Facebook ad analytics splits into two jobs. Account analytics reads your own spend and results: Meta Ads Manager is free, Motion starts at $750 a month, Segwise at $250 for small teams, Superads at $125, Northbeam at $1,500 and Triple Whale has a free plan. All 6 paid account tools set their price by your ad spend, your revenue or your traffic. Video analytics reads what happens inside an ad, second by second, and works on any ad, a competitor's too, but it holds no spend, no click rate and no sales. Most teams need the first job first, and add the second when they know which ad won and cannot say why.
Key takeaways
- Meta Ads Manager is free and holds your spend and results. Meta's own page lists 8 key features, and 1 of them is reporting.
- All 6 paid account tools on this list set the price by ad spend, revenue or traffic, so the bill grows with the budget.
- 2 of the 6 print no price for the main plan: Madgicx says "See price inside the app" and Triple Whale sets it by annual GMV.
- Account tools tell you which ad won. Only a reading of the video says what is in it, and that also works on a competitor's ad.
- Hook rate and hold rate are not Meta metrics. Calculate them from 3-second plays, ThruPlays and impressions.
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.
All 6 paid account analytics tools on this list set their price by what you spend or sell: Motion, Segwise, Superads and Madgicx by monthly ad spend, Triple Whale by annual GMV, and Northbeam by ad spend and pageviews.
2 of the 6 print no price for their main paid plan, and 5 of the 6 print a free plan or a free trial. Northbeam is the 1 with neither, and it prints $1,500 under "Contact us for a quote".
Meta's Ads Manager page lists 8 key features, and 1 of the 8, "Get real-time insights", is about reporting. The other 7 create, target, budget, place, edit, combine and test ads.
From a link and no ad account, Playhead read a 28.8 second Resilia ad as 4 cuts, the product on screen at 0.6 seconds, 5 claims from 0.6 seconds, and a call to action legible for 6.1 seconds.
How we chose these tools
- A tool is on this list when its own site says it analyses Facebook or Meta ads, by their numbers or by their content.
- Every price is the entry plan on the vendor's own pricing page, read on 9 October 2026. Where the page prints no figure, the entry says so.
- Every entry says what the tool reads: the numbers of your account, tags on your creatives, or the pictures and words of the video.
- Every entry names at least one limit, ours as well. Playhead is seventh, because it reads no account metric, and most people who search for this want their account read.
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 Ads Manager
Meta's own tool to create, run and report on ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. Every advertiser already has it.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Spend, impressions, clicks and results per campaign, ad set and ad
- Video metrics such as 3-second video plays and ThruPlays
- A/B tests of audience, placement, creative or product set
- A mobile app for iOS and Android
Stronger at
- The source every other account tool on this list reads, at no cost
- The only place where you can change the ad in the same screen as the report
Where it stops
- Reporting is 1 of 8 key features on Meta's own page. It reports per ad, and has no view of what is inside the video.
- It does not show hook rate or hold rate. You calculate both from 3-second plays, ThruPlays and impressions.
Motion
Creative analytics for brands and agencies. Motion pre-watches, tags and analyses every creative a connected ad account has run.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Pre-watches, tags and analyses every creative the account has run
- Ad leaderboard and creative analytics
- Daily and weekly report routines and alerts
- Full data access and MCP access on Starter
Stronger at
- Ties every creative to what it cost, because it reads the account the money went through
- Unlimited seats and ad accounts on the $750 plan
Where it stops
- A brand that spends $5,000 a month pays the same $750 as one that spends $50,000. Every plan ends in Book a demo.
- A competitor's ad is not in your account, so it is outside what Motion reports on.
Segwise
AI creative analytics across 15 or more ad networks. Segwise tags creatives and joins them to the results of the connected networks.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- AI creative tagging and analytics
- 15 or more network connections and MMP integrations
- Creative fatigue tracking
- Competitor insights
Stronger at
- Every feature on every plan, so the plans differ only on ad spend and AI token limits
- Unlimited seats and view-only users
Where it stops
- The $250 plan has limited eligibility. The open plan starts at $499 a month.
- The pricing page lists competitor insights and does not say what it reads in a competitor's ad.
Superads
Ad reporting for paid social, with AI tagging of creatives and an assistant that answers questions about the connected accounts.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Unlimited reports, boards and workflows
- AI tagging of the creatives in connected accounts
- Superads AI, which answers questions about the data
- An inspiration library
Stronger at
- The lowest printed entry price of the account tools on this list, for up to $100k of monthly ad spend
- A 14 day free trial with no sales call first, and no yearly contract after it
Where it stops
- The $125 figure is the yearly rate. The page does not print the monthly price after the trial.
- It reports on connected accounts. The page names no way to read an ad that is not in one.
Triple Whale
Attribution and measurement for ecommerce brands: a pixel, multi-touch attribution, MMM and an AI analyst called Moby.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Triple Pixel for cross-device tracking
- Seven attribution models, from first click to Total Impact
- Custom dashboards and an SQL editor
- Amazon, influencer and affiliate data
Stronger at
- A free plan, the only one among the paid account tools on this list
- Answers whether Facebook caused the sale, which Ads Manager cannot answer about itself
Where it stops
- The page text prints no price for a paid plan. You set your GMV on a slider to see one.
- Paid plans are 12 month subscriptions, billed monthly or yearly.
Northbeam
Multi-touch attribution for brands with large ad budgets, across every paid channel, with view-through attribution and an MCP server.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- First-party multi-touch attribution across all ad channels
- Attribution of view-through conversions
- Omnichannel dashboards
- The Northbeam MCP
Stronger at
- Attributes revenue to ads that people saw and did not click
- One view of every paid channel, not only Meta
Where it stops
- No free plan and no free trial on the pricing page. Every plan starts with a demo or a quote.
- The actual price depends on your pageviews, so the printed figure is a start.
Playhead
OursPlayhead reads one video ad, or a set of up to 10, and says what happens in it second by second: the hook, every beat, every claim, the offer, the proof and the call to action.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Any ad by link, from the Meta Ad Library, Instagram or TikTok, or a file
- The same fields for every ad, so a set stacks into one table
- The cuts and the second the product and the brand appear, measured
- An MCP server, so the reading runs in Claude or ChatGPT
Stronger at
- The only tool on this list that reads an ad with no ad account connected, which includes every competitor's ad
- Every moment it names carries its second, so a brief can be checked against the video
Where it stops
- Playhead connects to no ad account. It holds no spend, no click rate, no hook rate and no sales, so it cannot say which ad won.
- No dashboard of your account over time and no attribution. Use it next to an account tool, not in place of one.
Madgicx
An ad platform for Meta advertisers that combines automation, targeting, AI ads and analytics, with a tracking add-on for attribution.
- What it costs
- Best for
- Rated
What it actually sees in the ad
What it does
- Analytics for Meta ads
- Automation and targeting
- AI ad generation
- Server-to-server tracking with Tracking Pro
Stronger at
- Analytics and campaign changes in one tool, so a finding becomes an action on the same screen
- A 7 day free trial, and a free trial extension when a test shows no results
Where it stops
- The pricing page prints no price for the main plan. It says "See price inside the app".
- Attribution is an add-on at $49 a month for each connected account.
Account analytics and video analytics are two jobs
One reads what the ad did. The other reads what is in it.
"Facebook ad analytics" covers two kinds of tool, and a team that buys the wrong one has a tool for a question it did not ask.
Account analytics connects to your ad account, your store or your site. It reads spend, impressions, clicks, purchases and revenue, and tells you which ad won. Ads Manager does this for free. Motion, Segwise and Superads add tags to each creative, and Triple Whale and Northbeam add attribution: whether Facebook caused the sale.
Video analytics reads the ad itself: the hook, the second the product appears, the claims, the offer, the proof and the call to action. It needs no account, so it works on a competitor's ad as well as on yours. It holds no spend and no results, so it cannot say which ad won.
The two meet at one question: you know which ad won, and you want to know why. The account names the ad. The video holds the reason.
| Question | Account analytics | Video analytics |
|---|---|---|
| Which ad won? | Yes, from spend and results | No, it holds no results |
| Did Facebook cause the sale? | Attribution tools only: Triple Whale, Northbeam | No |
| When does the product appear? | No, or a tag with no second | Yes, to the second |
| What does a competitor's ad do? | No, it is not in your account | Yes, from a link |
| What does it cost? | Free to $3,500 a month, set by spend, revenue or traffic | Free plan, then a plan of credits |
6 paid account analytics tools, counted
What Ads Manager shows, and what you calculate
Start with the free tool. Add a paid one when you can name the question it answers.
Ads Manager holds the numbers every other account tool reads. Meta's Ads Manager page lists 8 key features: create ads, choose the audience, set budgets, run across Meta's apps, adjust campaigns, dynamic creative, A/B tests, and real-time insights. Reporting is 1 of the 8.
Two creative numbers are not in it. Hook rate is 3-second video plays divided by impressions. Hold rate is ThruPlays divided by 3-second video plays. Meta reports the three inputs, and our page on creative analytics metrics found on 26 September 2026 that Meta reports neither ratio. Add both as custom columns.
Read the definition before you trust the number. Meta's page on 3-second video plays, read on 9 October 2026, counts a play by how much of the video played, 3 seconds or 97% of a shorter video, and leaves out time spent on a replay.
Read the funnel in Ads Manager
Per ad: impressions, 3-second plays, link clicks, purchases. Find the step where the numbers drop.
Add hook rate and hold rate
Make two custom metrics: 3-second plays divided by impressions, and ThruPlays divided by 3-second plays.
Check the sales against your store
When the store has more orders than Ads Manager reports, the tracking is the problem, and an attribution tool is the next purchase.
Read the winning and the losing ad
Put the ad with the highest hook rate beside the ad with the lowest. Write down the hook, the second the product appears, the offer and the call to action of each.
Which Facebook ad analytics tool to buy first
Buy against the question that costs you money this month.
| Your question | Start with | From |
|---|---|---|
| What did my ads spend and sell? | Meta Ads Manager | Free |
| Which of my creatives won, by tag? | Superads, Segwise or Motion | $125 to $750 a month |
| Did Facebook cause the sale? | Triple Whale or Northbeam | Free plan to $3,500 a month |
| Analytics and automation in one tool? | Madgicx | Price inside the app |
| What is in the ad that won, or in a competitor's? | Playhead | Free plan, then $19 every 4 weeks |
The verdict
Start with Ads Manager, because it is free and every other account tool reads it. Add hook rate and hold rate as custom columns before you buy anything. When the question is which creative won by theme, Superads at $125 a month or Segwise and Motion above it answer it. When the question is whether Facebook caused the sale, Triple Whale or Northbeam answer it. All 6 paid account tools charge more as your budget grows. When you know which ad won and cannot say why, or the ad is a competitor's, read the video: that is the job Playhead does, and it is the only job it does.
Common questions
What is Facebook ad analytics?
Facebook ad analytics is the work of reading how your Facebook and Instagram ads perform and why. One half reads the account: spend, impressions, clicks, purchases and revenue, in Ads Manager or a tool that connects to it. The other half reads the ad itself: the hook, the product, the offer and the call to action, second by second.
Is Meta Ads Manager enough for Facebook ad analytics?
Ads Manager is enough to read spend and results, and it is free. Meta's own page lists 8 key features and only 1 is reporting. It does not show hook rate or hold rate, it does not tell you whether Facebook caused a sale, and it does not describe what is inside the video. Add a tool when one of those three is the question you need answered.
Can Playhead read my Facebook ad account metrics?
No. Playhead connects to no ad account and holds no spend, click rate, hook rate or sales. Playhead reads the video of an ad, yours or a competitor's, and says what happens in it with the second of every moment. Use it next to Ads Manager or an account tool: the account says which ad won, and the reading says what is in it.
How much do Facebook ad analytics tools cost?
Ads Manager is free. Of the 6 paid account tools on this page, Superads starts at $125 a month, Segwise at $250 for eligible small teams, Motion at $750, and Northbeam prints $1,500 under a quote. Triple Whale and Madgicx set the price by your revenue or ad spend, and all 6 charge more as the budget grows.
What is the difference between ad reporting and ad analytics?
Reporting shows what happened: spend, impressions, clicks and results for each ad. Analytics explains why it happened and what to change. Account tools answer why with tags and attribution. A reading of the video answers why with what the ad shows and says, and at which second it does so.
Can I analyse a competitor's Facebook ad performance?
Not the performance. A competitor's spend and results are in their account, and no tool reads it. The Meta Ad Library shows how long a competitor's ad has run and how many versions run, for free. A video reader such as Playhead says what is in the ad. Together, those two show what a competitor keeps paying for and what it contains.
