In this guide
- The Conversions API Gateway is a hosted tool that sends web events to Meta from a server Meta helps you set up.
- Signals Gateway is broader: a data hub that takes web, app, offline and CRM data and can route it to Meta and other destinations.
- Both focus on Meta. If you also need Google, TikTok, cookies and enrichment, a server container is the more general tool.
Meta's tools for server events are easy to confuse because the names are close. This page separates them and shows where a Tag Manager server container fits in. Meta changes its products often, so treat this as a map and confirm details in Meta's own help centre. A fuller look at hosted gateways versus a container is in sGTM vs gateways.
The Conversions API in one paragraph
The Conversions API (CAPI) is Meta's endpoint that accepts events from your server. It exists to make up for browser pixel losses. The events you send should carry an event name, a time, the user data you have (hashed e-mail, phone, IP, user agent, click ID fbc, browser ID fbp) and, for purchases, value and currency. You can call it directly from code, through a platform integration, through a Tag Manager server container or through a gateway. See Conversions API explained and how to set up Facebook Conversions API.
Connected in minutes
Add your domain, install the pixel, connect your ad platforms and watch the first events land.
Conversions API Gateway
The CAPI Gateway is a hosted setup. Meta lets you launch a server in a cloud account (Meta's own wizard supports a few providers), and the gateway then sends your web pixel events as server events. It is aimed at advertisers who want server events with the least work and no Tag Manager server container.
- Strength: quick to start and a low barrier for small teams.
- Limit: it handles web events for Meta. You do not get the container's control over what other vendors receive.
- Limit: you usually pay for the cloud server that runs it.
Signals Gateway
Signals Gateway is Meta's broader data hub. Meta describes it as a way to build pipelines that take data from your website, app, business messaging, offline files and CRM, and send it to a Meta dataset and to other destinations such as a data warehouse. It uses the newer Signals pixel and lets you filter, transform and route data.
- Strength: one place to bring several data sources to Meta, including offline and CRM data.
- Limit: it is Meta's system, so you work inside Meta's interface and rules.
- Limit: it does not replace a Google or TikTok set-up.
Sources disagree on whether Signals Gateway replaces the older gateway; Meta presents both in Events Manager. Check your own Events Manager to see which options are open to you.
Works with your stack
Grab a logo and throw it. These are the tools Open Tracked already talks to.
Where a server container fits
| Question | CAPI Gateway | Signals Gateway | Server GTM container |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main job | Web events to Meta | Data hub for Meta and others | General tracking server for any vendor |
| Other vendors (Google, TikTok) | No | Some routing | Yes, with their tags |
| Set cookies from your domain | No | No | Yes |
| Edit or remove fields per vendor | Limited | Filters and rules | Full control with transformations |
| Typical user | Small advertiser on Meta only | Team with offline and CRM data for Meta | Store or agency running several platforms |
How Open Tracked compares
Open Tracked hosts the Google Tag Manager server container, so Meta is one of several destinations. On every plan, including Free, you can use Cookie Keeper to keep _fbp and other cookies alive, the Data Store and Enricher to add stored hashed e-mail and phone to later events, Visitor Location and Device Info for matching data, and the User ID power-up to send an anonymous external_id. The CRM and offline conversion features send lead stages back to Meta and Google Ads. We do not run a Meta-only gateway product; the server container is the route. See offline conversions.
Which one should you pick?
- you only advertise on Meta
- you have no Tag Manager know-how and no one to learn it
- you want a quick first step and accept the limits
- you advertise on Meta, Google, TikTok or others
- you want long-lived first-party cookies
- you want to control what every vendor receives
- you want stored email or phone added to later events
What to check after any of them
- Open Events Manager, Test Events, and send a purchase.
- The event should show as received from both the browser and the server, then as deduplicated.
- Check event match quality for Purchase. A score of 6 or more is a common target, higher is better.
- Compare the number of purchases in Meta over a week with your store's orders.
event_id from the browser pixel and the server. Without it Meta may count each purchase twice. See Facebook event deduplication in GTM.Questions to ask before choosing
Watch-outs
- Duplicates. Two routes sending the same purchase without a shared event ID inflate your numbers.
- Silent failures. A gateway server that runs out of credit or breaks stops sending events. Alert on a drop in server events.
- Mismatched consent. A hosted gateway does not know your banner. Make sure consent decisions reach it.
Runs on your domain, anywhere
Your tracking runs on your own domain, so a visit from any country is handled the same way.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Conversions API Gateway free?
The gateway software itself is Meta's, but you normally pay the cloud provider that runs the server. Check Meta's current instructions for the costs in your region.
Do I need Signals Gateway if I already use a server container?
Not usually. A server container with the Meta Conversions API tag covers web events and, with offline conversions, CRM events. Signals Gateway can be useful if you want Meta's pipeline for offline and app data too.
Can I use a gateway and a server container together?
You can, but sending the same event through two paths creates duplicates unless the event IDs match. Most teams pick one route for server events.
Which is better for iOS visitors?
The route matters less than whether the events carry good user data and long-lived cookies. Both a gateway and a container can do the basics. A container with server-set cookies helps more with Safari.
Does Meta recommend one?
Meta documents several routes, including direct integrations, partner platforms, the gateway and custom code. Follow the route that matches your team's skills.
Do I need spreadsheets to read my results?
No. Once tracking is live, the Open Tracked analytics shows spend, revenue, ROAS and profit, and you can ask Ari, the built-in AI assistant, questions about your own numbers in plain words. Ari's allowance depends on your analytics plan.
Is Open Tracked different from Open Track or Open Space Track?
No. Open Tracked is the official name of our server-side tracking platform, and the website is opentracked.io. Many people search for it as Open Track, OpenTrack or Open Space Track. All of them lead to the same product: server-side Google Tag Manager hosting, first-party analytics and a CRM pipeline.
Fix your tracking at the source
Open Tracked hosts your server-side Tag Manager, keeps first-party cookies alive and shows what each ad is really worth.
The Open Tracked team
We build Open Tracked: server-side tracking hosting, analytics and the tools around them, for stores that spend on ads. Questions about this guide, or an idea for the next one?
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