QuickAds / Best ad spy tools
Ad spy tools, 2026

The best ad spy tools in 2026, judged on what they actually show.

Nine ad spy tools compared on coverage, signal quality, workflow and published prices, each checked on the vendor's own site. Most lists ranking for this are written by a tool that puts itself first. We make one of these tools too, so the criteria come first and every price links to its source.

See the nine toolsTry the free library →
In short

The best ad spy tools in 2026 depend on the job. Start free with Meta Ad Library, TikTok Creative Center and QuickAds Discover. For tracking competitors and briefing a creative team, Foreplay or Atria. For dropshipping product research, Minea or BigSpy. AdSpy still has the deepest Facebook search at $149 a month. MagicBrief closed in July 2026.

Prices checked on each vendor's site, October 24, 2026. Last updated October 2026.

How we judged

Six criteria, stated before the list.

We ranked each tool by how many teams it serves well on these six criteria, then wrote down where it falls short. Prices come only from the vendor's own pricing page.

  • Coverage. Which networks it actually indexes, from the vendor's own plan table.
  • Signal quality. Whether it shows anything beyond the creative: run time, variants, engagement, performance hints.
  • Freshness and history. How current the ads are and how far back you can look.
  • Workflow. Saving, tagging, team boards, alerts, and turning a reference into a brief.
  • Published pricing. A price you can check without a sales call, and what the entry plan leaves out.
  • Fit. Built for brands and creative teams, or for dropshipping product hunts. Both are valid; they are different jobs.
Disclosure

QuickAds Discover is our product. We placed it fourth because Meta and TikTok's free libraries are the source data for the whole category, and Foreplay's 200M+ database and briefing workflow are deeper than ours today. Discover's edge is that it is free across five networks and sits on the same platform that makes the ads.

At a glance

Nine tools, one table.

Starting prices are the lowest published monthly price for a paid plan. Annual billing is cheaper on most of them.

Ad spy tools compared by best use, networks covered and starting price.
ToolBest forNetworksStarts at
Meta Ad LibraryFirst check on any competitorMeta apps, including Facebook and InstagramFree
TikTok Creative CenterShort-form video researchTikTokFree
ForeplayBrand creative teams, briefingMeta tracking; saves from TikTok and Instagram$59/mo
QuickAds DiscoverFree cross-network search, then productionFacebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, TikTokFree
AtriaResearch plus your own ad analyticsYour own ad accounts plus a competitor library$129/mo billed annually (promo price)
MineaDropshipping product researchFacebook plus influencer placements (others listed as coming)$49/mo
BigSpyMany networks, apps and gamesUp to 11 platforms by planFree; paid from $69/mo
AdSpyDeep Facebook copy and offer researchFacebook, Instagram$149/mo
MagicBriefClosed July 31, 2026n/an/a

Key takeaways

  • Three good options are free. Meta Ad Library, TikTok Creative Center and QuickAds Discover cost nothing.
  • No tool shows a competitor's real results. The best you get is proxies: run time, engagement, TikTok's CTR percentile, EU reach ranges.
  • Workflow is what you pay for. Foreplay and Atria charge for boards, briefs, tracking and analytics, not for the ads themselves.
  • Most lists are out of date. MagicBrief closed on July 31, 2026, and several tools have changed prices since the posts ranking for this were written.
The tools

The best ad spy tools, one by one.

Each block covers what the tool is, who it suits, its standout strength, an honest limitation and the published price with a link to the source.

Free · the source everyone else reads

1. Meta Ad Library

What it is
Meta's own public archive of ads running across its apps, including Facebook and Instagram. You search by advertiser or keyword and see the creative, copy, platforms and the date each ad started running.
Best for
Every team, as the first check on any competitor. It is the ground truth the paid tools scrape.
Standout
It is free and official. For ads delivered to the EU, Meta also exposes reach and spend ranges plus demographics, and its Ad Library API covers ads of any type delivered to the EU in the past year, per Meta's own EU transparency report.
Honest limitation
Outside the EU and political ads, it shows no performance data at all. There are no boards, tags or alerts, so research lives in screenshots and tabs. Our Facebook Ad Library guide covers how to read it well.
Pricing
Free. Tools described on Meta's Transparency Center.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Free · the only library with performance hints

2. TikTok Creative Center

What it is
TikTok's free hub for advertisers. Its Top Ads dashboard lets you filter ads by region, industry and objective and open a detail page with likes, a click-through rate shown as an industry percentile, and a second-by-second chart of when viewers clicked or dropped.
Best for
Anyone making short-form video who wants to see where viewers drop off in a category.
Standout
Retention and click curves on other advertisers' ads, which no other free library shows.
Honest limitation
The dashboard only includes ads that advertisers authorized for display, so the pool is self-selected and small. No spend or conversion numbers, and some results need a free login. TikTok changes the dashboard's filters and labels without notice, so check the live page before you build a routine around one of them.
Pricing
Free. TikTok Top Ads dashboard.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Paid · best for brand creative teams

3. Foreplay

What it is
A creative research and briefing platform. You save ads from Meta Ad Library, TikTok and Instagram into boards, search a community-curated Discovery database of 200M+ ads, track competitors with Spyder, and turn references into briefs.
Best for
DTC brand teams and agencies who brief designers and editors every week and need a shared swipe file.
Standout
The workflow around the research: boards, briefs, 24/7 competitor Meta ad tracking with up to three years of history, and MCP and API access for AI tools.
Honest limitation
Competitor tracking is Meta-focused. The Basic plan is a swipe file only; Spyder tracking starts on Workflow at $175 a month.
Pricing
Basic $59 a month (1 user), Workflow $175 (5 users), Agency $459 (10 users). Foreplay pricing.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Free · our tool, judged on the same criteria

4. QuickAds Discover

What it is
The free ad library inside QuickAds. It searches 32M+ ads across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok, sorts by relevance, performance score or running time, and filters by campaign objective, platform and vertical.
Best for
Brands that want one free search across networks, and teams that want to go straight from a reference to a finished ad.
Standout
A creative score on each ad based on hook, messaging and CTA, and a direct path into production: the same platform makes the ads, from $199 a month self-serve or as a managed service.
Honest limitation
The database is smaller than Foreplay's 200M+. There is no comment search like AdSpy's. The score is our model's estimate, not the advertiser's actual results.
Pricing
Free. QuickAds ad library.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Paid · research plus your own ad analytics

5. Atria

What it is
An AI creative platform that combines a competitor ad library with analytics on your own ad accounts, plus AI tools for concepts, scripts, copy and review mining. Atria lists its Radar feature as a 24/7 AI strategist.
Best for
Performance teams that want competitor research and their own creative reporting in one login.
Standout
Research and your own account data side by side, with AI concepting built on top.
Honest limitation
Priced for teams rather than solo buyers. When we checked, the $129 Core price was billed annually only and sat under a "Black Friday Cyber Monday: up to 41% off" banner, with $219 struck through, so check the price at checkout.
Pricing
Core $129 a month billed annually (5 seats, 4,000 AI credits), Plus $343, Business $959. Atria pricing.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Paid · built for dropshipping product research

6. Minea

What it is
A product research tool for e-commerce sellers that lists ads, products and shops, with a brand tracker, daily niche lists and AI analysis of individual ads.
Best for
Dropshippers and e-commerce sellers hunting for products to test.
Standout
Product and shop listings next to the ads, so you can trace an ad back to the store and catalog behind it.
Honest limitation
AI analysis and transcripts are capped by plan on the lower tiers. Its own pricing page lists Facebook ads and influencer product placements and marks Snapchat, Pinterest and TikTok ads "coming soon", so confirm coverage before buying.
Pricing
Starter $49 a month, Premium $99, Business $199 (cheaper billed quarterly). Minea pricing.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Paid with a free tier · widest network list

7. BigSpy

What it is
A multi-network ad database covering up to 11 platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google, X, Pinterest and AppLovin, depending on plan.
Best for
Teams scanning many networks, including app and game advertisers.
Standout
Breadth. The Ultimate plan covers all 11 platforms, and the free plan is enough to try the interface.
Honest limitation
The free plan is Facebook only, at 10 searches a day. TikTok, YouTube and Google start on Growth at $159 a month ($119 billed annually).
Pricing
Free; Starter $69 a month ($49 annual), Growth $159 ($119), Scale $399 ($299, 5 seats), Ultimate $499 ($399). BigSpy pricing.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Paid · deepest Facebook search

8. AdSpy

What it is
A long-running Facebook and Instagram ad search engine with a database of 210 million+ ads in 88 languages across 225 countries.
Best for
Media buyers and affiliates doing narrow, copy-first research on Meta.
Standout
Search options the others lack: comment search, affiliate network, affiliate ID and offer ID filters, and landing page technology.
Honest limitation
One plan, no entry tier. Its site says social media is "covered" without naming a single network, TikTok included, so plan on a second tool for short-form video.
Pricing
$149 a month for "virtually unlimited usage". AdSpy.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Closed · listed so you do not buy it

9. MagicBrief

What it is
A creative analytics and inspiration platform that many lists still recommend.
Best for
Nobody, now. MagicBrief shut down on July 31, 2026.
Standout
Its team joined Canva and built Canva Grow, a creative analytics and ad performance product inside Canva.
Honest limitation
The platform is no longer accessible. Former customers were pointed to Canva Grow.
Pricing
Closed. MagicBrief shutdown FAQ.
Pricing checked October 24, 2026
Comparison

Feature by feature, across all eight live tools.

What each tool offers for free, what signals it shows beyond the creative, and what it does once you have found an ad worth learning from.

Feature comparison of eight ad spy tools: free access, signals shown, saving, competitor tracking and brief or creation features.
ToolFree accessSignals beyond the creativeSaving and boardsCompetitor trackingBriefs or creation
Meta Ad LibraryYes, fully freeStart date, platforms; EU reach and spend rangesNoNoNo
TikTok Creative CenterYes, fully freeLikes, CTR percentile, click and retention curvesCollections with loginNoNo
ForeplayNoTime running, impressions sort in DiscoveryBoards and swipe fileSpyder, from WorkflowBriefs, AI scripts
QuickAds DiscoverYes, fully freeRunning time, creative scoreSave and shareBrand and keyword trackingFull production on the same platform
AtriaStart for free button; terms not statedYour own account data plus libraryYesBrands followed by planAI concepts, scripts, images
MineaFree registrationLikes filter, product and shop listingsListsBrand trackerNo
BigSpyFacebook only, 10 searches a dayTracked creatives, domain analysisTracked creativesFollowed pages from GrowthCreative to AI prompt
AdSpyNoLikes, comments, longest running sortNoPage searchNo

For head-to-head detail, we keep separate pages for QuickAds vs Foreplay and QuickAds vs Atria.

Reading the data

What an ad spy tool can tell you, and what it cannot.

No ad spy tool can show you a competitor's ROAS, conversions or spend outside a few regulated cases. Every tool works from public signals, so the skill is reading them correctly.

Common ad spy signals, what each suggests and the caveat for each.
SignalWhat it suggestsThe catch
Long run timeAn advertiser kept paying for it, which usually means it worked well enoughSome ads run forever on tiny budgets. Check how many variants sit around it.
Many variants of one conceptThe team found an angle worth iteratingVariants can also be a test that has not resolved yet.
Likes and commentsAttention, and objections you can answer in your own adsLikes are not clicks. On TikTok, the most-liked ads are often not the top CTR ads.
TikTok CTR percentileHow the ad's click rate ranks within its industryA percentile, not a rate, and only for authorized ads.
EU reach and spend rangesRough scale for ads delivered to the EURanges, not exact numbers, and only for EU delivery.
Landing pageWhere the money is made: own site, marketplace or TikTok ShopRedirects and cloakers can hide the real page.
How to choose

How to choose an ad spy tool, and when to leave AdSpy.

Choose by the job you do after the research, not by database size. A bigger index does not help if nobody turns the findings into briefs.

  • Start with the free pair. Meta Ad Library and TikTok Creative Center answer most "what is this competitor running" questions at no cost.
  • Pay for workflow when a team shares research. If three people are passing screenshots around, a board and brief tool such as Foreplay saves the hours.
  • Pay for breadth only if you buy on those networks. BigSpy's 11 platforms help app and game advertisers; a Meta-only brand will not use most of them.
  • Pick product tools for product hunts. Minea is built to find things to sell, which is a different job from briefing creative for a brand you already have.
  • Check the entry plan. On several tools the feature you want, such as competitor tracking or TikTok coverage, starts one tier up.

Looking for an AdSpy alternative?

People usually leave AdSpy for one of three reasons: they need TikTok, they want a cheaper way in than $149 a month, or they need a team workflow. TikTok points to Creative Center plus BigSpy Growth. A cheaper start points to the free libraries and BigSpy Starter at $69 a month. A team workflow points to Foreplay. Stay on AdSpy if comment search and affiliate offer IDs are central to how you work; nobody else on this list matches them.

Verdict

The best ad spy tool for each use case.

There is no single winner. Match the tool to the job, and start free before you pay.

Recommended ad spy tool by use case, with the reason for each.
Your situationPickWhy
You have no budget and want a reliable read on competitorsMeta Ad Library plus TikTok Creative CenterOfficial, free, and between them they cover the two biggest paid social networks.
You brief a creative team every weekForeplayBoards, briefs and competitor tracking are the product.
You want one free search across networks and a way to make the adsQuickAds DiscoverFree across five networks, with production on the same platform.
You want competitor research next to your own ad dataAtriaLibrary and account analytics in one place.
You sell products and need to find what to test nextMineaAds traced to products and shops.
You run on many networks, including apps or gamesBigSpyUp to 11 platforms on one plan.
You work Facebook offers and need copy-level depthAdSpyComment and offer ID search nobody else has.
After the research

An ad spy tool finds the angle. Someone still has to make the ad.

Research only pays off when it becomes new creative in the account. That is the step most ad spy tools stop short of, and where QuickAds picks up.

QuickAds covers the whole chain: creative intelligence from 32M+ ads, strategy, production, creators and campaign management. Discover is free. The software that turns a reference into image and video ads starts at $199 a month, and $299 adds AI agents, publishing and the influencer agent. If you would rather hand production over, managed creative is $5,000 a month or 5% of ad spend, whichever is higher, for 100+ creatives a month on a 5 to 7 day turnaround. Details are on our pricing page.

AI handles form, humans own substance. A strategist checks brand fit and claims on managed work before anything ships.
Our proof

The data behind Discover.

QuickAds is 70+ people across Bangalore, Noida, Singapore, Canada and the USA, trusted by 1,000+ brands. Our models are trained on 32M+ ads, and the same index powers the free library. Udemy saw 2.8x ROAS working with QuickAds; results like that depend on product, offer and market, so what we commit to is volume and turnaround.

32M+
ads indexed
$200M+
ad spend managed
100+
creatives a month, managed
5-7 days
turnaround

New to Meta's library? Read our guide to researching winning ads in the Facebook Ad Library.

Questions

Ad spy tools, answered.

Every price and feature comes from the vendor's own site, checked October 24, 2026. Google's Ads Transparency Center is at adstransparency.google.com.

What is the best spy tool for Facebook ads?

Start with Meta Ad Library, which is free and shows every active ad on Facebook and Instagram. For deeper research, AdSpy has the most Facebook search filters, including comment search, at $149 a month. Brand teams that need boards, briefs and competitor tracking usually prefer Foreplay, which starts at $59 a month and adds tracking on its $175 Workflow plan.

How much does AdSpy cost per month?

AdSpy costs $149 a month on a single plan, which its site describes as virtually unlimited usage. There is no cheaper entry tier listed. For that price you get a database of 210 million+ Facebook and Instagram ads, comment search, and affiliate and offer ID filters. Pricing was checked on AdSpy's own site in October 2026.

Is BigSpy worth the investment?

BigSpy is worth it if you need breadth across networks. Its free plan covers Facebook ads at 10 searches a day. TikTok, YouTube and Google start on the Growth plan at $159 a month, or $119 billed annually, and all 11 platforms need Ultimate at $499. If you only run Meta ads, a free library plus a workflow tool usually covers more.

What are some free alternatives to BigSpy?

Meta Ad Library is free and covers every active Facebook and Instagram ad. TikTok Creative Center is free and adds click and retention curves on authorized ads. QuickAds Discover is free and searches 32M+ ads across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok. Google's Ads Transparency Center is free for Google search, display and YouTube ads.

What is the best free ad spy tool?

There is no single best free ad spy tool, so use two. Meta Ad Library is the official record for Facebook and Instagram. TikTok Creative Center shows performance hints such as click-through percentiles that no other free library offers. If you want one search across networks, QuickAds Discover is free and covers 32M+ ads.

What is the best spy tool for Google Ads?

Google's own Ads Transparency Center is the free starting point: search an advertiser and see their search, display and YouTube ads. Among paid tools on this list, BigSpy adds Google and YouTube from its Growth plan at $159 a month, and QuickAds Discover includes Google and YouTube ads in its free library.

Next

Search 32M+ ads free. Then make your own.

Discover is free across Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google and TikTok. When you find the angle, the same platform builds the ads, or our team does.

Open the free library See pricing

First video ad free. $1 platform trial.

Competitor pricing and features from each vendor's own site, checked October 24, 2026. Where a vendor does not publish a detail, we say so.
Keep reading
QuickAds ad librarySearch 32M+ ads across five networks for free, sorted by running time or score.Facebook Ad Library guideHow to research winning ads in Meta's own library, step by step.QuickAds vs ForeplayWhere each tool is stronger, feature by feature.QuickAds vs AtriaLibrary and analytics compared side by side.