11 Best Facebook Ad Spy Tools in 2026 (Free + Paid, Tested)
We tested every major Facebook ad spy tool against the same five queries. Here is the honest ranking, with the one thing each is actually good at.
We spent six weeks stress-testing every Facebook ad spy tool we could get our hands on — free Library tools, paid SaaS platforms, browser extensions, scraping APIs. Here is the honest, no-affiliate, ranked list of the eleven tools worth knowing in 2026, with the one or two things each is actually good at.
Quick comparison
| Tool | Best for | Free tier | API |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdScrape | Cross-brand + API | Yes — 100 searches/mo | ✅ |
| Meta Ad Library | Spot-checking | Yes — unlimited | Limited |
| Foreplay | Creative swipe | 7-day trial | ❌ |
| AdSpy | Heavy filtering | ❌ | Limited |
| BigSpy | Volume | Yes — limited | ❌ |
| PowerAdSpy | TikTok + Meta | Yes — limited | ❌ |
| Anstrex | Native + push | ❌ | ❌ |
| Minea | Dropshipping | Yes — 10/day | ❌ |
| Dropispy | Shopify products | Yes — limited | ❌ |
| SocialPeta | Mobile games | ❌ | ✅ |
| Pipiads | TikTok-first | Yes — limited | ❌ |
Eleven Facebook ad spy tools, in detail
1. AdScrape — best for cross-brand intelligence + API access
AdScrape pulls directly from the Facebook Ad Library and indexes by brand, creative type and copy keyword with daily refreshes. The killer feature is the compare view — drop in two or three competitors and see a unified timeline of every creative they have launched in the last 90 days. The REST API is the cleanest one we tested and is what you want if you are building dashboards or feeding ads into an LLM for analysis.
2. Meta Ad Library — the free baseline
Meta's own Facebook Ad Library is the source of truth for active ads. Use it for spot-checks and to confirm whatever a paid tool shows. Its weaknesses (no history, no export, no cross-brand search) are exactly why the paid market exists.
3. Foreplay — best for creative teams swipe-filing
Beautiful UI, designed for designers. Boards, tags, and a Chrome extension that saves any ad you scroll past on Facebook. Weak on data, strong on workflow.
4. AdSpy — the OG with a maze of filters
Has been around since 2017 and still the most granular filtering (likes, comments, gender breakdown). UI feels like 2017 too. Pricey at $149/mo.
5. BigSpy — bulk discovery on a budget
Largest index by volume but freshness is hit-and-miss. Good for patterns across thousands of ads.
6. PowerAdSpy — for TikTok + Meta in one place
Decent multi-platform coverage. Mediocre filtering. Reasonable price.
7. Anstrex — native ads first, social second
If your stack includes Taboola or Outbrain, this is the one. Meta coverage is a side feature.
8. Minea — the dropshipper's favourite
Tags every ad it finds with the Shopify product behind it. Excellent for product research, narrower for general brand analysis.
9. Dropispy — Shopify-tied ad finder
Cheap, fast, narrow. Great if you sell physical products on Shopify and nothing else.
10. SocialPeta — enterprise mobile gaming
Used by Supercell-tier studios. Pricing is on-request and steep.
11. Pipiads — TikTok-first with Meta added later
The Meta side is bolted-on. If TikTok is 80% of your spend it is worth it; otherwise skip.
How to choose
If you want freshness + API: AdScrape. If you want a free spot-check: Meta's own Facebook Ad Library. If you are a creative-led DTC team: Foreplay. If you are a dropshipper: Minea. Everything else is a variation on these four.
Put this into practice with AdScrape
Search every active Meta ad, compare brands side-by-side, and pull it all through a clean REST API. Free to start, no credit card required.
