Here you are, looking for that edge to help your Facebook Ads come out on top.
We're happy to help you do just that!
This article aims to educate you on some of the best Facebook Ads spy tools in the market.
After reading this article, we hope you can make an informed choice of the best tool for you.
The best Facebook Ads spy tools: An overview
Before we get into the thick of it, here's an overview of what we will cover in this article.
| Tool | Main Focus | Pricing | Read Review |
| Dropispy | Ad spying | €0 / €30 / €250 per month | Dropispy Review |
| Facebook Ad Library | Ad transparency | Free | Facebook Ad Library Review |
| WinningHunter | Product research | €49 / €79 / €249 per month | WinningHunter Review |
| PowerAdSpy | Ad spying | $0 / $49 / $99 / $149 / $249 / $299 / $349 per month | PowerAdSpy Review |
| AdSpy | Ad spying | $149 per month | AdSpy Review |
| Adflex | Ad spying | $0 / $99 / Custom per month | Adflex Review |
| Foreplay | Ad spying | $49 / $99 per month | Foreplay Review |
| Minea | Ad spying Product research | €0 / €49 / €99 per month | Minea Review |
How do you choose the right Facebook Ads spy tool?
As with any other place with a business opportunity, many Facebook Ads spy tools exist. Your business requirements determine the one you pick.
Here are a few factors to consider before choosing a tool.
- Budget. How much money are you willing to spend on a Facebook Ads spying tool? On most tools, your budget limits the number of features you can access. Excellent tools almost always cost more.
- Database size. This refers to the collection of ads that a tool has stored. The bigger, the better. You can analyze more ads if a tool has a bigger database.
- Features. Not all Facebook Ads spy tools are built the same. Some are superior to others because of the number of features they offer. More features allow you to manipulate the data and get more meaning out of the data they have stored.
Some features to look out for include sorting, keyword research, boolean search, search by domain, search by page name, etc.
In addition, you also want to consider tools that offer a reasonable trial period, especially if they are new in the market.
8 Best Facebook Ads spy tools
We know you're eager to know which tools we think are awesome. Let's get right into it!
1. Dropispy Review
Dropispy is known for having one of the largest Facebook Ads databases.
It offers numerous features like filtering, saving results, and creating directories. Directories help you manage the stores you are spying on by grouping them.
As you can gather from the name, Dropispy is built with dropshippers in mind. It provides analytics that shows competitors' ad performance in real-time.
Pros
- Specializes on Facebook. Dropispy specializes in tracking Facebook Ads only. They update their database by discovering new ads daily. Changes to existing ads are also tracked and updated as required.
- Powerful filters. Given the frequency with which new data is added to their database, Dropispy implements powerful filters. The filters help users narrow down the millions of ad results to those they want.
- Large database. Dropispy has one of the largest, most specialized databases in the market.
Cons
- Only works with Facebook. Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. It does not collect data on non-Facebook platforms like Google and TikTok.
- Focused on dropshippers. Dropispy was built with dropshippers in mind. Others may find it challenging to make the most out of the data and features this tool provides.
Pricing
Dropispy has three plans:
- A free plan. Users of this plan do not get any credits. They also only get the most basic functions. Features include the Chrome extension, basic filters, and downloading ad media.
- A €30 per month plan. This is probably the most popular plan. Users get 150,000 credits and all the other premium features. However, they still don't get round-the-clock premium customer support.
- A €250 per month plan. This is the best plan from Dropispy. They hand users of this plan 1,800,000 credits. Fundamentally, these give users unlimited access to the system.
All plans are renewed monthly.
2. Facebook Ad Library Review
Facebook Ads Library is a database of all the ads running on the Meta platforms. If you want to know what your competitor is up to on Meta, this is where you look.
Facebook Ads Library shows you:
- Which ads your competitor is running.
- When the ads started running.
- Whether or not the ads are active.
- Whether ads have multiple versions (even though it doesn't show you the actual variations).
- The Meta platforms where an ad runs, i.e., Facebook, Instagram, etc.
- The ad media, copy, and call-to-action.
Facebook Ads Library is a great place to start when developing a new marketing strategy.
It gives you insights into what people in your niche are doing. From the insights, you can craft your creatives.
Pros
- Accurate. The data from the Facebook Ad Library is not extrapolated. It is real-time and retrieved from an active database. What you see is always 100% up-to-date.
- Free. You don't pay to use this tool. Better yet, you don't even need a Facebook account to access all the information in the database.
- Robust filters. Facebook Ad Library provides extensive filter options to get exactly what you want. You can filter ads by location, type of ad, advertiser, platform, media type, and many more options.
Cons
- Limited ad performance data. While it shows you a few details about a competitor's ads, it does not provide any information about the ad's performance. For instance, it doesn't show how users interact with it or the engagement it receives.
Pricing
The Facebook Ad Library is completely free to use.
3. WinningHunter Review
WinningHunter is a product research tool that helps you find winning products by spying on TikTok and Facebook Ads.
It's designed by a simple principle. If you study ads that people spend a lot of money on, then they must contain winning products, right?
Pros
- All-in-one tool. A significant pro of WinningHunter is that it provides all the features you need to find winning products. You can spy on both Facebook Ads and TikTok Ads, and you can see lots of metrics for each ad and advertiser:
- Filter dropshipping ads. If you're dropshipping, a great feature of WinningHunter is that you can filter dropshipping ads and see what your competitors are doing!
- Download TikTok Ads without a watermark. A great extra feature of WinningHunter is the ability to download TikTok Ads without a watermark. This is great if you want to use parts of it for your own ad. Caution: don't run the exact same ad because it will violate TikTok's Terms of Service.
Cons
- Pricey. Although you can start for free, WinningHunter is relatively pricey, with the cheapest plan being €49 per month.
Pricing
WinningHunter's pricing plans range from €49 to €249 per month:
4. PowerAdSpy Review
PowerAdSpy has a comparatively larger database.
It doesn't claim to cover every ad on every platform, but you'll find most ads in its database. Moreover, it is updated daily to present users with accurate information.
Pros
- Bookmark feature. This feature allows you to mark ads and monitor their performance over time. Instead of searching for specific ads each time you want to see how they are doing, they're available in a bookmark list.
- Advanced filters. PowerAdSpy lets you filter results by call-to-action, ad position, language, type, keywords, text, etc. These filters can help you achieve a high level of granularity.
- Multiple platforms. This tool supports many ad platforms. For instance, it supports Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google, Good Display Network (GDN), Native ads, Reddit, Quora, and Pinterest.
- Robust reporting. PowerAdSpy reports are far more insightful compared to Facebook Ads Library. For each ad, you can check the performance and engagement it is receiving.
Cons
- Pricey. To get real value with PowerAdSpy, you need to subscribe to the $99-a-month plan. This is the lowest plan where many necessary features are available. Beginners might find it hard to pay this price.
- Steep learning curve. Because of all its features, users with less technical skills might have difficulty understanding how the system works. It takes them longer to learn and use.
- Ad data inconsistency. Sometimes, the ads it serves you are not exactly the same as the real thing on the ad platform like Facebook. It might be a good idea to check the Facebook Ads Library for verification when you find an ad you like.
Pricing
PowerAdSpy has seven plans. However, true value begins with the third plan. It goes for $99 a month. This plan supports Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Other plans are Free ($0), Basic ($49), Standard ($99), Premium ($149), Platinum ($249), Titanium ($299), and Palladium ($349).
PowerAdSpy provides all the pricing plans on its website. Follow the link to learn more.
5. AdSpy Review
AdSpy claims it has over 134.4 million ads in 88 languages and across 219 countries.
Considering the ads are updated frequently, this is impressive.
Also, its focus is Facebook and Instagram (Meta), so you know you're in safe hands when spying on Facebook Ads.
Pros
- Huge database. AdSpy has been around for a while. It has collected data on numerous Facebook and Instagram Ads during this period. This has led to a vast database.
- Intuitive UI. AdSpy's user interface is easy to use. If you understand how Facebook and Instagram ads work, you should be able to use AdSpy without much guidance.
- Ad performance insight. AdSpy provides deep, meaningful insights into an ad's performance. It allows users to search for ads using ad text, comments, URL text, and the advertiser's name.
- Personalized customer support. As a premium user, AdSpy promises to consider your new feature requests. This is cool, although we have doubts on this one since everyone needs to be a premium user to use the tool.
- Unlimited usage. Subscribing to AdSpy's premium plan gives one unlimited access to all its services. This is great compared to other tools that offer several subscription plans.
Cons
- Narrow focus. Even though AdSpy serves ads from other platforms, its primary focus is on Facebook and Instagram. You might need to subscribe to another tool to spy on ads from other platforms.
- Costly. The price for its one and only plan might be out of reach for beginners or users with a strained budget.
Pricing
AdSpy only offers one plan that costs $149 per month.
6. Adflex Review
Adflex focuses on three ad networks and claims to have over 15 million ads in its database. It also claims to add over 150,000 ads to its database daily.
Its primary networks are Facebook, Google Display, and Native Ads.
Adflex's database is much smaller than behemoths like AdSpy but still provides meaningful insights for its users.
For instance, it delivers detailed information about the targeted audience, engagement, impressions, and much more.
Pros
- Trial period. Adflex provides users with a fairly reasonable trial period. It even has one plan with limited abilities that allows you to explore the system. The Pro Plan allows you to use the system for three days at one dollar with all-feature access.
- Multiple ad networks. A typical Adflex user will have access to at least three ad networks. They are Facebook Ads, Google Display, and Native Ads.
- Data sourced from the original ad network. According to its website, Adflex collects all its data from the original ad network. This increases the accuracy of the data and eliminates the need for intermediaries in data collection.
- Simple UI. Most ad spy tools have sophisticated user interfaces with a learning curve. Not Adflex, though. Its user interface is simple to use and understand. Information is grouped in terms of relevance to the user.
Cons
- Few ad networks. Even though Adflex supports various ad networks, it doesn't support as many platforms as other networks. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok are not yet available on the network.
Pricing
One of Adflex's biggest flexes (see what I did there?) is the fact that it offers a reasonable trial period.
Most tools offer an extremely restricted trial period or none at all.
Adflex allows you to try out most of its basic features with little restriction:
It offers three plans;
- Basic plan. This is a restricted 7-day free plan. Most advanced features are disabled.
- Pro plan. The Pro plan provides access to all the features. However, a fee of one dollar is imposed. It allows you to try out its features for three days with the full power of Adflex. The plan costs $99 a month at the end of the trial period.
- Enterprise plan. This plan is suitable for big businesses. You must contact Adflex to make arrangements for this plan, as it does not have a fixed amount.
7. Foreplay Review
Foreplay is an innovative ad inspiration tool designed to help you discover winning Facebook, TikTok, and LinkedIn ads.
Unlike traditional ad spy tools that rely on bots, Foreplay’s library is curated by a community of real users.
This ensures that you'll find only high-quality and relevant ad examples.
Foreplay also offers AI-powered search and filtering features, allowing you to explore ads by niche, format, and platform.
Pros
- Human-curated database. You get access to ads selected by real users, ensuring higher quality and relevance.
- AI-powered search. Advanced filters let you find exactly what you need, whether by niche, format, or platform.
- Multi-platform support. It’s not just for Facebook; you can also explore ads from TikTok and LinkedIn.
Cons
- Pricing. Starting at $49 per month, it might not be within everyone's budget, especially when you can also start out using Meta's ad library for free.
Pricing
Foreplay has just two pricing plans of $49 or $99 per month:
8. Minea Review
Minea is an ad spy tool that doubles up as a product research tool for dropshippers.
It promises to help increase your odds of success in your business by finding products with a high success rate.
Apart from spying on over 921 million Facebook Ads, Minea has a database with tons of ads from TikTok and Pinterest.
Pros
- It has a huge database. Minea probably has one of the largest databases in the industry, with close to a billion ads. It's unlikely that you won't find what you're looking for in this database.
- Generous trial period. The Minea team seems pretty confident with their product. They offer a generous trial period compared to other ad spy tools. However, you only have access to Facebook Ads during the trial period.
- Issued about 500 research credits. You can use these to run several searches and get a feel of the software.
- Chrome extension. A Chrome extension is always a plus for an ad spy tool because you can spy on any store you visit. It shows you a store's ads in real-time.
- Product research tool. If you are into dropshipping, Minea is the tool for you. It can help you find ideas for new products to sell by showing you products others are finding success with.
Cons
- It has a small ad network coverage. As an entrepreneur, using a tool that covers many ad networks is in your best interest. It helps you lower the amount you spend on spy tool subscriptions.
- Focused on dropshipping. Although this is a positive thing for dropshippers, it leaves out others in the ecommerce space who don't dropship. However, you can use it best by finding competitors in your space. This way, you'll get new product ideas.
Pricing
Minea has three pricing plans.
- Lite (€0 per month). This plan offers 500 research credits. These credits are enough to run a few search queries and determine whether the tool is worth its weight. With this plan, you can't access TikTok and Pinterest Ads.
- Starter (€49 per month). The starter plan is basically a lite plan with 10,000 credits. With this plan, you also can't access TikTok and Pinterest Ads.
- Premium (€99 per month). This is the highest plan with 100,000 credits. It has no limitations. Users can access all the ad networks available in Minea's database.
Summary
Before we go to the conclusion, we've created a quick summary of this article for you, so you can easily remember it:
- Facebook advertising is one of the most popular forms of marketing.
- Despite your innovativeness, you must pay attention to your competition. Understand how they speak to their customers and what they are speaking to them about.
- With Facebook Ads spy tools, you can see your competitor's currently running ads.
- Dropispy, the Facebook Ad Library, and PowerAdSpy are some of the best Facebook Ads spy tools.
Final verdict
So there you have it.
A list of tools to get you started on spying on Facebook Ads.
Any of the tools we've reviewed can help you accomplish your goals. The key to finding the right one is writing down all your needs and comparing them to each tool.
And if you're wondering if you have to use a Facebook Ads spy tool, no, you don't have to.
But Facebook Ads spy tools help you develop winning strategies by showing you what successful entrepreneurs are doing. If you can afford to get yourself a subscription, do it.
If you can't afford a subscription, there are many ways to get around this.
This article will help you find products on Facebook to dropship without spending money.
Want to learn more about Facebook Ads?
Ready to move your Facebook Ads skills to the next level? Check out the articles below:
- Dropship Spy Review (2024) – Best Tool for Dropshippers?
- 14 Great Facebook Ad Examples for Ecommerce | Inspiration
- How to Find Winning Dropshipping Products on Facebook? (5 Tips)
Plus, don’t forget to check out our in-depth how to start with Facebook Ads for ecommerce guide here!
