Ad spy tools aren't interchangeable, because each one watches different traffic. Match the tool to the source you buy before you compare features. Native and push buyers need a tool that tracks those networks. Display buyers need display coverage. Social and ecommerce sellers need ad libraries or product research. Then search a niche you know in each trial.
Ad spy tools look alike on their home pages and behave very differently once you log in. Anstrex is built around native and push ads, and most tools in this category cover other ground. These eight alternatives, in no particular order, are sorted by the traffic each one watches.
Match the tool to the traffic you buy
If you buy native or push traffic, a social ad library won't help you, however much data it holds. The reverse is also true. So before features, before the interface and before anything else, write down the traffic sources you spend on and check each tool against them.
- Native and push: AdPlexity and SpyOver say they track native advertising, and the first also covers push, social, desktop and mobile.
- Display: Adbeat covers display ads, creatives and placements.
- Social ad libraries: BigSpy, AdSpyder and Foreplay look mainly at social and ad library creative.
- Ecommerce and dropshipping: Minea and Dropispy are built around finding products through ads.
Notice how thin the first group is. If native and push are your main channels, you'll have a short shortlist, and that's fine. A shorter list you can test well beats a long one you skim.
It also helps to separate two different questions. One is what your rivals are running right now, which is about angles, hooks and landing pages. The other is what's been running for a long time, which usually means it's making money for someone. Some tools are stronger at the first and some at the second, so check how each one shows how long an ad has been live and whether you can sort by it. That single filter tends to save more hours than any other.
For deeper lists by channel, see my native ad spy tools and my dropshipping spy tools.
Eight ad spy tools, A to Z
In no particular order of preference.
Adbeat
Best for: Media buyers on display networks who want competitive intelligence on display ads, creatives, landing pages and placements.
AdPlexity
Best for: Affiliates who buy several traffic types and want one ad spy tool covering social, native, push, desktop and mobile ads, with landing pages and offers.
AdSpyder
Best for: Marketers who want to research competitor ads across platforms and then generate their own ads with AI, which the vendor calls an all-in-one ad command centre.
BigSpy
Best for: Advertisers who want an ad spy tool and ad library covering multiple advertising platforms, with competitor tracking and a free plan.
Dropispy
Best for: Dropshippers looking for products to sell by watching social network ads, in a tool the vendor built specially for them.
Foreplay
Best for: Creative teams who save ads from ad libraries, organise them and share them, from inspiration through to creative analytics.
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Minea
Best for: Ecommerce sellers and dropshippers who want ad spying and product search together to find their next product.
SpyOver
Best for: Native ad buyers who want to monitor native advertising networks and analyse competitor campaigns around the world.
Traffic coverage compared
| Tool | Main coverage | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Adbeat | Display ad intelligence | Display creatives, landing pages and placements |
| AdPlexity | Multi-channel ad spy tool | Native, push, social, desktop and mobile ads |
| AdSpyder | Ad spy and AI ad maker | Researching rivals and generating ads in one tool |
| BigSpy | Multi-platform ad library | Browsing ads across several ad platforms |
| Dropispy | Dropshipping ad spy | Finding products from social network ads |
| Foreplay | Ad library swipe file | Saving and sharing ads with a creative team |
| Minea | Ecommerce product research | Spotting products through ad research |
| SpyOver | Native ad monitoring | Watching native ad networks worldwide |
Advice for affiliates comparing ad intelligence tools
Don't pick an ad spy tool for the size of its database. Pick it for how well it covers the two or three traffic sources you spend on, and how quickly you can get from an ad to the landing page behind it. That's where the useful learning sits, in the angle, the pre-lander and the offer, not in the creative alone.
If you're running a creative team rather than buying media yourself, a swipe-file tool that saves and shares ads may do more for you than a full spy tool. And if you sell physical products, product research tools will answer your real question, which is what to sell, faster than a general ad library. Rules on ad content and claims vary by network and country, so check each network's own policies before you model a campaign you've found.
Run a niche search in each trial
- Choose a niche you know well, where you can tell a strong ad from a weak one.
- Search it in each trial, filtered to the traffic source you buy.
- Open five landing pages from the results and check they load and show the full funnel.
- Look for ads you already know are running, to see how complete the coverage is.
- Save your best three finds and see how easily you can share them with whoever writes your ads.
Do you make an ad spy or ad intelligence tool? Tool makers can ask to be considered for a featured place on this list.
Want your tool on this list? Featured spots and reviews here are paid partnerships. Here's how to partner with me.
Frequently asked questions
What does an ad spy tool do?
It collects ads running on networks such as native, push, display or social, and lets you search them by keyword, advertiser or niche. Many also capture the landing pages behind the ads.
Which ad spy tools cover native and push ads?
Only a few. Check each tool's own description of the networks it tracks, because many tools focus on social ads and say little about native or push traffic.
Is a social ad library the same as an ad spy tool?
Not quite. Ad libraries mainly gather social ads and help you save and organise them. Spy tools for native and push track ads across networks that don't publish public libraries.
Are ad spy tools useful for dropshipping?
Yes, if they're built for it. Product research tools watch social ads to find products that are selling, which is a different job from tracking affiliate campaigns.
Is it legal to use ad spy tools?
Viewing ads that are publicly shown is generally allowed, but copying someone's creative or landing page can break copyright and network rules. Requirements vary, so check the relevant rules where you operate.
