Meta Ad Library or Audience Intel?
To see a rival's Facebook and Instagram ads, start with Meta's own Ad Library. Meta lists no charge for searching it. Below: what it shows, what it does not keep, and what Audience Intel reads instead.
Meta's public, searchable database of ads running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Audience Network, with extra detail for political and EU-delivered ads. transparency.meta.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Main job
- Meta Ad Library: Public record of ads running on Meta's products
- Audience Intel: Reads your site and named rivals' sites as buyers would
- History of commercial ads
- Meta Ad Library: Only currently active ads can be searched, except social issue, election and political ads. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Audience Intel: None today. A competitor ad watch that keeps snapshots is in build.
- UK and EU detail
- Meta Ad Library: Estimated impressions plus UK- and EU-specific targeting and reach demographics. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Audience Intel: Not applicable
Where Meta Ad Library is strong.
It is the source, not a copy of it: the ads come from Meta itself.
- People can search for all active ads running across products from Meta. transparency.meta.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Ads can be filtered by country, impressions over a chosen period, platform (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or Audience Network) and keyword. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Each ad shows when it started running, which Meta technologies it appeared on, and an ad ID with a shareable link. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- For ads delivered to the UK and EU, Meta provides estimated total impressions plus targeting and reach demographics specific to the UK and EU. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- For social issue, election and political ads, Meta adds spend, reach and funding entities, and keeps these ads for seven years. transparency.meta.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
Pricing, as Meta Ad Library publishes it
- No charge is listed on Meta's Ad Library pages; the Ad Library API requires a Facebook account and identity confirmation. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Searching the library carries no listed charge. transparency.meta.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
Limits Meta Ad Library states itself
- For general commercial ads, only currently active ads can be searched; inactive ads stay searchable only for social issue, election and political ads. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- Ads that deliver in the EU or associated territories are shown while active and archived for one year after their last impression. transparency.meta.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
- The API covers political and issue ads from the past seven years and ads of any type delivered to the UK or EU during the past year. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13
Meta Ad Library and Audience Intel answer different questions.
The Ad Library answers 'what is this advertiser running on Meta right now?' It is authoritative because it is Meta's own record. What it does not do is keep a history for you: for ordinary commercial ads, an ad you did not see while it was active can drop out of view, and nothing tells you which of a rival's ads are new since you last looked.
That gap is what Audience Intel's competitor ad watch is being built to fill: keep a record of rivals' ads on each run, and show which are new, which stopped and which have run longest. It is in build, it depends on access Meta grants, and it runs for nobody yet.
What Audience Intel does today is read the pages those ads point to, yours and your rivals', the way five buyer types would. The Ad Library shows the promise; our report reads whether the page keeps it.
Where the Ad Library is better: it is the primary source, Meta lists no charge for searching it, and for UK and EU delivery Meta adds reach and demographic detail no third party can match.
Meta Ad Library beside Audience Intel.
Their column is sourced and dated; ours is what runs today, with anything in build marked as such.
| Question | Meta Ad Library | Audience Intel |
|---|---|---|
| Main job | Public record of ads running on Meta's products | Reads your site and named rivals' sites as buyers would |
| History of commercial ads | Only currently active ads can be searched, except social issue, election and political ads. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13 | None today. A competitor ad watch that keeps snapshots is in build. |
| UK and EU detail | Estimated impressions plus UK- and EU-specific targeting and reach demographics. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13 | Not applicable |
| Price | No charge listed. facebook.com (opens in a new tab) · checked 2026-10-13 | The Insight Report and the Intel loop comparison are free. The paid plan, Team, is £195/mo after a £595 Foundation Month. |
Pick by the question you are asking.
Use Meta Ad Library when
- You want to see what a rival runs on Facebook and Instagram today
- You need Meta's own reach figures for UK or EU delivery
- You are checking political or issue ads
Use Audience Intel when
- You want to know what the pages behind those ads say to a buyer
- You want your site read beside the same rivals
- Later, when the ad watch ships: you want a running record, not a snapshot
Look at the Ad Library for the ad; use Audience Intel for the page it lands on.
Meta Ad Library or Audience Intel: questions
Is the Meta Ad Library free?
Meta lists no charge for searching it. The API needs a Facebook account and identity confirmation, per Meta's API page.
Can I see a rival's old ads?
For ordinary commercial ads, Meta's help page says only currently active ads can be searched. Ads delivered in the EU are archived for one year after their last impression, per Meta's transparency page.
Where do the facts about the Meta Ad Library on this page come from?
From the Meta Ad Library's own website, read on 13 October 2026. Each fact links to the page it came from and carries the date it was checked. Prices change; check the linked page before you buy.
What does Audience Intel cost?
The Insight Report and the Intel loop comparison are free. The paid plan, Team, is £195/mo after a £595 Foundation Month.
Loops, the recurring watches, are in build and are not on sale.
Read your site beside the rivals you lose to.
The free Insight Report reads your site beside the competitors you name. No account and no card to start.