TikTok: impact on page speed
Category: Advertising pixel
The TikTok Pixel measures conversions for TikTok ads. Like other ad pixels it loads on every page it is installed on and adds its own script execution to page load.
On 8.4 % of the 4108 homepages measured, TikTok is among the five heaviest third parties. Where it is, it takes a median of 165 ms of main-thread time; on the heaviest quarter of those sites it takes 228 ms or more.
8.4 %
of homepages: among the five heaviest third parties
165 ms
median main-thread time
228 ms
main-thread time on the heaviest quarter (p75)
159 KB
median transfer size
Distribution across homepages
Percentiles across 345 homepages with TikTok.
| Percentile | Main-thread time | Transfer size |
|---|---|---|
| p25 |
130 ms
|
159 KB |
| Median |
165 ms
|
159 KB |
| p75 |
228 ms
|
173 KB |
| p90 |
287 ms
|
284 KB |
In context
By median main-thread time, TikTok ranks 20th of 65 third parties in the benchmark, lighter than Google Maps and heavier than Optimizely.
On 18 % of the homepages where it appears, TikTok alone uses 250 milliseconds of main-thread time or more, the mark from which Lighthouse flags third-party code.
Homepages with TikTok weigh 5.9 MB at the median (JavaScript: 2.6 MB), homepages without it 4.1 MB (JavaScript: 1.5 MB).
Often loaded together with
Share of homepages with TikTok where the other tool is also among the five heaviest third parties.
- Facebook 89 %
- Google Tag Manager 88 %
- Clarity 17 %
How to spot TikTok on your page
Requests go to analytics.tiktok.com, where the pixel script and its event configuration are loaded. The pixel is often added in a hurry for a single campaign and then stays on the site long after the campaign has ended. If no TikTok campaign is running, removing the pixel is the simplest saving on this list.
How to reduce the impact of TikTok
- Load the pixel only after consent and after the main content has rendered.
- Use the TikTok Events API to send conversions from the server.
- Restrict the pixel to pages that matter for campaign measurement.
Frequently asked questions
How can I load TikTok with less impact?
Load the pixel only after consent and after the main content has rendered. Use the TikTok Events API to send conversions from the server.
Does TikTok affect Core Web Vitals?
The TikTok Pixel is invisible on the page, so its effect shows up in INP. Its event library loads and initialises during page load and sends events on interactions, which competes with the site's own scripts for the main thread. Sites running TikTok campaigns often load several ad pixels at once, and visitors feel the combined cost.
Method and sample: Third-Party Benchmark.