# Meta Ad Library alternatives > Seven Meta Ad Library alternatives for saving and tracking competitor ads, from free libraries to paid tools, with prices checked 20 Oct 2026. - **Author**: Marxx - **Published**: 2026-10-26 - **Category**: Ad research tools - **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives/meta-ad-library-alternatives --- The best Meta Ad Library alternatives add saving, organising and tracking of competitor ads. Foreplay, BigSpy, AdSpy and Atria do that, while Google's and TikTok's free libraries cover other platforms. ## What the Meta Ad Library does well, and why teams look elsewhere It is Meta's own free database ([what it is](/glossary/meta-ad-library)). You can search ads that are running now across Meta's products. Inactive ads show for social issue, election and political ads, which Meta keeps for seven years, and for ads that ran in the EU or UK, which it keeps for one year. Meta gives spend, reach and funding details for the social issue, election and political ads (checked 2026-10-20 on Meta's transparency site and the Library itself). So for most ordinary ads, you see no spend or reach. The Library is a lookup tool. Teams that want to save ads, group them or follow a brand over time add another tool. ## Quick comparison | Tool | Best for | Starting price | |---|---|---| | Meta Ad Library | Looking up any brand's live Meta ads | Free | | Google Ads Transparency Center | Google Search and YouTube ads | Free | | TikTok Creative Center | TikTok top ads and trends | Free | | BigSpy | Many platforms, free plan | Free; paid from $69/month | | Foreplay | Saving ads, boards and briefs | $59/month | | AdSpy | Facebook and Instagram database | $149/month | | Atria | Ad library plus analytics, 5 seats | $129/month, billed yearly | Prices checked 2026-10-20 on each company's own site, in dollars. ## Google Ads Transparency Center Free. Search an advertiser to see the ads it served across Google platforms, including Search and YouTube, and filter by region and date. It covers Google, not Meta. See [how to use it](/guides/how-to-use-google-ads-transparency-center). ## TikTok Creative Center TikTok calls it a free, public hub for trends and ad examples. Top Ads lists high-performing TikTok ads and filters them by region, industry, objective, likes and time frame. See [how to use it](/guides/how-to-use-tiktok-creative-center). ## BigSpy The free plan covers Facebook ads only, with 10 searches a day. Starter is $69 a month ($49 billed yearly) and covers Facebook and Instagram. Growth is $159 a month and adds Google Ads, YouTube and TikTok. ## Foreplay Saves ads from ad libraries with a Chrome extension, organises them on boards and turns them into briefs. Basic is $59 a month for one user ($49 billed yearly), with a 7-day free trial. Competitor tracking (Spyder) starts on Workflow at $175. ## AdSpy Its home page lists $149 a month for its Facebook and Instagram ad database. A fit for media buyers who only work on Meta. ## Atria Core is $129 a month billed yearly. It includes 5 seats, an ad library, 50 followed brands and analytics for up to $500K of monthly ad spend. ## Marxx We make Marxx, so weigh this. It tracks competitor ads on Meta and Google, with keyword tracking and an AI search over 100M+ ads back to 2022. A browser extension saves ads from the Meta Ad Library, TikTok, LinkedIn's ad library, Pinterest and Google Images. It also puts competitors next to your own account. See [competitor tracking](/features/competitor-tracking). ## How to choose - A quick look now and then? Stay on the free libraries. - Research every day? Pick a paid library that saves ads and builds boards. - Count seats. Say three people need access. Foreplay Basic is $59 for one user plus $20 for each extra, so $99 a month. Atria Core includes five seats for $129. - Test coverage with brands from your own market before you pay. More free options are in [the best free ad spy tools](/best/best-free-ad-spy-tools). ## FAQ ### Is there a free alternative to the Meta Ad Library? Yes. Google's and TikTok's libraries are free, and BigSpy has a free plan for Facebook ads. ### Does the Meta Ad Library keep old ads? Only some. Inactive ads show for social issue, election and political ads, which Meta keeps for seven years, and for ads that ran in the EU or UK, which it keeps for one year. A tracker such as Foreplay's Spyder follows a brand's new ads as they launch. See [how to find out how long an ad has been running](/guides/how-to-find-out-how-long-an-ad-has-been-running). --- - [More Ad research tools articles](https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives/category/ad-research-tools) - [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-alternatives)