Why your data in Vista Social might differ from your native analytics – Vista Social

Sometimes the numbers in Vista Social reports don't match what you see in a network's native analytics. This guide explains why, network by network.

Overview

When you first connect a profile, Vista Social automatically backfills about 60 days of data. Longer history is available on the Enterprise and Scale plans. See How much historical data does Vista Social backfill?
Data isn't collected in real time. It's pulled in batches from each network's API every day, and new post data can take up to 24 hours to appear.
If a profile is disconnected, its latest data stops syncing. Reconnect it as soon as possible. See How to reconnect/disconnect profiles.

About 60 days of data are backfilled when you connect a Facebook Page, so earlier periods may look lower than in Facebook Insights.
Audience information can take up to 24 hours to appear.
Metrics for individual posts stop updating after a full calendar month.
Engagement numbers may not exactly match Meta's native analytics. Meta doesn't send third-party tools retroactive updates for some metrics (for example, when someone unlikes a post), and some data is captured at different times.
Meta has a 30-day adjustment period for engagement metrics. Vista Social recalculates and syncs data within that window, so some metrics may shift slightly.
Follower count tracking starts when you connect the Page. Follower counts can't be backfilled due to third-party tool limitations.

About 60 days of data are backfilled when you connect an Instagram Business profile, so earlier periods may look lower than in Instagram Insights.
Stories can't be backfilled. Vista Social starts collecting them once the profile is connected, and stories posted while the profile is disconnected aren't pulled in.
Audience information can take up to 24 hours to appear.
Data from IGTV posts isn't available.
Metrics for individual posts stop updating after a full calendar month.
Only original stories are shown. Instagram doesn't share data on reshared stories.
Only collaborator posts authored by your connected profile are tracked. Posts you're invited to as a collaborator aren't included due to API limits. Tip: add the original author as a competitor to see its analytics in the Competitor Analysis Report.
Engagement numbers may not exactly match Meta's native analytics. Meta doesn't send third-party tools retroactive updates for some metrics (for example, when someone unlikes a post), and some data is captured at different times.
Meta has a 30-day adjustment period for engagement metrics. Vista Social recalculates and syncs data within that window, so some metrics may shift slightly.
Follower count tracking starts when you connect the profile. Follower counts can't be backfilled due to third-party tool limitations.

About 60 days of X data are backfilled automatically when you connect your account, so earlier periods won't match X Analytics.
Follower counts can't be backfilled. They start populating when you connect your account.
Your post count doesn't include replies or reposts. X Analytics does, so these numbers may differ.
Engagement and engagement rate may be lower than in X Analytics. The X API doesn't provide a total engagement number per post, so Vista Social adds up likes, replies, reposts, quotes, link clicks, and profile clicks. Other types, such as app opens, app install attempts, and hashtag clicks, aren't included.

Vista Social fetches metrics for your last 500 posts. Older posts that keep getting engagement after they move past the 500th position aren't shown.

Post metrics and engagement are fetched for up to 60 days from each post's publish date.

Q: Why are my numbers lower than in native analytics?

A: Usually because of the backfill window, metrics that can't be backfilled (like followers), or engagement types the network's API doesn't share.

Q: How long does new post data take to appear?

A: Up to 24 hours.

Need help?

Reach out to our support team, and we are happy to help.