Page its admin, and it can link groups it manages to its profile. A Page can also join and post in other groups, but only groups whose admins allow Pages.
Do Facebook groups get more reach than Pages?
Group posts usually reach a larger share of members than Page posts reach of followers, because members chose to join and get group notifications. But a Page can reach people who never followed it through ads and sharing, and a group can’t run ads.