Meta Ad Library with alerts: know the day a brand launches
Meta Ad Library
Meta's free public archive of every active ad on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network. Search by page name, filter by country and platform.
Free · anyone, no login neededBrandMov
Competitor ad intelligence for agencies and DTC teams. Watchlists that email you on launch day, a curated feed of scored DTC ads, and one-click clones into your ad account.
Agencies · in-house marketing teamsYou need a one-off look at one brand, today
It is free, it is complete for active ads, and BrandMov's own free lookup reads from it. There is no reason to pay for a single check.
You want to know when a competitor launches, without checking by hand
Watchlists re-check every tracked brand, keep the history Meta deletes when an ad stops, and email you on launch day.
The 30-second read
The Ad Library is the source of truth for what is running right now. It is also a page you have to remember to open, with no save button, no sort by run length, no notifications, and no record of ads once they stop.
| Meta Ad Library | BrandMov | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Public search over Meta's active ads at facebook.com/ads/library | Monitoring layer on top of the same archive, plus Google, plus a curated scored feed |
| Price | Free | One free lookup, then $19 Swipe · $49 Studio · $99 Suite |
| Search | Page name or keyword, filter by country, platform, media type and date | Brand name lookup, curated feed by industry, hook and format |
| Alerts | None. No saved searches, no email, no RSS | Email the day a watched brand launches (Studio) |
| Ads that stopped running | Removed for ordinary ads. Only political and issue ads are kept for seven years | Full history kept for every watched brand from the day you add it |
| Run length | Start date shown per ad, no sort | Sorted by run length, so the ads a brand keeps paying for surface first |
| Saving | No save or collection feature | Unlimited saves, tags, client share links |
| Google ads | No. Google has its own Ads Transparency Center | Tracked on watchlists alongside Meta |
| API | Ad Library API covers political and issue ads, plus all ads shown in the EU | REST API and MCP server on Studio |
Ad Library behaviour as documented by Meta and observed on 2026-10-18. EU viewers see extra transparency data (reach, audience) under the Digital Services Act.
What's in each box
The Ad Library is the raw material. Everything in the right-hand column is what BrandMov adds on top of it.
| Feature | Meta Ad Library | BrandMov |
|---|---|---|
| Free to use | ✓ | partialone free lookup, then from $19 |
| Every active ad on Facebook and Instagram | ✓ | ✓pulled live from the same archive |
| Ads that have stopped running | partialpolitical and issue ads only | ✓kept for watched brands |
| Email when a brand launches a new ad | no | ✓Studio |
| Save and tag ads | no | ✓ |
| Sort by run length | nostart date only | ✓ |
| Hook / hold / click / buy score | no | ✓curated feed |
| Google ads next to Meta | no | ✓watchlist |
| Country and platform filters | ✓ | partialindustry, hook and format filters on the feed |
| EU reach and audience data | ✓when viewed from the EU | no |
| Clone an ad into on-brand variants | no | ✓ |
| Launch into Meta as a paused draft | no | ✓Suite |
| API or MCP for AI agents | partialpolitical ads, EU ads | ✓ |
Named strengths, both sides
We built this page, so we are going to say plainly where we are behind.
Meta Ad Library is stronger at
3 winsIt is free, and it is the source
Every active ad from every advertiser, no account needed. BrandMov's lookup and watchlists read from it; they do not replace it.
Country and platform filters
Narrow to one country, one placement or one media type in two clicks. BrandMov's feed filters by industry, hook and format instead.
EU transparency data
Viewed from the EU, the Ad Library shows reach and audience breakdowns for ads shown there. BrandMov does not surface that data.
BrandMov is stronger at
4 winsAlerts
Add a brand to a watchlist and you get an email the day it launches something new, with the ads attached. The Ad Library has no notifications of any kind.
History
When an ordinary ad stops, the Ad Library drops it. BrandMov keeps every ad a watched brand has run since you added it, so you can see what they tested and killed.
Run length, scores and saves
Sort a brand's ads by how long they have run, read the hook, hold, click and buy score, save the ones worth copying. The Ad Library shows a start date and a scroll bar.
Clone and launch
Turn a saved ad into on-brand image and copy variants, then push them into your Meta account as paused drafts from Suite.
Cost side-by-side
- SearchFree
- AlertsNone
- HistoryActive ads only
- APIPolitical + EU ads
- Swipe$19 / mo · 7-day free trial
- Studio$49 / mo
- Suite$99 / mo
Swipe: curated feed, unlimited saves, up to 5 watched brands. Studio: unlimited watchlists, launch-day emails, live Ad Library search, MCP and API. Suite: Meta ad manager and 200 image credits.
Which one for you
Sorted by buyer. Two rows say stay on the free Ad Library.
Checking one brand, once
Pick the Ad LibraryIt is free. Or use BrandMov's free lookup, which reads from it and sorts by run length.
Researcher or journalist on political ads
Pick the Ad LibrarySeven-year retention, spend ranges and the official API exist for exactly this. BrandMov is built for commercial brands.
Agency watching client competitors every week
Pick BrandMovUnlimited watchlists with launch emails for $49 replace the weekly manual check across every client.
Brand that wants launch-day alerts on five rivals
Pick BrandMovSwipe at $19 watches five brands and keeps their history. The Ad Library cannot notify you.
Team running marketing ops from an AI agent
Pick BrandMovThe MCP server lets Claude or ChatGPT pull this week's launches for any watched brand. The Ad Library API does not cover ordinary commercial ads outside the EU.
Common questions
- Does the Meta Ad Library send alerts when a brand runs a new ad?
- No. There are no saved searches, email alerts or feeds in the Ad Library. To be notified, use a tool that re-checks the brand for you. BrandMov watchlists do this and email you on launch day on the Studio plan.
- Can I save ads in the Meta Ad Library?
- No. The Ad Library has no collections or favourites; most people screenshot. BrandMov lets you save unlimited ads with tags and share a collection link with a client.
- Does the Ad Library show ads that have stopped running?
- Only political and issue ads, which Meta keeps for seven years. Ordinary commercial ads disappear once inactive. BrandMov keeps the full history of every watched brand from the day you add it.
- Is there a free way to see a competitor's ads with start dates?
- Yes. The Ad Library shows a start date on each ad. BrandMov's free competitor lookup pulls the same ads and sorts them by run length, up to 25 ads for one brand per account.
- How do I get notified when a competitor runs a new Facebook ad?
- Add the brand to a BrandMov watchlist. It is re-checked on a schedule, new launches and dropped ads are flagged, and Studio emails you the day something new goes live. Swipe at $19 watches up to five brands; Studio at $49 watches unlimited brands.