Much has been written about the differences between Facebook Pages and Groups. When I needed to decide which to use for a project, I looked online and found lots of sites listing the features of each, yet I felt they missed the essence of which to use in actual practice. Furthermore, much of the info online was outdated (even from Facebook itself). After doing some experimentation on my own, I decided to publish my results and conclusions here. I hope this will help you decide whether you should create a Page or Group for your organization (or both).
The Quick Answer
For those of you who don’t want to wade through the details, let me try to sum up the essence of a Facebook Page vs. a Facebook Group in as few words as possible:
Facebook Pages are ideal for public two-way communication: from you to your members and from your members to you (if you allow it), but not so much between members. They are good for companies and organizations who want to make announcements to large groups of people.
Facebook Groups allow equal communication between all members of the group: they are good for friends or enthusiasts who want to talk between themselves with no one person or organization dominating. They promote online community.
Having said this, neither is quite ideal and each has major disadvantages. In practice, I wish I could take the best of both, but we can’t, so read on to see the details.
Joining
Visitors of a Page become members simply by “liking” the Page. No interaction from you is required.
Visitors of a Group become members by “joining” the group and waiting for approval from a Group administrator. Groups can be “open”, meaning anyone can ask to join, or “closed”, meaning only people who are invited can join. (By the way, with Groups, you can “force” Friends to join by adding them yourself, whereas you can’t force anyone to “like” your Page).
There are two really huge implications of this. Groups require action from your organization before people can join, even for “open” groups. You’ll need to make sure that someone can spare the time to do this, or else you’ll have members in limbo.
Second, visitors to Groups can’t post to the Group wall until they become members (i.e., after an administrator has approved them), even in “open” groups. This makes it impossible for new visitors to immediately post on the Group wall. Let’s say someone has a question about your product or service. Are they really going to click “join”, wait for you to approve their membership, then come back and post their question? Probably not. This can be a big disadvantage of Groups, depending on what your goals are.
For this reason and others, Groups are good for long-term repeated interactions between members but lousy for immediate spontaneous interactions from the general public (i.e., non-members).
Visibility of Members’ Posts
The visibility of members’ posts is really one of the most important core differences between Pages and Groups.
As I mentioned, Pages are fine for two-way communication: Members are only notified (through a post to their newsfeed) only when the Page administrator posts, and the Page administrator is notified when anyone posts. Groups are ideal for all-way communication: everyone is notified when anyone posts.
Let’s talk about Pages a bit more. With the “Classic Pages Experience”, your posts show up on members’ newsfeeds, but visitors’ and members’ posts do not. Members don’t get any notification when other members or visitors post. Instead, members’ posts end up hidden in the page’s Community feed, not on the main wall. Thus, Pages are pretty handicapped when it comes to member-to-member communication and are not so great for promoting community among members.
With the 2022 “New Pages Experience”, even this ability is gone. Even with permissions set to allow user posting, I wasn’t able to find a way to allow users to create new posts on my Pages. In fact, the Community feed is gone! For this reason, I reverted to the “Classic Pages Experience” on a few Pages that I manage.
Not allowing user posting can be a good thing for a company or organization that wants to tightly control the message on the Page. This minimizes the effect of disgruntled visitors who post bad things. Posts can be disallowed individually or altogether if you want pure one-way communication only.
With Groups, on the other hand, any posts to the Group will be sent as an email to all members (until they get annoyed and turn this feature off), and will show up as a Notification in the top bar of the members’ Facebook pages. Thus with Groups, all members have an equal ability to communicate with everyone else in the Group.
Even if Group members shut off email notifications, they will still be informed of posts to the Group by a number flag that shows up on the “globe” icon at the top of members’ pages. If they click on it, it will show a condensed version of the post. Thus, as long as they check this area, Group members will never “miss” a post, whereas, with Pages, members can miss postings if they don’t happen to check their newsfeed after you’ve posted.
These are really the most important differences between Pages and Groups. If you want inter-member communication, go with a Group. If you don’t, go with a Page.
Member Visibility
People who’ve “liked” you Page cannot see who else has “liked” the Page. Members of Groups, on the other hand, can see who else is in the Group and click on their profiles to learn more about other members.
Repeat Visits
Once a visitor has either “liked” your Page or “joined” your Group, what if they want to visit your Page or Group again?
With Pages, there is no easy link to your Page unless you make a post that they happen to see in their newsfeed. If you don’t post, members are unlikely to return to your Page. This is a BIG minus of Pages! You have to keep posting to maintain members’ attention.
With Groups, there is a link on the sidebar of members’ newsfeeds at all times. They can simply click on the name of the Group to see the latest happenings.
I really wish there was an easier way for people to return to Pages they’ve liked!
SEO
Here’s one really important fact that could force you to a Page: Facebook Pages will show up in Google searches. Facebook Groups will not show up in Google searches, even if they are “open”.
Sustainability
Groups can be self-sustaining. It is possible for you to set up a Group, add a bunch of friends to it, and have it thrive from member postings, even if you never lay a finger on it again.
This is unlikely with Pages. If you stop posting, people are unlikely to return to your Page a second time because there’s no link to get there. You might get first-time visitors through Google, but they won’t ever see a link to your page on Facebook unless you post.
Branding
If you create a Page, you can post and do other activities on Facebook as if you were the Page. For example, when you comment as the Page, a profile photo of the page will show up, not your personal profile photo. This is nice to decouple the organization from any one individual.
Furthermore, Pages can have “apps”, a feature which I honestly haven’t found a use for yet, but it’s there if you want to look into it some more.
When you post to the Group, you post as yourself. You can’t “become” the Group like you can with a Page.
Reach
Facebook has really put a damper on the visibility of posts by Pages in people’s newsfeeds. Posts to Groups, in general, will have greater visibility on members’ walls Moz SEO did a fascinating study by posting the same link on a Page and Group with the same number of members. The post on the Group got 15 times the traffic! Read the Moz SEO story here.
Paid Advertising
On the other hand, reader Alexander pointed out to me that you can’t do a paid “boost” to a Group post, and overall Group advertising is limited. I haven’t tried this myself so you might want to experiment if you want to do paid advertising on Facebook.
Analytics
Pages provide you with analytics on the number of likes, shares, etc. Groups provide no analytics.
Summary
These are the core differences between Pages and Groups. As you can see, there is no clear winner; both have advantages and disadvantages.
I hope this has helped you decide which is best for your organization (or perhaps you need both, as some organizations have!) Please let me know your thoughts and experiences! – Brian
I am a freelance web developer and consultant based in Santa Monica, CA. I’ve been designing websites using WordPress and from scratch using HTML, CSS, PHP, and JavaScript since 2010. I create websites and web applications for businesses, nonprofits, and other organizations. I have a degree in Electrical Engineering (BSEE) from California Institute of Technology and a degree in Engineering Management (MSEM) from Stanford University. If you need help with your site, you can hire me!
Great comparison! Helpful insights on choosing between a Facebook Page or Group for businesses.
How can I hide my name as administrator when making a post
Hi Rose,
If you’re talking about a Facebook Group (vs a Page), I don’t think there is a way to hide your status as an admin other than to create an alternate FB profile.
Best,
Brian
Mr. Shim,
Thank you for posting this article. I need a little clarification and I’m sure you can help. Just a brief explanation of what I’m trying to do: I am the Assistant Chief and Training Officer for a small town fire department. I have several videos and topics that are saved on Facebook that I want to send to my guys in a private group. I have created a page (which I like better) but I am unable to share those on the page. I have also created a group that does share but I am not able to control it like the page. I just don’t want everyone and anyone posting. Am I missing something admin wise on the group settings to better control what’s posted?
Thank you
Burdette
Asst. Chief,
Weaver Fire Department
Thank you for this article! It was great
Great article, very useful, thanks.
If you set a group and later leave the organisation, can you leave the group after giving another member admin status
Can I change my group URL?
Thanks!
Sounds like groups are the way to go…. but can you block people from posting or commenting on your group
Oh, just one question: what does it mean when someone follows your page vs. not follow? Is there any difference in visibility of your page? Thank you!
Great information. Thank you!
thanks for the great article!
Great article! Thanks!
Hi Brian, I really need your advice – and after a bit of research and reading all of the excellent info you provide in this article, I think you are just the guy to provide the best advice.
which of the two options would be the best tool for reaching estranged family (for inheritance purposes) in a situation where all of whom will wish to remain estranged after the idistribution of the nheritance has been completed? i.e. I don’t want to expose my life to these individuals; nor to they want to expose theirs to me or to most of the other individuals in the extended family unit. Yet, I need to communicate with them to inform them of an inheritance and to obtain personal info which can be used by an estate lawyer for disbursements. Yes, I know this is a sad situation, in more ways than the obvious, but it is what it is and I don’t want my otherwise quiet and reclusive life to be turned upside down because i am trying to do the right thing by reaching out. I appreciate your insight – and time. Venti
Can both your group and your page use the same name, or do you have to vary it slightly like, “ABC Conservancy” and “Friends of ABC Conservancy”? or can both be called “ABC Conservancy?” We want to add a page, but don’t want to over complicate it. Also, can one have a link to the other?
Hi Wendy,
I’ve never tried it myself but I did find people online saying they did have a group with the same name as a page. But, even if it is possible, I would distinguish them in a subtle way just to avoid confusion.
I don’t see why one couldn’t link to the other in the “website” field.
Best,
Brian
One important thing you should add to this post is that YOU CAN’T BOOST GROUP POSTS and overall group paid advertising is limited.
Why can’t my page highlight? Do I have to make it a group?
Thanks!!!!! I was scrolling through all sorts of FB articles trying to figure this out. You saved me lots of time.
Very helpful, thank you!
Well written and differences laid out nicely. Thank you!
Great Article, thanks – Question: Page or Group ? We want to connect Home School families in our area (probably more of a ‘network’ than a ‘group’). We need an online place for people to post events, so we want it open and easily accessible, but between member communication is not that important and we don’t need to make sure everyone sees everything. So it sounds like a ‘page’ is probably better than a ‘group’ – is that correct ?
We want to create a page/group for our Quilt Guild. I have been put in charge. I am thinking group would better to serve our needs, announcements, pics of quilts, tutorials etc. My question is do I need a second email account to create the group?
If I ask for some advice, am I going to be charged for this ? –
This is very informative, Brian! Thanks for putting this together. Our family has a cafe in our hometown and I would like to add a delivery service (depending on the survey from the existing customers). The plan is to first inform our exisiting customers that an FB account is setup for the business, then get statisics whether they want their food delivered or not. If a good number of them said yes, the plan is to post the menu everyday then get orders online. Do you think an FB page is best for this?
Wish you all the best. God bless
Hi Brian! This was a very informative article. I’m glad I found as it’s exactly what I’m trying to determine. I am chairman of a HS PTO group for our class that is the fundraising arm for our 2019 alcohol/drug free lock in Graduation Party. It’s a four year effort starting when kids Freshman. The woman who set up our page did so as a group. We only have 45 members and we have 600+ parents. Would take forever to add then wait for them to accept. Then have them complain at all the emails/etc they’re receiving. I want to use this as a vehicle to announce events, post pictures, articles, and promoting dangers of drinking and other related subject matter. What is your opinion on switching from group to page?! Or staying as a group? For corporate sponsors in future thought about them wanting more visibility also? Thank you so much!!
I sir which one is best to earn money Facebook page or group?
Reply
I want to start a boat site for Vintage Rich Line boats. I have numerous brochures with multiple pages.
The brochures have helpful information about each boat. Owners can use these brochures and videos to
restore and old Richline. The company went out of business in 1972 so there are no owners. My Father stated the business in 1953 and sold it in 1957.
“This site is for the owners, past owners and people interested in Richline Boats to post their pictures,tell their stories, and share information.” I have some videos and, how-to’s, and photos. I have Searched and have not found any “Page” or “Group” that have brochures that are loaded into albums for a model to work from. I actually am the administrator for https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Richline_53/info. I have 208 members
I started it in 2006 but about 2 years ago they changed the format and lost a lot of my files; it has become a mess and there is no help. I have been waiting for them to fix the problem but after looking at information on Yahoo Groups it is clear they are not going to do any fixes; people are leaving them in large numbers. Do you have any suggestions on doing a group or page. I thank you for your time.
George Schneider
Hi Brian – how I wish I had found your article before I got myself in such a mess. I have 3 FB pages….at least I think I have. I have one which I set up to advertise my small charity fundraising enterprise (I make homemade preserves which I sell to raise funds). I advertise what is available and where I will be selling the preserves – fetes, markets etc. It doesn’t really work that well as it seems impossible to share the adverts with other pages.Apart from trying to put that one right I have been asked to set up a selling site for the members of my Slimming group where we can all advertise our clothes etc….should this be a group or a page. People need to go on there and get immediate access without waiting to join but it would be nice if we could have the boxes that are available on some sites to input the items for sale. Can you throw any light on these issues for me please?
Hello Brian, I am completely new the this although I do have my own Facebook page. I have been asked to set up either a page/group in facebook for a ladies section of a golf club. I want to post events, winners of competitions, photos etc. I do want it to be seen by a wider audience but need to maintain control of the account with only three or four people being able to put information on it, but obviously our ladies to have access to it. You can tell I am new!! Look forward to your comments.
Brian,
I’ve read your article, very informative. Still want o make sure a page is right for me. I’ve been asked to spearhead a ministry at church that will target 5 or more locations. It’s for events and spreading awareness about topics. Am I on the right path with a page? Just thought that if I did a group, it would keep others outside of the group from seeing it. I definitely want to reach as many people as possible, but without any negative comments or chatting between people. Help!
Thanks Brian for the detailed article. It was very helpful. I still need your opinion on my situation.
I have a group with about 1000 members to support a community website. It’s a closed group where only administrators (a couple) can post. The group policy is that only members of a specific community are allowed to join the group.
Now I feel like making a page sothat we are able to invite people from outside community as well to like the page and get the posts.
Now the problem that I foresee is that all the members of the group will also be there on the page and they will get duplicate posts one from group posting and one from page posting.
Can there be any exclusivity or can page and group be linked.
Brian, wonderfully explained. Is there a way to get my facebook page to be displayed on the right side of my website(designed by wordpress)
Hi Brian
Thanks for the article. I think Pages is the way for me to go for connecting with my clients ( I’m an artisan jeweler), however Im concerned about all the posts Im reading that you don’t have access to all your page likes anymore. Also, that if you post, it will only appear in the News Feed of a portion of your likes ( maybe only 10%), due to FB’s filtering algorithms. My primary intention is to reach all my ‘likers’, but it seems this is not possible anymore. Do you have any experience to comments on how to overcome this bid CON of Pages?
Thanks in advance.
Hi Brian, Very informative article. I have a question for your opinion please. I am on the committee as the booking officer for a local hall. There are two things in particular that I would like to achieve. One being I would like to just advertise our hall with just general hall hire info. Does pages have the document facility, as it is a rural community close to other main towns that could hire the hall. Secondly we run community dinners and meetings that are for the local residents only and I would like the option of sending/creating events to locals only. Can I send invites through a page to select people. Do I need both a page for hall info and also a group for residents? What would be your opinion.
Hey Brian, great post and probably the only one on the question that sums up pros & cons so well. I’m new to a fast-growing city and wish to start a community forum where everyone gets to share must-see, must-do, must-try of the city and guide each other on what is available/happening where. From your post it seems Group is the answer (not the best choice available though), since it allows for interaction among members. Hope that is directionally right?
If my Group is successful, do you see any restrictions if I want to use the content someday to start a listings/city website…something like a TimeOut? Does the group owner have any content rights/restrictions? Please guide!
Even with your post being from 2013, it has many valuable tips about the differences that I’m sure still apply in one form or another. Thanks for the information it was very useful in figuring out which way I am going to go!
Hi Brian
I wanted to ask. I was thinking on having a website created for ministry, but someone told me to use a fb group due to maintance of a website and the cost to keep them running. Could you give me some insight on this. I need for people all over the world to have access to this ministry if needed. Any suggestions would be helpful,
Thank You Brian!
Hi Brian,
I will be starting my first year of teaching in August and want to set up a Facebook page/group/something to keep my students and parents connected and abreast of what’s going on in school.
The most important things to me are that the page/group/something is not affiliated with my personal Facebook account and that it is not open to the public. What is the best option for me?
Have a fb page with over 7k fans. Obviously now it’s very difficult to reach them with out paying. Thinking of starting a group.
I bet there isn’t an easy way to get these fans transfered to the group. Or is there?
Thanks for your analysis. We use a group but are considering changing to a page. We use the group mostly for making events that we can invite all the members to. Is there an advantage or disadvantage when setting up events as a page?
Hi Conrad,
Great question. I was curious as well, so I tried to invite all fans of one of my pages to an event, and I couldn’t do it. So, I did some research and it turns out the feature has been removed – part of Facebook’s efforts to cut down on spam. You can’t invite all of a Page’s fans to an event (unless you personally are friends with every fan of the page, which probably won’t be the case).
So, if you want to have an event and invite all fans, you won’t be able to do it from a Page.
Thanks,
Brian
Brian,
This is a very helpful article and nicely summarizes the differences, as well as pros and cons of pages and groups. Thank you for sharing your analysis with us!
Thanks for the info,i will go for both.
then link to my site http://thedealmaker.info
that will make my brand as visible as possible
Hello, Brian. I am just writing a post about Facebook pages vs. groups and came across your blog. You have some different points here than I, and I may add your page as a resource. Thanks for posting, and good to find another local!
Great article Brian! Thank you very much!
I thank you for this great education! I am just about starting a charity organisation for worst-hit disaster victims and as part of the preparations I have a fundraising campaign at indiegogo. Funny enough, my 30 days is almost up and I have made nothing at all. I created a twitter page to push the campaign further, then I created a blog at tumblr for the same purpose. I knew I needed a presence on Facebook but I was unwilling to stay on Facebook like it is usually done. I then drafted a community that I wanted to be on Facebook to push my fundraising further. Your explications here have given much insight that I will always treasure. Please do keep us informed when you update or revise this post, thank you.
Brian, this is an excellent analysis of the differences between pages and groups. We can only hope that Facebook doesn’t make major changes to how they work before we’ve gotten used to them! Or at least if they do, it’s for the better! I’ll be passing this article along to a non-techy friend who is considering what to choose, and I’ll probably be creating her page or group for her. Thank you!
I am an administrator for a group with a political focus. We have to add members and do some prescreening but “unfriendlies” can (and sometimes) slip through as well as people in the media. We would like to make an overall statement that the comments and opinions are off the record so members don’t get quoted in the media. I cannot figure out how to put that on our Group’s page.
p.s. your information was helpful
Thanks so much for this post, it was much needed and so easy to understand. I have a community page that deals with disability in general but I want to create groups that deal with specific disabilities separately to create a sense of community. However I would love to have all my groups listed on my page, is there a way to link the 2?
Are there still limits to how many members can join a group?
I’m interested in learning your thoughts of how an organization can use both a group and a page successfully. For a history-based group I’m easing into non-profit status, I currently use a group where I get a great deal of interaction between the members. I’m considering a page as well, but I’m trying to learn more about having both, with little online success.
Great post. It is just what I was looking for. May I add that there are differences when it comes to custom URL’s and running facebook ads, as well.
Thanks Brian!
I have an online Baby shop and I was really confused about which one to opt for and I have decided to go for a page.
Your analysis is Bang on and perfect !