# How to track competitor ads automatically > Meta's Ad Library API does not cover most ads in India, so automatic tracking means a weekly routine or a tool. What each route can do, with the time maths. - **Author**: Marxx - **Published**: 2026-11-14 - **Category**: Competitor research - **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-guides/how-to-track-competitor-ads-automatically --- To track competitor ads automatically, you need a saved weekly routine or an ad intelligence tool, because for most ads shown in India Meta gives no official feed you can plug into a sheet. Meta's own Ad Library API covers political and social issue ads, and ads shown in the EU. ## What Meta's API covers Meta's help page says the Ad Library API enables deeper analysis of ads about social issues, elections or politics, and of ads that deliver to the EU and associated territories (Meta Help Center, checked 2026-10-20). A normal product ad shown only in India is not in that set. It is visible in the Library while it runs, and the Library's home page lists no archive for it after it stops (Meta Ad Library, checked 2026-10-20). Meta also says you can download Ad Library searches if you are logged in to Facebook and agree to its terms. That is manual, so it is not automatic. ## Three ways to track | Route | How it works | Good for | Limit | |---|---|---|---| | Bookmarked Ad Library searches | Bookmark each rival's results page, then reopen it weekly | One or two rivals | Still a manual check | | A weekly routine with a sheet | A set time, a fixed list, a sheet that logs new ads | Small teams | Needs discipline | | An ad intelligence tool | The tool follows brands and keeps their ads | Many rivals, long history | Costs money, and coverage differs by tool | ## Step by step: the routine 1. **Fix the list.** Pick 5 to 10 rivals and one or two keywords. 2. **Bookmark the searches.** In the [Meta Ad Library](/guides/how-to-search-the-meta-ad-library-by-keyword), search each rival, then bookmark the results page. The address keeps your country, search words and filters. 3. **Set a time.** Same day each week, 20 minutes, in the calendar. 4. **Sort by Most recent.** Meta's Sort by menu has **Impressions: high to low** and **Most recent**. Pick the second and read down to ads you already logged. 5. **Log new ads.** Add brand, date, format, hook, angle and offer to a sheet. Save a screenshot, because the Library drops these ads once they stop running. 6. **Check Google too.** Repeat in the Google Ads Transparency Center. See [how to see competitor ads on Google](/guides/how-to-see-competitor-ads-on-google). 7. **Write one line a week.** What changed? A new angle? A new offer? That line is the useful part. ## A worked example Say you track 8 rivals. Each takes 10 minutes a week on Meta and Google. - Per week: 8 x 10 = 80 minutes - Per month (4 weeks): 80 x 4 = 320 minutes, about 5.3 hours - At INR 600 an hour of team time: 5.3 x INR 600 = about INR 3,200 a month If a tool that costs less than that covers all 8 rivals, it pays for itself in time. If you track only 2 rivals, the routine costs about INR 800 a month, and you may not need a tool. Prices vary by tool, so check each one's own page. See [the best ad intelligence platforms](/best/best-ad-intelligence-platforms) and [the best ad spy tools in India](/best/best-ad-spy-tools-in-india). ## What a tool should do - Follow brands and keywords, not only one-off searches - Keep ads after they stop running - Show run length and versions - Let you save and tag ads - Cover Google as well as Meta, if you need both Marxx tracks competitor ads on Meta and Google, and has an AI search over 100M+ ads back to 2022. Its browser extension adds a Save button to the Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn ad libraries, Pinterest and Google Images. See [competitor tracking](/features/competitor-tracking). ## FAQ ### Can I use Meta's Ad Library API for competitor ads? Only for political and social issue ads, and ads delivered to the EU and its associated territories. For commercial ads in India, it will not give you the full list. ### Can I download Ad Library results? Meta says you can download Ad Library searches if you are logged in to Facebook and agree to its terms. Read those terms before you build anything on top of them. ### How often should I check? Weekly for a fast category, monthly for a slow one. The check is cheap, and the sheet gets more useful each time. --- - [More Competitor research articles](https://marxx.ai/library-guides/category/competitor-research) - [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-guides)