Meta advertising has become a sophisticated chess game where the best players don't just rely on their own moves—they study everyone else's strategies. Facebook ad intelligence software gives you that competitive edge, revealing what campaigns are working in your niche, which creative approaches are gaining traction, and how top advertisers structure their funnels.
These tools range from pure research databases that let you spy on competitor ads to AI-powered platforms that analyze performance data and automatically build optimized campaigns. The right choice depends on whether you need passive inspiration or active campaign execution, your budget constraints, and how much manual work you're willing to handle.
We evaluated these tools based on data accuracy, feature depth, ease of use, and value across different price points. Here are the top Facebook ad intelligence software options for 2026.
1. AdStellar AI
Best for: Automatically transforming performance insights into optimized Meta campaigns at scale
AdStellar AI is an AI-powered platform that analyzes your historical performance data and uses 7 specialized AI agents to automatically build complete Meta ad campaigns.
Where This Tool Shines
AdStellar AI bridges the gap between intelligence and execution. While most ad spy tools show you what's working, this platform analyzes your own performance data and automatically builds campaigns based on proven winners from your account.
The Winners Hub surfaces your top-performing creative and audience combinations, then the AI agents use that intelligence to construct new campaign variations in under 60 seconds. This creates a continuous learning loop where each campaign improves future recommendations.
Key Features
AI Insights Dashboard: Analyzes historical performance to identify patterns and opportunities in your past campaigns.
7 AI Agents: Director, Page Analyzer, Structure Architect, Targeting Strategist, Creative Curator, Copywriter, and Budget Allocator work together to build complete campaigns.
Winners Hub: Automatically identifies and surfaces proven creative elements, headlines, and audience combinations for reuse.
Bulk Ad Launch: Scale winning variations across multiple ad sets simultaneously without manual duplication.
Continuous Learning: The platform improves recommendations over time based on new performance data from each campaign.
Best For
Marketing teams and agencies that want to move from manual campaign building to AI-powered automation. Ideal for advertisers with existing Meta campaigns who want to leverage their performance data to build better campaigns faster.
Pricing
Visit the website for current pricing tiers and available plans.
2. AdSpy
Best for: Deep competitive research with one of the largest Facebook ad databases
AdSpy is a comprehensive ad intelligence tool with millions of Facebook and Instagram ads for competitive analysis and creative inspiration.
Where This Tool Shines
AdSpy built its reputation on database size and search power. The platform indexes millions of active and historical ads, making it particularly valuable for discovering what's working in specific niches or tracking how competitors evolve their creative strategy over time.
The tool excels at affiliate marketing research, with filters designed to identify high-converting offers and landing pages. You can track how long competitors run specific ads—a strong signal of campaign profitability.
Key Features
Massive Ad Database: Access millions of Facebook and Instagram ads with historical data going back months or years.
Advanced Search Filters: Search by keyword, advertiser name, URL, engagement metrics, or specific demographics.
Ad Duration Tracking: See how long competitors have been running specific ads to identify winners.
Engagement Metrics: Sort by likes, shares, and comments to find ads generating real audience response.
Affiliate Marketing Focus: Specialized features for identifying profitable affiliate offers and landing page funnels.
Best For
Affiliate marketers, e-commerce brands, and agencies conducting deep competitive research. Best suited for users who need comprehensive historical data and don't mind spending time analyzing findings.
Pricing
Starts at $149/month with various tier options based on search volume and features.
3. BigSpy
Best for: Budget-conscious marketers needing multi-platform ad intelligence
BigSpy is an affordable ad spy tool covering Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, and other major advertising platforms.
Where This Tool Shines
BigSpy democratizes ad intelligence with a genuinely useful free tier—rare in this category. While paid competitors charge triple digits monthly, BigSpy offers meaningful research capabilities at a fraction of the cost.
The platform covers multiple ad networks beyond just Meta, making it valuable for marketers running cross-platform campaigns. The trending ads feature helps you spot emerging creative patterns before they saturate your niche.
Key Features
Multi-Platform Coverage: Monitor ads across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, Twitter, and Yahoo simultaneously.
Free Tier Available: Limited but functional free access—unusual for ad intelligence tools.
Competitor Alerts: Set up notifications when specific advertisers launch new campaigns.
Creative Downloads: Save ad creatives directly for swipe file building and team collaboration.
Trending Discovery: Identify ads gaining traction before they become oversaturated in your market.
Best For
Small businesses, freelancers, and startups with limited budgets who still need competitive intelligence. Also valuable for multi-platform marketers who want one tool covering several ad networks.
Pricing
Free tier with limited searches; paid plans start at $9/month.
4. Minea
Best for: E-commerce product research and dropshipping opportunity discovery
Minea is an ad intelligence platform specifically designed for e-commerce brands and dropshippers hunting winning products.
Where This Tool Shines
Minea approaches ad intelligence through a product-first lens. Instead of just showing you ads, it identifies trending products being advertised across platforms and connects you with suppliers and sourcing options.
The shop analysis features let you reverse-engineer successful e-commerce stores, understanding their product mix, pricing strategy, and advertising approach. This makes it particularly powerful for dropshippers looking to validate product ideas before committing inventory.
Key Features
Product-Focused Discovery: Search and filter ads by specific products rather than just keywords or advertisers.
Supplier Integration: Direct connections to AliExpress and other sourcing platforms for identified products.
Influencer Tracking: Monitor which influencers are promoting specific products and their promotional strategies.
Shop Analysis: Analyze entire e-commerce stores to understand their product mix and advertising approach.
Chrome Extension: Quickly save products and ads while browsing Facebook or Instagram.
Best For
E-commerce entrepreneurs, dropshippers, and product-based businesses looking for winning products to add to their catalog. Particularly valuable for Shopify store owners.
Pricing
Plans start at $49/month with different tiers based on search volume and features.
5. PowerAdSpy
Best for: Granular filtering and multi-platform competitive analysis
PowerAdSpy is an ad intelligence tool with sophisticated filtering options for precise competitive research across multiple advertising platforms.
Where This Tool Shines
PowerAdSpy's filtering system goes beyond basic keyword searches. You can filter by specific CTAs, ad positions, and even funnel stages—helping you understand not just what competitors are running but how they're structuring their customer journey.
The platform covers more than just social ads, including Google Display Network and native advertising. This broader view helps you understand how competitors coordinate messaging across different channels and touchpoints.
Key Features
Advanced CTA Filters: Search by specific call-to-action buttons to find ads at particular funnel stages.
Multi-Platform Coverage: Monitor Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Google Display Network, and native ad networks.
Engagement Metrics: Sort by likes, shares, comments, and estimated performance indicators.
Bookmarking System: Organize discovered ads into collections for team sharing and campaign planning.
GEO-Targeting Filters: Identify ads running in specific countries or regions for international campaign research.
Best For
Performance marketers and agencies managing complex multi-platform campaigns who need granular filtering capabilities. Ideal for teams that want to analyze competitor funnels from awareness through conversion.
Pricing
Plans start at $49/month with various tiers based on platform access and search limits.
6. Foreplay
Best for: Creative teams building organized swipe files and collaboration workflows
Foreplay is a creative-focused ad intelligence tool designed for marketing teams and designers who need organized inspiration and collaboration features.
Where This Tool Shines
Foreplay treats ad intelligence as a creative workflow problem rather than just a research database. The platform emphasizes organization, collaboration, and bridging the gap between inspiration and execution.
The creative brief generation feature is particularly valuable—it helps you document why specific ads work and how to adapt their strategies for your brand. This transforms passive research into actionable creative direction.
Key Features
Direct Facebook Saves: Save ads directly from Facebook Ad Library without leaving the platform.
Board Organization: Create themed collections with tags and notes for different campaign types or clients.
Team Collaboration: Share boards with designers, copywriters, and stakeholders with commenting features.
Creative Brief Generator: Document insights and create actionable briefs from saved ads.
Chrome Extension: One-click saving while browsing Facebook, Instagram, or competitor websites.
Best For
Creative teams, design agencies, and marketing departments that need organized inspiration libraries and collaboration tools. Perfect for teams where multiple people contribute to creative development.
Pricing
Plans start at $49/month with team and enterprise options available.
7. Meta Ad Library
Best for: Free official access to all active Facebook ads with complete transparency
Meta Ad Library is Facebook's official transparency tool showing all active ads from any page on the platform.
Where This Tool Shines
Meta Ad Library is the source of truth—it's where paid tools get their data. While it lacks the filtering and historical features of paid alternatives, it's completely free and shows every active ad without restrictions.
The political ad transparency features are particularly robust, showing exact spend amounts and targeting parameters for ads about social issues, elections, or politics. This level of detail isn't available in third-party tools.
Key Features
100% Free Access: No subscription, no account required—completely open to everyone.
Complete Coverage: See all active ads from any Facebook page without restrictions.
Country Filtering: View ads running in specific countries to understand regional strategies.
Political Transparency: Detailed spend data and targeting information for political and social issue ads.
Official Source: Direct from Meta—no third-party interpretation or potential data gaps.
Best For
Budget-conscious marketers, students, and anyone who needs basic competitive research without paying for advanced features. Also valuable as a verification tool when using paid platforms.
Pricing
Completely free with no limitations on searches or page views.
8. Madgicx
Best for: AI-powered intelligence combined with automated campaign optimization
Madgicx is an AI-driven platform that combines ad intelligence with automated optimization and creative performance analysis.
Where This Tool Shines
Madgicx positions itself as an execution platform that happens to include intelligence features, rather than a pure research tool. The AI audience targeting recommendations analyze your account data to suggest new targeting combinations based on performance patterns.
The automated rules and bid optimization features let you act on insights without manual campaign adjustments. This makes it valuable for advertisers who want intelligence tied directly to campaign management rather than separate research workflows.
Key Features
AI Audience Recommendations: Suggests new targeting combinations based on your account's performance data.
Creative Intelligence: Analyzes which creative elements drive performance across your campaigns.
Automated Optimization: Set rules for budget adjustments, bid changes, and campaign pausing based on performance.
Ad Launcher: Templates and quick-launch features for building campaigns from insights.
Unified Dashboard: Reporting and analytics that connect intelligence to actual campaign results.
Best For
Performance marketers managing active Meta campaigns who want intelligence features integrated with optimization and automation. Best for users comfortable with AI-driven recommendations.
Pricing
Plans start at $44/month with pricing tiers based on ad spend and feature access.
9. SocialPeta
Best for: Global campaign research across 80+ countries and international markets
SocialPeta is a global ad intelligence platform covering 80+ countries and 68+ ad networks for international campaign planning.
Where This Tool Shines
SocialPeta's global coverage makes it uniquely valuable for brands expanding internationally or agencies managing multi-market campaigns. The platform shows how campaigns vary by region, helping you understand cultural adaptations and regional creative preferences.
The app and game focus provides specialized intelligence for mobile marketers, including cost estimation features that help you understand acquisition costs in different markets before committing budget.
Key Features
Global Coverage: Ad intelligence across 80+ countries and regions with localized data.
Multi-Network Monitoring: Covers 68+ ad networks including Facebook, Google, TikTok, and regional platforms.
App and Game Intelligence: Specialized features for mobile app marketers and game developers.
Cost Estimation: Estimated acquisition costs and market entry data for different regions.
Audience Insights: Regional demographic and behavioral data to inform targeting strategies.
Best For
International brands, mobile app marketers, and agencies managing campaigns across multiple countries. Particularly valuable for understanding regional creative preferences before market entry.
Pricing
Custom pricing based on coverage needs and team size—contact for a quote.
Making the Right Choice
Your ideal Facebook ad intelligence tool depends on what you plan to do with the insights. For pure research and creative inspiration, AdSpy and BigSpy offer extensive databases at different price points. If you're focused on e-commerce product research, Minea's supplier integration and shop analysis features provide direct paths to action.
Teams prioritizing organization and collaboration will appreciate Foreplay's creative workflow features, while international marketers need SocialPeta's global coverage. And if budget is your primary constraint, Meta Ad Library provides surprisingly capable free access to active ad data.
The most valuable tools bridge the gap between seeing what works and implementing what works. AdStellar AI takes this approach by analyzing your own performance data and automatically building optimized campaigns based on proven winners from your account. Instead of manually translating competitor insights into campaign structures, the platform's 7 AI agents handle the heavy lifting—transforming intelligence into execution in under 60 seconds.
Intelligence without action is just interesting information. The right tool should fit naturally into your workflow, whether that means building swipe files for creative teams, identifying competitor strategies for strategic planning, or automatically generating campaign variations for testing.
Ready to transform your advertising strategy? Start Free Trial With AdStellar AI and be among the first to launch and scale your ad campaigns 10× faster with our intelligent platform that automatically builds and tests winning ads based on real performance data.
