# What is creative refresh rate?

> Creative refresh rate is how often a brand replaces its live ads with new ones. The formula, a worked example, and how to read it for a competitor and for yourself.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-07
- **Category**: Creative metrics
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/creative-refresh-rate

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Creative refresh rate is how quickly a brand adds new ads compared to the number it already has live. You work it out as new ads launched in a period, divided by ads live at the start of that period, as a percentage.

## The formula

Creative refresh rate = new ads launched in the period / ads live at the start of the period x 100

Use the same period every time, usually 30 days, so you can compare months.

## Worked example: a competitor

Say you want the refresh rate of Wanderlast Holidays, a fictional travel brand, for October 2026.

1. On 1 October, search its page in the Meta Ad Library, country India, active ads. It shows **24** ads.
2. Each Monday in October, check again and note ads whose start date is new. Over the month you count **9** new ads.
3. Refresh rate = 9 / 24 x 100 = **37.5%**.

Check weekly. The Meta Ad Library shows only active ads for most advertisers, so an ad that starts and stops between two checks never appears.

A 37.5% rate tells you Wanderlast ships a lot of new creative. It does not tell you whether those ads work or what they cost. See [what the Meta Ad Library shows](/glossary/meta-ad-library).

## Worked example: your own account

In Meta Ads Manager, you can see when each of your ads was created and whether it is active. Say Northwind Escapes had **30** live ads on 1 October and launched **6** new ones in October.

Refresh rate = 6 / 30 x 100 = **20%**.

The rival ships new creative faster. Whether to match it depends on your budget and how fast your own ads tire.

## What good looks like

There is no single right number. A small account spending INR 50,000 a month cannot feed 40 new ads, and does not need to. Watch two things instead:

- **Your rate against your fatigue.** If your ads tire before new ones are ready, raise the rate. [How to fix ad fatigue](/guides/how-to-fix-ad-fatigue) covers the signs.
- **Your rate against your testing budget.** Each new ad needs enough spend to judge. Plan with [how to build a creative testing budget](/guides/how-to-build-a-creative-testing-budget).

Marxx flags which of your Meta ads are tiring now and which will within 7 days, which tells you when to refresh. We make Marxx.

## FAQ

### Is a high creative refresh rate good?

Not on its own. It shows how much new creative a brand ships. Results depend on what those ads say and how they are tested.

### Can I see a competitor's refresh rate exactly?

Only roughly. Public ad libraries show live ads and their start dates, so frequent checks give a close count, but short-lived ads can slip through.

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- [More Creative metrics articles](https://marxx.ai/library-glossary/category/creative-metrics)
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