# The best tools for competitor ad alerts > Tools that tell you, or help you check, when a competitor launches new ads: digests in Slack, research tools that follow brands, and the free ad libraries. - **Author**: Marxx - **Published**: 2026-11-08 - **Category**: Competitor research - **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-best/best-competitor-ad-alert-tools --- For competitor ad alerts, pick by where your team reads news. Marxx posts competitors' new ads in each client's Slack channel. Foreplay, Atria and Motion let you follow chosen brands inside their creative tools. The Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center are free but manual: you go and look. ## Quick comparison | Tool | Best for | Starting price | Checked | |---|---|---|---| | Marxx | Agencies that want new competitor ads in each client's Slack channel | Priced per workspace, not per seat | 6 Nov 2026 | | Foreplay | Teams building a swipe file who want to follow brands on Meta | Spyder from Workflow, $175/month | 20 Oct 2026 | | Atria | Teams that want brand following plus analytics and launching | Core $129/month billed yearly, 50 brands | 20 Oct 2026 | | Motion | Large teams who want competitor ads beside their own creative reports | Starter $999/month | 6 Nov 2026 | | Meta Ad Library | Free spot checks on any brand's active Meta ads | Free | 20 Oct 2026 | | Google Ads Transparency Center | Free checks on a brand's Google Search and YouTube ads | Free | 20 Oct 2026 | Every tool here, paid or free, shows only what public ad libraries publish: the ad, its start date and where it runs. None can show a rival's spend or results for ordinary ads. [How to find competitor ad spend](/guides/how-to-find-competitor-ad-spend) explains why. ## Marxx Marxx posts a **Competitor new ads digest** and a **Keyword new ads digest** into each client's own Slack channel, up to three ads per brand with a **Save** button that files an ad to that client's board. It tracks competitor ads on Meta and Google. We make Marxx. Setup: [how to get competitor ads in Slack](/guides/how-to-get-competitor-ads-in-slack). ## Foreplay Foreplay is a swipe file and ad research tool. Spyder follows chosen competitor brands on Meta, and Discovery searches ads across platforms. Its Chrome extension saves ads from the Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn ad libraries and keeps them after they come down. Spyder starts on the Workflow plan at $175 a month for 5 users (checked 20 Oct 2026). Basic at $59 a month does not include Spyder. Check how Spyder updates reach you on [foreplay.co](https://www.foreplay.co/pricing). More in [Foreplay vs Atria](/compare/foreplay-vs-atria). ## Atria Atria combines an ad library you can search by copy, on-screen text and spoken words with brand following and analytics on your own ads. Core follows 50 brands with 5 seats for $129 a month billed yearly (checked 20 Oct 2026). It works with Meta and supports TikTok, and it can launch ads to Meta. It suits a team that wants following, analytics and launching in one place. See [Atria alternatives](/alternatives/atria-alternatives). ## Motion Motion is creative analytics for your own ad accounts. It also tracks competitors' new ads and adds benchmarks, and it offers requests, reports and alerts in Slack. Starter costs $999 a month for brands spending up to $50,000 a month on ads, with unlimited seats and ad accounts (checked 6 Nov 2026). It fits large in-house teams that want rival ads next to their own results. See [Foreplay vs Motion](/compare/foreplay-vs-motion). ## Meta Ad Library The Meta Ad Library is free and needs no account to search. It shows every active ad from any Page in the country you pick, with its start date and platforms. It sends no alerts. You return and search each brand yourself, so it suits a few rivals checked weekly. ## Google Ads Transparency Center Google's library shows verified advertisers' ads on Search, YouTube, Maps, Shopping and Play, for a year after each ad last ran. Google says new ads appear after 48 to 72 hours. Like Meta's, it is free and manual, one advertiser at a time. See [how to use Google Ads Transparency Center](/guides/how-to-use-google-ads-transparency-center). ## How to choose 1. **Where does your team act?** If decisions happen in Slack, a digest that lands in the client's channel gets read. If they happen in a creative tool, follow brands there. 2. **How many clients?** Agencies need competitor lists kept apart per client, so one client's rivals never mix with another's. 3. **Which platforms?** If rivals spend on Google Search, make sure the tool covers Google, not only Meta. 4. **What is your budget?** Two or three rivals checked weekly can live on the free libraries. Ten rivals across five clients usually cannot. ## FAQ ### Is there a free competitor ad alert tool? The Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center are free, but they do not send alerts. You have to search them yourself. ### Can a competitor ad alert tool show which ads are working? No. Public ad libraries do not publish spend or results for ordinary ads. A tool can show that an ad has kept running, which is a clue, not proof. ### How often should I check competitor ads? Weekly suits most brands. Check more often in the weeks before a big sale, when rivals change offers quickly. --- - [More Competitor research articles](https://marxx.ai/library-best/category/competitor-research) - [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-best)