Most Instagram advertisers are flying blind. You launch campaigns, test creatives, adjust budgets—all while your competitors already know what's working. They've seen the trending hooks, identified the winning angles, and mapped out the targeting strategies that convert. The gap between guessing and knowing can cost thousands in wasted ad spend.
Instagram ad intelligence platforms level the playing field. These tools let you analyze competitor strategies, track creative trends, benchmark performance across your industry, and uncover the exact approaches driving results right now. Whether you're a media buyer looking to shortcut your testing phase or an agency managing multiple accounts, the right intelligence platform transforms how you plan and optimize campaigns.
We evaluated these nine platforms based on data depth, ease of use, pricing accessibility, and how actionable their insights actually are for Instagram advertisers. Here are the top tools.
1. AdStellar AI
Best for: Advertisers who want intelligence that automatically becomes optimized campaigns
AdStellar AI is an AI-powered platform that analyzes your historical performance data and competitor intelligence to automatically build, test, and launch optimized Instagram ad campaigns.
Where This Tool Shines
AdStellar AI solves the intelligence-to-execution gap that plagues most ad spy tools. While other platforms show you what competitors are doing, AdStellar's seven specialized AI agents actually build complete campaigns based on what's working in your account history and across your industry.
The platform's continuous learning loop means it gets smarter with every campaign you run. The Winners Hub stores your proven creatives, headlines, and audiences—then automatically reuses these elements in new campaign variations. This approach combines competitive intelligence with your own performance data to create campaigns optimized for your specific goals.
Key Features
7 Specialized AI Agents: Build complete campaigns in under 60 seconds, from structure to targeting to creative selection.
Winners Hub: Stores proven ad elements and automatically reuses them in new campaign variations for faster scaling.
AI Insights Dashboard: Performance scoring based on your custom goals with AI rationale explaining every recommendation.
Bulk Ad Launch: Test at scale with capabilities that launch multiple variations simultaneously.
Continuous Learning Loop: Improves recommendations with each campaign, getting smarter about what works for your specific audience.
Best For
Media buyers and agencies who want to move beyond passive intelligence gathering to active campaign automation. Ideal if you're running multiple Instagram campaigns and need to scale what's working without manual campaign building for every variation.
Pricing
Contact for pricing. Unlimited workspaces included, making it viable for agencies managing multiple client accounts.
2. Meta Ad Library
Best for: Free access to 100% accurate data on currently active Instagram ads
Meta Ad Library is Meta's official database of all active ads running across Facebook and Instagram, searchable by advertiser or keyword.
Where This Tool Shines
This is the only source for completely accurate data on what's currently running. Every other intelligence platform sources from this database or estimates based on partial data. The Ad Library shows exactly what competitors are running right now, with no guesswork involved.
The transparency extends to political and issue ads, where Meta provides additional spending data and audience targeting information. For competitive research, you can search by brand name, keyword, or browse by category to see what's active in your industry.
Key Features
100% Accurate Active Ads: Official Meta data showing exactly what's currently running on Instagram and Facebook.
Completely Free: No account required to search and view ads, making it accessible to everyone.
Filter by Country and Platform: Narrow results to specific markets and see Instagram-only or Facebook-only placements.
View Creative and Copy: See full ad creative, headlines, descriptions, and launch dates for every active ad.
Advertiser Monitoring: Follow specific brands to see all their active campaigns in one view.
Best For
Anyone starting competitive research on a budget. Perfect for quick competitor checks and validating what brands are currently testing, though you'll need additional tools for performance metrics and historical data.
Pricing
Free. No account or subscription required.
3. Foreplay
Best for: Creative teams building organized swipe files with collaboration features
Foreplay is a creative swipe file tool that lets you save, organize, and share competitor ads from Meta Ad Library with team collaboration.
Where This Tool Shines
Foreplay transforms Meta Ad Library from a search tool into an organized creative reference system. The Chrome extension lets you save ads directly while browsing, then organize them into custom boards by campaign type, industry, or creative approach. This makes it invaluable for creative teams building briefs or agencies managing inspiration libraries across multiple clients.
The Spyder tool automates competitor monitoring by tracking specific brands and alerting you when they launch new ads. This means you're not manually checking Ad Library daily—Foreplay surfaces new competitor creative automatically.
Key Features
Chrome Extension: Save ads directly from Meta Ad Library with one click while browsing.
Custom Boards and Tagging: Organize saved ads by campaign type, industry, creative style, or any custom taxonomy.
Team Collaboration: Share boards with team members and clients for feedback and approval workflows.
AI-Powered Creative Briefs: Generate creative briefs based on saved ad patterns and successful approaches.
Spyder Monitoring: Automated tracking of competitor brands with alerts when new ads launch.
Best For
Creative teams, agencies, and media buyers who need organized reference libraries for campaign planning. Particularly valuable if you're building creative briefs or presenting competitive analysis to clients.
Pricing
Starts at $49/month. Free tier available with limited saves and boards.
4. Minea
Best for: E-commerce advertisers who need product and supplier data alongside ad intelligence
Minea is an e-commerce focused ad intelligence platform tracking Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest ads with integrated product research.
Where This Tool Shines
Minea connects ad intelligence with e-commerce product research in ways other platforms don't. When you find a winning ad, Minea shows you the product being sold, identifies potential suppliers, and tracks influencer placements promoting the same items. This makes it particularly powerful for dropshippers and e-commerce brands looking to identify trending products and the ad strategies selling them.
The shop analysis feature lets you reverse-engineer competitor stores, seeing their full product catalog, best sellers, and advertising approach. This level of integration between ad intelligence and product research saves hours of manual detective work.
Key Features
Multi-Platform Ad Tracking: Coverage across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, and Pinterest in one dashboard.
Product Research Integration: Identifies products being advertised with supplier information and sourcing options.
Influencer Placement Tracking: See which influencers are promoting specific products and their engagement rates.
Shop Analysis: Reverse-engineer competitor Shopify stores to see product catalogs and best sellers.
Chrome Extension: Quick-save ads and products while browsing social platforms or competitor stores.
Best For
E-commerce brands and dropshippers who need to identify trending products and the exact ad strategies selling them. Most valuable if you're sourcing products and building campaigns simultaneously.
Pricing
Starts at $49/month. 0€ Starter plan available with limited features and searches.
5. BigSpy
Best for: Budget-conscious advertisers who need large-scale ad databases across platforms
BigSpy is a large-scale ad spy tool with millions of ads indexed across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and more.
Where This Tool Shines
BigSpy's database size and pricing accessibility make it a strong option for performance marketers on a budget. The platform indexes millions of ads and updates constantly, giving you a massive reference library for creative inspiration and competitive research. The advanced filtering lets you narrow results by engagement levels, ad format, industry niche, and time period.
The competitor advertiser monitoring feature tracks specific brands over time, showing you their creative evolution and testing patterns. This historical view helps you understand not just what competitors are running now, but how their strategy has shifted over weeks or months.
Key Features
Massive Ad Database: Millions of ads indexed across Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Pinterest, and additional platforms.
Advanced Filtering: Narrow results by engagement metrics, ad format, industry niche, and date ranges.
Performance Tracking: See how ad engagement changes over time to identify what's still working versus what's fading.
Competitor Monitoring: Track specific advertisers to see their full creative history and testing patterns.
Affordable Tiers: Multiple pricing levels making it accessible for solo advertisers and small teams.
Best For
Performance marketers, affiliates, and small agencies who need extensive ad databases without enterprise pricing. Ideal if you're researching across multiple platforms and want historical data alongside current campaigns.
Pricing
Free plan available with limited searches. Paid plans start at $9/month, scaling up based on features and search volume.
6. AdClarity
Best for: Enterprise brands needing estimated spend data and share of voice analysis
AdClarity is an enterprise competitive intelligence platform providing estimated ad spend, impressions, and share of voice data for brands and agencies.
Where This Tool Shines
AdClarity focuses on the metrics that matter to brand marketers and agencies managing large budgets: estimated spend, share of voice, and competitive positioning. While creative spy tools show you what competitors are running, AdClarity estimates how much they're spending and what percentage of industry ad impressions they're capturing.
The platform's strength lies in industry benchmarking. You can compare your brand's estimated spend and impression share against competitors, identify seasonal spending patterns, and track shifts in competitive strategy. This makes it valuable for strategic planning and budget allocation decisions.
Key Features
Estimated Spend and Impressions: Proprietary algorithms estimate competitor ad budgets and impression volumes.
Industry Benchmarking: Compare your brand's performance against competitors and industry averages.
Cross-Channel Coverage: Track spending across social, display, video, and additional digital channels.
Historical Trend Analysis: See how competitor spending and strategy has evolved over time.
Custom Reporting: Export data and create custom reports for stakeholder presentations.
Best For
Enterprise brands, agencies managing large accounts, and marketing teams who need spend intelligence for strategic planning. Most valuable when you're making budget allocation decisions or presenting competitive analysis to executives.
Pricing
Enterprise pricing only. Contact for custom quote based on your data needs and user count.
7. Pathmatics (by Sensor Tower)
Best for: Brand marketers tracking competitive advertising strategies and messaging trends
Pathmatics is a brand-focused digital intelligence platform for tracking competitive advertising strategies, spend allocation, and share of voice.
Where This Tool Shines
Pathmatics excels at competitive messaging analysis and creative strategy tracking. Beyond showing you what ads are running, the platform analyzes messaging themes, seasonal campaign patterns, and how brands shift their creative approach across different audience segments. This makes it particularly valuable for brand marketers developing positioning strategies.
The integration with Sensor Tower's app intelligence adds another dimension for mobile-focused brands. You can correlate advertising strategy with app download trends, user acquisition patterns, and competitive app positioning—connecting ad intelligence with actual business outcomes.
Key Features
Detailed Competitive Spend Analysis: Estimated spend data with breakdowns by platform, format, and time period.
Share of Voice Tracking: See what percentage of industry ad impressions each competitor captures.
Creative and Messaging Analysis: Track messaging themes, seasonal patterns, and creative strategy shifts.
Publisher and Placement Insights: Identify where competitors are buying ads and which placements they prioritize.
Sensor Tower Integration: Connect advertising intelligence with app download data and mobile growth metrics.
Best For
Brand marketers, competitive intelligence teams, and agencies developing positioning strategies. Particularly valuable for mobile app marketers who need to connect ad strategy with app growth metrics.
Pricing
Enterprise pricing. Contact for demo and custom quote based on your intelligence needs.
8. PowerAdSpy
Best for: Performance marketers who need detailed engagement metrics and demographic filtering
PowerAdSpy is an ad intelligence tool focused on social engagement metrics with detailed filtering by niche, demographics, and performance signals.
Where This Tool Shines
PowerAdSpy prioritizes the metrics performance marketers actually care about: likes, shares, comments, and engagement rates. The platform tracks social signals to help you identify ads that are resonating with audiences, not just ads that are running. This engagement focus makes it easier to separate winning creative from tests that aren't working.
The demographic and geographic filtering is more granular than most competitors. You can narrow results to specific age ranges, countries, and interest categories—then see the exact call-to-action and landing page strategy for ads targeting those segments. This level of detail helps you reverse-engineer successful campaigns.
Key Features
Social Engagement Tracking: See likes, shares, comments, and reaction counts to identify high-performing ads.
Geo and Demographic Filters: Narrow results by country, age range, gender, and interest categories.
Niche and Keyword Search: Find ads by industry vertical, product type, or specific keywords in ad copy.
Bookmark and Organize: Save ads to custom collections for campaign planning and creative reference.
CTA and Landing Page Analysis: See the call-to-action buttons and landing pages connected to each ad.
Best For
Performance marketers, affiliates, and direct response advertisers who need engagement data to identify winning creative. Most valuable if you're targeting specific demographics or testing different audience segments.
Pricing
Starts at $49/month. Free trial available to test features before committing.
9. Dropispy
Best for: Dropshippers tracking product ads and e-commerce store strategies
Dropispy is a dropshipping-focused ad spy tool specializing in Instagram and Facebook product ads with e-commerce store tracking.
Where This Tool Shines
Dropispy is built specifically for the dropshipping model, connecting ad intelligence with product sourcing in one workflow. When you find a winning product ad, the platform identifies the product, matches it to AliExpress suppliers, and shows you engagement metrics—all in one view. This integration eliminates the manual work of tracking down products and suppliers separately.
The shop tracking feature monitors competitor Shopify stores, alerting you when they add new products or launch new ad campaigns. This helps you spot trending products early and see exactly how successful dropshippers are positioning and advertising them.
Key Features
E-commerce and Dropshipping Focus: Specialized filters and features for product-based Instagram and Facebook ads.
Shop and Product Tracking: Monitor competitor stores and get alerts when they add products or launch campaigns.
Engagement and Performance Metrics: See social signals to identify which product ads are resonating with audiences.
Chrome Extension: Quick research while browsing Instagram, Facebook, or competitor stores.
AliExpress Product Matching: Automatically identifies potential suppliers for products you discover in ads.
Best For
Dropshippers and e-commerce entrepreneurs who need to identify trending products and the ad strategies selling them. Most valuable if you're sourcing from AliExpress and want to streamline product research and ad intelligence.
Pricing
Starts at $29/month. Free plan available with limited searches and features.
Making the Right Choice
Your ideal Instagram ad intelligence platform depends on what you actually do with the data. If you're just starting competitive research, Meta Ad Library gives you accurate current data for free. Creative teams building swipe files should look at Foreplay for its organization and collaboration features. E-commerce advertisers will get more value from Minea or Dropispy, which connect ad intelligence with product research.
For performance marketers on a budget, BigSpy and PowerAdSpy offer extensive databases with engagement metrics at accessible price points. Enterprise brands needing spend estimates and share of voice analysis should evaluate AdClarity or Pathmatics, though the pricing reflects their enterprise positioning.
The challenge with passive intelligence tools is the execution gap. Seeing what competitors are doing doesn't automatically improve your campaigns—you still need to build, test, and optimize based on those insights. This is where platforms like AdStellar AI shift the paradigm by turning intelligence into action through AI agents that build optimized campaigns based on what's actually working.
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.
