How do I see my competitors' Facebook ads, and which ones are working?
Short answer
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. To do it across a whole niche, connect AdRadar to Claude or ChatGPT and ask for the longest-running ads for your keywords; it returns days running, hook and angle for each ad.
Key takeaways
- You can see every active ad a competitor runs on Meta. You cannot see their spend or results.
- Long run time and the same creative reused across many ads are the two best public signals.
- Research the niche, not just one rival: newer brands often have the freshest angles.
- Write original ads from the angles you find. Copying competitors' copy is both risky and less effective.
How to do it
- List your competitors. Write down 5 to 10 brands, plus 2 or 3 product keywords buyers would search.
- Check each Page. Meta Ad Library → All ads → your country → search the Page → Active ads. Note the oldest start dates.
- Scan the niche. Ask your agent to run AdRadar on the product keywords to catch competitors you didn't know about.
- Group by angle. Sort ads by hook type and angle. Look for angles everyone uses (table stakes) and angles nobody uses (your gap).
- Brief new tests. Turn the gaps into 3 to 5 original concepts and test them.
Evidence from a real scan
Verified scan · Oct 13, 2026 Real scan, US, "magnesium gummies", Oct 13, 2026: social-proof hooks with results testimonials dominated the long runners.
| Advertiser | Days running | Hook | Angle | Ad |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP Nutrition | 137 | Social proof | Results testimonial | View in Ad Library |
| SPNutrition | 219 | Social proof | Results testimonial | View in Ad Library |
| Novali Health | 147 | Audience callout | Other | View in Ad Library |
| Sarah Mitchell | 139 | Social proof | Results testimonial | View in Ad Library |
| Tanisha Martinez | 139 | Story | Results testimonial | View in Ad Library |
| Tanisha Martinez | 139 | Story | Results testimonial | View in Ad Library |
Full data: magnesium gummies ad report. We quote only advertiser names and link to Meta; we don't re-host creatives.
What AdRadar is
- Remote MCP server at https://adradarmcp.cloud/mcp. Works in Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and Claude Code; sign in with Google over OAuth.
- ad_radar_spy searches the public Meta Ad Library by keyword and country at the moment you ask (not a stored archive) and returns days running, creative reuse, hook, angle, CTA strength and a link to each ad in the Ad Library.
- ad_radar_tiktok_top returns 20 top TikTok auction ads per country from TikTok Creative Center, with CTR, likes, budget tier and objective.
- Prepaid credits: $3 for 60 scans, $5/100, $10/200, $25/600, $50/1400. Credits never expire. Failed or empty scans refund the credit automatically.
Try it in your agent
AdRadar is a remote MCP server for Claude, ChatGPT and Cursor. Connect it once, then paste this prompt.
I sell magnesium gummies in the US. Use AdRadar to find the longest-running competitor ads, group them by hook and angle, and tell me which angles are overused and which are missing.
Pay per scan, no subscription. Credits never expire. Failed or empty scans are refunded.
FAQ
Will competitors know I looked at their ads?
No. The Ad Library is public and anonymous.
How often should I check competitor ads?
Weekly for fast-moving niches, monthly otherwise. An agent can run the same prompt each week.
Can I see competitors' TikTok ads?
TikTok's Creative Center shows top ads by country and industry, not by advertiser. AdRadar's TikTok tool returns those top ads with CTR and likes.