PilotPost
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The Meta Ad Library is Meta's free, public search engine for ads running on Facebook and Instagram. Anyone can use it, without logging in or having an ad account, at facebook.com/ads/library. Search a brand's name and you see every ad it is running right now: the image or video, the text, where it runs and the date it started.
What the Meta Ad Library shows
For every active ad:
- the creative (image, video or carousel) and the ad text;
- which Meta platforms it runs on (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network);
- the date it started running;
- where the ad sends people (the button and link);
- whether several versions of the same ad are running.
For political and social-issue ads, the library shows much more: who paid, the amount spent and the reach, as ranges, and these ads stay in the library after they stop. Ads shown to people in the European Union also carry extra detail, such as reach and who they were aimed at, because of EU rules.
What it does not show
For ordinary commercial ads outside those cases, there is no spend, no clicks, no click-through rate and no sales data. Commercial ads also disappear from the library when they stop running, so it shows what a brand runs today, not its history. Save anything you want to keep.
How to search the Meta Ad Library, step by step
- Go to facebook.com/ads/library.
- Choose the country where the brand advertises (or "All").
- Set ad category to All ads (the other option, "Issues, elections or politics", only shows political ads).
- Type the brand or Page name and pick the Page from the list. Big brands often have several Pages: check you have the one running the ads.
- Use the filters: active status, platform (Facebook or Instagram), media type (images, videos), language and dates.
- Open an ad to see its versions and details.
How to turn competitors' ads into ideas
- Look at the oldest ads first. An ad that has run for months is almost certainly working: brands stop paying for ads that don't. Those are the angles to learn from.
- Note the hooks. Write down the first line or first 3 seconds of each ad: the problem, the promise, the offer. Patterns show up fast.
- Count the formats. Mostly video? Mostly carousels? User-made style or polished? That tells you what works in your market.
- Read the landing pages. The ad is half the story; the page it sends people to shows the offer and the price.
- Keep a swipe file. Ads vanish when they stop, so screenshot the good ones with the date.
- Check often. A batch of new ads usually means a new launch or offer.
Use what you learn in your organic posts
Ads that run for months show which messages people respond to. Test the same angles in your organic posts first: they cost nothing. With PilotPost you can write one post, adapt it for each network and schedule it across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn and more from one calendar, then see which version gets the most engagement in Insights.
FAQ
Is the Meta Ad Library free?
Yes. Anyone can search it at facebook.com/ads/library, with no login or ad account.
Can I see how much a competitor spends on Facebook ads?
Only for political and social-issue ads. For normal commercial ads the library shows the ads but not the spend.
Does the Meta Ad Library include Instagram ads?
Yes. It covers ads on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and Meta's Audience Network. Filter by platform to see only Instagram ads.
Why can't I find an old ad?
Commercial ads are removed from the library when they stop running. Only political and social-issue ads are archived.
