- Name the data before you name the tool
- Check the tool still exists under that name
- Comparing the eight on data type
- Spies for display, native and push networks
- Estimating what rivals spend
- Full competitive research suites
- The eight, alphabetically
- What to ask each vendor on a call
- My advice for marketers moving beyond social
- Frequently asked questions
Look past social feeds first. If you need to see competitors' display, native or push campaigns, choose a network-specific ad spy; if you want a rough view of how much they spend and where, an ad spend estimator fits better; and if search matters most, a full competitive research suite covers more ground.
Social feeds are only one place your competitors advertise. PowerAdSpy is built around social media ads, so if you're leaving it, the reason is usually that you need to see somewhere else: display banners, native and push campaigns, search ads, or an estimate of what a rival puts behind its ads overall.
The eight alternatives below are in no particular order and grouped by the kind of data they show. There are no creative swipe-file tools here on purpose; this list is about watching the market, not organising your own ads.
Name the data before you name the tool
- Creatives on one network type. Display, native or push ads, with the landing pages and offers behind them.
- Spend and impressions. Estimates of how much a competitor puts behind its ads and where, for benchmarking.
- Search and the wider picture. Search ad and organic keywords, traffic and market share across channels.
Pick the line that matches the question your boss or client keeps asking, then shortlist from that group only. Mixing groups is how teams end up with two subscriptions that each answer half a question.
Check the tool still exists under that name
This corner of marketing software changes hands often. iSpionage, once a well-known competitor ad tool, says on its own page that it has been sunsetted and points visitors to TapClicks. Pathmatics now sits under the Sensor Tower brand. Neither change is unusual, but both are a reason to check who sells a product today before you build a reporting process on it.
A quick check takes five minutes: look at the company name in the site's footer and terms, see whether the login page has moved and search for a recent announcement. If a product's been folded into a bigger platform, ask what happens to your saved reports and exports.
Comparing the eight on data type
| Tool | Data type | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Adbeat | Display ad intelligence | Display creatives, landing pages and placements |
| AdClarity | Cross-media ad intelligence | Benchmarking across display, video, social and apps |
| AdPlexity | Cross-network ad spy | Social, native, push and mobile campaigns |
| Anstrex | Native and push ad spy | Native and push notification campaigns |
| Pathmatics (Sensor Tower) | Ad spend intelligence | Estimated spend and impressions by competitor |
| Semrush | SEO and PPC suite | Visibility across search, PPC and social |
| Similarweb | Web and market intelligence | Market and channel insight beyond single ads |
| SpyFu | Search ad and SEO research | Competitors' PPC and SEO keywords |
Spies for display, native and push networks
Adbeat focuses on display advertising, showing creatives, landing pages and placements, and the vendor says it shows which ad networks and publishers competitors use. Anstrex covers native advertising and push notification campaigns. AdPlexity spreads wider, across social, native, push, desktop and mobile, with landing pages and offers alongside the ads.
These suit affiliates and performance marketers who live on one or two traffic sources. If native is your main channel, my list of native ad spy tools covers that format in more depth.
Estimating what rivals spend
The Sensor Tower product on this list estimates competitor ad spend and impressions across platforms, with current and historical data for benchmarking. AdClarity benchmarks competitor marketing across display, video, social, mobile apps and ecommerce, and the vendor says it monitors many markets using a large human panel.
Treat any spend number as an estimate. These tools are best for spotting direction: a competitor that's suddenly putting more into video, or one that's gone quiet in a market you share.
Full competitive research suites
SpyFu shows a competitor's PPC and SEO keywords and lets you download them, which makes it the most direct choice if search ads are the gap in your current setup. Semrush describes itself as a platform for brand visibility across AI search, SEO, PPC and social. Similarweb is a digital data company offering market intelligence and competitive insight across channels, aimed at larger teams.
Suites cover more ground than an ad spy but show less detail on any single creative. They make sense when ad research is one task among several for the same team. If social-first tools are still what you want, see my list of AdSpy alternatives.
The eight, alphabetically
Adbeat
Best for: Display advertisers researching competitors' creatives, landing pages and placements, with the vendor saying it shows which ad networks and publishers they use.
AdClarity
Best for: Brands benchmarking competitor marketing across display, video, social, mobile apps and ecommerce, using what the vendor describes as a large human panel.
AdPlexity
Best for: Performance marketers watching competitors' ads, landing pages and offers across social, native, push, desktop and mobile in one place.
Anstrex
Best for: Affiliates and media buyers focused on native advertising and push notification campaigns who want ad intelligence built for those two formats.
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Pathmatics (Sensor Tower)
Best for: Marketing teams benchmarking competitors on estimated ad spend and impressions across platforms, with current and historical data.
Semrush
Best for: Teams who want one platform for measuring brand visibility across AI search, SEO, PPC and social, with competitor research as one part of it.
Similarweb
Best for: Larger marketing teams wanting market intelligence and competitive insight across digital channels, which the vendor pitches as AI-powered and real-time.
SpyFu
Best for: Search marketers who want to see and download a competitor's PPC and SEO keywords, along with the links that support their rankings.
What to ask each vendor on a call
- Which ad networks and countries does your data cover, and how fresh is it?
- Can I see landing pages and offers, or only the ad creative?
- Are spend and impression numbers estimates, and how are they made?
- What can I export, and in what format?
- Who owns the product today, and what happens to my data if that changes?
My advice for marketers moving beyond social
Don't buy the biggest suite just because it covers everything. If your gap is native and push, a focused ad spy will show you more of what you need at a glance. If your gap is search, start with a keyword research tool. Only reach for a market intelligence platform when the question is about the whole market rather than a few rivals.
Then run your shortlist against three competitors you already know well. The tool that tells you something you didn't already know about them is the one worth keeping.
Do you make a competitor ad research 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
Can I see a competitor's exact ad spend?
No tool here shows exact numbers. Spend and impression tools estimate them from their own data, so use them to compare trends and rough scale rather than as accounts you can quote.
What are native and push ads?
Native ads are made to match the look of the content around them, often on publisher sites. Push notification ads appear as browser or phone notifications. Both are popular with affiliates.
Is a search ad tool enough for competitor research?
It can be, if search is your main channel. If competitors put a lot into display, social or video, you'll need a tool that covers those too, or you'll miss most of their activity.
Why do ad research tools get renamed or sunsetted?
Companies merge, get bought or fold a product into a bigger brand. It's common in this field, which is why it's worth checking who sells a tool today before you commit to it.
Are these tools ranked?
No. They're in no particular order and grouped by the type of data each one shows.
