How to see your competitors' Facebook and Instagram ads
Every ad a competitor runs on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger or the Audience Network is visible in the Meta Ad Library. It is public and free. This is how to use it.
Updated 2 November 2026
Step by step
- Open the Meta Ad Library: https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/
- Pick a country, for example Poland, and the category "All ads".
- Type the brand or Facebook page name and choose the right page from the list. Watch out for pages with similar names.
- Narrow the results with filters: platform, active or inactive ads, delivery dates, media type.
- Open an ad to see its versions and details. The same creative often runs in several text or format variants.
What the library shows
The ad itself: text, image or video, headline and button. The date it started running and the platforms it runs on.
For ads delivered in the European Union, Meta also shows the information the Digital Services Act (DSA) requires: estimated EU reach and the age, gender and location of the audience. These ads stay in the library for a year after they were last shown.
What it does not show
Spend on commercial ads. Meta shows budgets only for political and social issue ads.
Results: clicks, sales, cost per customer. The library cannot tell you which ad makes money.
Change history. The library shows today's state. To know what a competitor added, changed or switched off this week, you have to record what you see and compare week to week.
How to read run time
Run time is the best signal the library gives: it shows which ads a brand keeps live. In our sample of 59,943 ads delivered in Poland, 72.1% of finished ads ran 7 days or less and the median was 3 days. An ad that has run for several weeks is therefore an exception worth a look.
Long run time does not prove an ad works. The brand may simply have forgotten to switch it off. Treat it as a lead to check, not as proof.
If you would rather not do this yourself
Patternward records the ads of the brands on your list every week, with the date and source of every version, shows you on Monday what is new, changed and finished, and delivers 3 creatives for your brand every week. The first week is free, no card.
Questions and answers
Can a competitor see that I am looking at their ads?
No. The Meta Ad Library is public, and browsing it sends no notice to the advertiser.
Does the library show a competitor's budget?
Not for commercial ads. Meta shows spend only for political and social issue ads.
How long do ads stay in the library?
Active ads are always visible. Ads delivered in the European Union stay for a year after they were last shown, under Article 39 of the Digital Services Act.
Can I collect ads automatically?
Yes, through the official Meta Ad Library API (https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/api/). It needs a developer account and identity confirmation, and commercial ads are available in it for EU markets.