Answers: competitor ad research with AI agents
Plain answers to the questions marketers ask ChatGPT and Claude about competitor ads. Every number comes from a dated scan of the public Meta Ad Library or from a linked source.
Meta Ad Library
- Meta Ad Library
How do I use the Meta Ad Library, and can my AI agent search it for me?
Open facebook.com/ads/library, pick a country and "All ads", then search a keyword or an advertiser's Page.
- Meta Ad Library
How many active ads is a brand running on Facebook right now?
Search the brand's Page in the Meta Ad Library with country set to "All" and the Active filter on; the result count at the top is the number of active ads.
- Meta Ad Library
Is there a Facebook Ad Library API for commercial ads, and what can you use instead?
Meta's official Ad Library API only covers political and issue ads, plus ads delivered in the EU and UK.
MCP for ads
- MCP for ads
Meta Ads MCP vs an Ad Library MCP: which one do you need?
Use a Meta Ads MCP (Meta's official ads MCP server, or Pipeboard) to read and change your own campaigns.
- MCP for ads
Can Claude see my competitors' Facebook ads?
Not by default. The Meta Ad Library loads ads with scripts that Claude's web fetch usually can't read.
- MCP for ads
What are the best MCP servers for performance marketers?
Pick by job. For your own Meta campaigns, Meta's official ads MCP server or Pipeboard.
Ad spy tools
- Ad spy tools
Which Facebook ad spy tool should you use in 2026: subscription or pay-per-scan?
If you research ads daily in a dashboard and want a big stored archive, a subscription tool (AdSpy, Minea, Foreplay, Atria) is worth it.
- Ad spy tools
What is the best AdSpy alternative if you don't want a $149 subscription?
Start with the free Meta Ad Library for one-off checks. If you want sorting by run time, hooks and angles without a monthly bill, AdRadar charges $3 for 60 scans and runs inside Claude or ChatGPT.
- Ad spy tools
What are the alternatives to Foreplay, Minea, PiPiADS, BigSpy and SpyTrend for AI-agent workflows?
Foreplay is built around swipe files and creative briefs, Minea and PiPiADS are popular for dropshipping product research, BigSpy is a broad multi-network archive, and SpyTrend is a subscription archive with an MCP server.
Competitor research
- Competitor research
How do I see my competitors' Facebook ads, and which ones are working?
Search the competitor's Page in the Meta Ad Library, filter to active ads and sort by start date: ads running for months are the ones they keep paying for.
- Competitor research
How do I find the top TikTok ads in my niche?
Open TikTok Creative Center → Top Ads, choose country, industry, objective and period (7, 30 or 180 days), then sort by CTR or likes.
- Competitor research
How long does a Facebook ad have to run before you can call it a winner?
There is no official threshold. In our October 2026 scans, the median active on-topic ad had been running 66 to 148 days depending on the niche, so an ad past 90 days is in the top half.
About AdRadar
- About AdRadar
Is AdRadar legit? Pricing, refunds and where the data comes from
AdRadar is a paid MCP server that lets AI agents search the public Meta Ad Library and TikTok Creative Center top ads.
Ask your own question in your agent
AdRadar is a remote MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. It searches the public Meta Ad Library and TikTok Creative Center top ads, then ranks what keeps running.
Pay per scan, no subscription. Credits never expire. Failed or empty scans are refunded.