The best AdSpy alternative depends on what you used AdSpy for. To search Facebook and Instagram ads for free, use the Meta Ad Library, which shows every active ad on both. For more networks, BigSpy searches 11 ad channels from $69 a month and has a free plan with 5 searches a day. For Meta ads together with products, Minea starts at $49 a month, and its shops listing starts at $99. For the step after an ad is found, Playhead watches the ad and names the second of every hook, beat and claim, with a free plan and paid plans from $19 every 4 weeks. AdSpy itself costs $149 a month, in one plan, and its pages name no free trial.
Key takeaways
- AdSpy sells 1 plan at $149 a month for Facebook and Instagram ads. Its pages name no free trial, and its refund policy gives a full refund within 24 hours of purchase.
- 7 of the 8 paid alternatives on this page start below $149 a month on the monthly rate. 3 of them have a free plan with no end date.
- The Meta Ad Library is free and shows every active ad on Facebook and Instagram. An ad that reached the EU stays there for 1 year after its last impression.
- AdSpy's home page counted 920,000 more ads on 9 October 2026 than on 26 September 2026, about 70,800 a day.
- Every tool here finds ads. Only 1 of the 9 documents what happens inside the video at each second, and it does not search.
What is on this page and on no other
Most pages on this subject repeat the same advice and the same figures. These are the facts this one produced itself, and how each one was made.
7 of 8 paid AdSpy alternatives start below its $149 a month on the monthly rate: Playhead at $19 every 4 weeks, Dropispy at $29.90, PiPiADS at $49, Minea at $49, TrendTrack at €49, Foreplay at $59 and BigSpy at $69. Atria's Core plan is $129 billed annually, and the $360 a year its page says that saves puts the monthly rate at $159.
AdSpy's home page counted 212,249,000 ads and 30,269,000 advertisers on 9 October 2026, against 211,329,000 and 30,185,000 on 26 September 2026. That is 920,000 new ads in 13 days, about 70,800 a day.
Of the 8 paid alternatives, 3 have a free plan with no end date, 2 have a trial with a stated limit, 5 name an API or an MCP endpoint on the pricing page, and 1 documents a reading of the video second by second.
The 4 public teardowns on Playhead's shelf run from 28.8 to 164.9 seconds and hold 4 to 91 cuts. The product is on screen by 5.1 seconds in all 4 and by 1.5 seconds in 3 of them.
What happened to AdSpy
Nothing shut down. AdSpy is live and sells 1 plan at $149 a month, which its home page calls an introductory offer. It has no pricing page, its pages name no free trial, and its refund policy gives a full refund within 24 hours of purchase. [1]
AdSpy is a searchable database of Facebook and Instagram ads. Its home page counts 212,249,000 ads from 30,269,000 advertisers in 225 countries and 88 languages, searchable by ad text, advertiser, comments, affiliate network, offer ID and landing page.
How we chose these tools
- Every price is the lowest monthly plan on the vendor's own page, read on 9 October 2026. Where a page prints only an annual rate, the entry says so.
- A tool is on this list when it does a job an AdSpy customer pays for: finding Facebook and Instagram ads, finding ads on other networks, or understanding an ad once it is found.
- Every entry names at least one thing the product does not do, including ours.
- Playhead is fourth, not first. The Meta Ad Library, BigSpy and Minea replace AdSpy's search, and Playhead does not search.
The shortlist
Every price is the lowest published tier, read off the vendor's own pricing page. The date it was read is at the foot of this page.
| Tool | From | Best for | Watches the video |
|---|---|---|---|
Meta Ad Library
Meta's own public archive of the ads that run across its apps, searchable by advertiser, keyword and country. It is the source every paid Facebook ad tool reads from.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Every active ad across Meta's apps, Facebook and Instagram included
- Filters by country, platform, media type and date
- EU ads kept for 1 year after the last impression, political ads for 7 years
- An API for EU ads and political ads
Stronger at
- The primary source, free, with no plan and no quota
- Every active ad is there, not a sample of them
Where it stops
- No comment search and no affiliate search, which are the 2 things AdSpy is known for.
- An ad that never reached the EU and is not political disappears when it stops.
BigSpy
A multi-network ad library with a free plan. Its pricing section names 11 ad channels, including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Google and X, across more than 80 countries and 26 languages.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Ads from 11 channels on the Ultimate plan
- Ad copy search and playable ads from Starter
- Creative charts, page analysis and TikTok analysis from Growth
- Product data from 40 ecommerce sites, by its own count
Stronger at
- A free plan that does not end, which AdSpy does not have
- The widest network list on this page
Where it stops
- The plan cards show 1 network icon on the free plan, Facebook, and 3 on the $69 Starter plan. TikTok starts at Growth, $159 a month.
- No comment search and no affiliate offer search on the pricing section.
Minea
An ecommerce research tool with a Meta ads library, influencer product placements, products and shops in one plan, with an AI analysis and a transcript of an ad.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- A Meta ads listing with filters
- Influencer product placements
- Product and shop listings, with daily niche lists
- An AI analysis and an AI transcript of an ad
Stronger at
- Ads, products and shops for $100 a month less than AdSpy
- Influencer placements, which no other tool on this list names
Where it stops
- Snapchat, Pinterest and TikTok ads are marked as coming soon, so the ads are Meta first.
- 10 AI analyses a month on the $49 plan. Unlimited analyses need Business at $199.
Playhead
OursPlayhead watches a competitor's ad and tells you how it is built, second by second: the hook, every beat with its start and length, every claim at the second it is legible, and the cuts.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Paste a link from the Meta Ad Library, TikTok, Instagram or YouTube, or upload a file
- The same fields for every ad: hook, beats, claims, cuts, first face, first product, and whether it works muted
- Up to 10 ads in one set, stacked into one comparison
- The full API on every plan, and MCP tools so Claude or another agent can read an ad
Stronger at
- The only entry on this page that documents what happens at each second of the video
- A free plan and a paid plan at $19 every 4 weeks, against $149 a month for AdSpy
Where it stops
- Playhead does not search for ads. It has no ad database, no comment search and no affiliate search, so you bring the link.
- Playhead connects to no ad account, so it knows no spend, reach or demographics.
- A long ad uses more of the plan than a short one.
PiPiADS
An ad spy tool built around TikTok, with Facebook ads, TikTok Shop products, store rankings and an ad tracker, metered in PiPiADS credits.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- TikTok and Facebook ads, with search and filters
- TikTok Shop and TikTok Made Me Buy It products
- Rankings of top products and top stores
- An ad tracker, 2 brands on Basic
Stronger at
- TikTok coverage, which AdSpy does not name
- A trial of 500 PiPiADS credits before a plan
Where it stops
- The $49 plan opens 1,500 ads a month at 20 PiPiADS credits each, and unused credits do not roll over.
- 1 device per account, and an API through sales only.
Dropispy
A French ad spy tool for dropshippers, with an ad search and a shop spy tool. Its home page counts 50 million ecommerce ads and 20,000 new ads a day.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Ad search with basic and advanced filters
- A shop spy tool for ecommerce stores
- Downloads of ads
- A free plan
Stronger at
- The lowest paid price of the spy tools on this page
- A free plan, which AdSpy does not have
Where it stops
- The home page names no ad network by name. It says social networks.
- The footer says copyright 2022, and the www address refused the connection on 9 October 2026.
Foreplay
A swipe file, a library of over 200 million saved ads, a brief builder and a competitor tracker. Foreplay is where creative teams keep the ads they find.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Save ads from the Meta Ad Library and Instagram with a Chrome extension
- Discovery, a search of over 200 million ads
- Briefs built from saved ads
- MCP and an API from the $175 plan
Stronger at
- The best place on this list to keep and share ads as a team
- A 7 day free trial, where AdSpy names none
Where it stops
- No comment search and no affiliate search.
- The competitor tracker and the agent endpoint start at $175 a month.
TrendTrack
Ecommerce intelligence: Shopify stores with traffic, an ads library, advertisers, an email library and a brand tracker, with API and MCP access from Pro.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- A database of Shopify stores with traffic
- An ads library with reach and spend for EU ads
- An email flow and campaign library
- API and MCP access from Pro
Stronger at
- Ads tied to the shop behind them, which AdSpy does not do
- An agent endpoint from €89 a month
Where it stops
- The ads library starts on Pro at €89. The €49 Starter plan has no monthly ad results.
- 1 user on Starter and Pro. A second user needs Business at €159.
Atria
Ad intelligence and creative analytics with an MCP endpoint on every plan, for competitor ads and your own ad accounts in one place.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Competitor ad analysis
- Creative analytics on connected ad accounts
- 600 MCP calls a month on Core, unlimited from Plus
- A REST API with 1,200 calls a month on Core
Stronger at
- 5 seats in the first plan, where AdSpy names none
- Reads your own ad accounts as well as your competitors'
Where it stops
- The $129 is the annual rate. With the $360 saving the page names, the monthly rate is $159, above AdSpy's $149.
- MCP calls over 600 a month cost 1 Atria AI credit each on Core.
What AdSpy sells, and why people look elsewhere
One database, two networks, one price.
AdSpy does one job and does it at scale. Its home page counted 212,249,000 Facebook and Instagram ads on 9 October 2026. You can search them by ad text, advertiser, the comments under an ad, affiliate network, offer ID and landing page. No other tool on this page searches comments or affiliate offer IDs.
The reasons to look elsewhere are on the same page. There is 1 plan, at $149 a month. There is no pricing page and no free plan. The info page gives a full refund within 24 hours of purchase, and later refunds are at AdSpy's discretion. The home page names 2 networks: Facebook and Instagram.
| Tool | Lowest paid plan | Free plan or trial | Networks it searches |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdSpy | $149 a month | No. A refund within 24 hours | Facebook, Instagram |
| Meta Ad Library | Free | Free | Meta's apps |
| BigSpy | $69 a month | Free plan, 5 searches a day | Up to 11, by plan |
| Minea | $49 a month | Not stated on the pricing page | Meta, 3 more coming soon |
| Playhead | $19 every 4 weeks | Free plan | None. Reads a link you bring |
| PiPiADS | $49 a month | Trial of 500 PiPiADS credits | TikTok, Facebook |
| Dropispy | $29.90 a month | Free plan | Not named |
| Foreplay | $59 a month | 7 day trial | Saves from Meta and Instagram |
| TrendTrack | €49 a month, ads from €89 | Not stated on the pricing page | Meta ads, with shops |
| Atria | $129 a month, billed annually | Not stated on the pricing page | Not named on the pricing page |
What the 8 paid alternatives offer, counted
Most are cheaper. One of them reads the video.
The 8 paid AdSpy alternatives, counted on their pricing pages
Price is the easy part. 7 of the 8 start below AdSpy, and 3 have a free plan that does not end: BigSpy, Dropispy and Playhead.
The harder part is that every finder on this page stops at the same point. AdSpy, BigSpy, Minea, PiPiADS, Dropispy, Foreplay, TrendTrack and Atria show you which ads run, how long they ran and how people reacted. None of their pages describes what happens inside the video: when the product first shows, how long the proof runs, what the last 3 seconds ask for. Today a person finds that out with a pause button.
A free AdSpy alternative, in three steps
Meta's own library finds the ads. A reader takes them apart.
Search the Meta Ad Library
Open facebook.com/ads/library, pick a country, and search a brand or a keyword. Choose an EU country to see reach and the ads that stopped in the last year.
Sort out the long runners
An ad that still runs after 90 days is an ad somebody keeps paying for. Note its start date and copy the link with its Library ID.
Read the ad
Paste the link into Playhead. The teardown names the hook, each beat with its start and length, every claim with its second, and whether the ad works muted.
This setup costs $0 and loses 2 things AdSpy has: comment search and affiliate offer search. For an affiliate who searches by offer ID, that loss is the whole job, and AdSpy is still the right tool. For a brand that watches 5 known competitors, the Meta Ad Library already holds every ad those 5 run today. The Meta Transparency Center states the rules for how long each ad stays.
The verdict
Keep AdSpy at $149 a month when you search by comments or by affiliate offer ID, because no tool on this page does either. Leave it when you watch a known set of competitors: the Meta Ad Library shows their live Facebook and Instagram ads for $0, BigSpy adds 11 networks from $69 a month with a free plan of 5 searches a day, and Minea adds products at $49 and shops at $99. None of these tells you why an ad works. Playhead does that step from the link, with a free plan and paid plans from $19 every 4 weeks. The Meta Ad Library and Playhead Creator together cost $19 every 4 weeks, against $149 a month for AdSpy alone.
Common questions
What is the best AdSpy alternative?
The Meta Ad Library is the best free AdSpy alternative, because it shows every active Facebook and Instagram ad. BigSpy at $69 a month is the best paid one for more networks, and Minea at $49 a month for ads with products. To understand an ad once you found it, Playhead names the second of every hook, beat and claim.
How much does AdSpy cost?
AdSpy costs $149 a month in 1 plan, published on its home page on 9 October 2026 and called an introductory offer there. A year at that price is $1,788. AdSpy has no pricing page and no cheaper plan.
Is there a free alternative to AdSpy?
Yes. The Meta Ad Library is free and needs no account. BigSpy and Dropispy have free plans, and BigSpy's free plan holds 5 searches a day on Facebook. Playhead's free plan reads up to 45 ads every 4 weeks at a first look. None of these has AdSpy's comment search.
Which AdSpy alternative covers TikTok ads?
PiPiADS covers TikTok and Facebook ads from $49 a month. BigSpy covers TikTok from its Growth plan at $159 a month. TikTok's own Creative Center shows top ads for free. Playhead reads a TikTok ad from its link but does not search TikTok.
Does AdSpy have a free trial?
AdSpy's pages do not name a free trial. Its info page gives a full refund within 24 hours of purchase if you contact support with your username and a reason, and says later refunds are at AdSpy's discretion.
