How to Spy on Competitors’ Ads (Meta Ads Library and Alternatives)

The word “spy” suggests something illegal — but the reality is the opposite. Since 2018, digital platforms have been required by transparency regulation (the DSA in the European Union, equivalents in the US, and TSE requirements in Brazil during election cycles) to maintain public libraries of every active ad. Anyone can look them up for free, with no login, no business ID, no permission.

Meta Ads Library — the most complete

Go to facebook.com/ads/library. Select a country (Brazil), a category (“All ads”) and type in the brand name. You can see:

• Every active ad on Facebook and Instagram.
• The date the ad started running.
• Creatives (image, video, carousel).
• Placements (IG Feed, Stories, Reels, Facebook, Audience Network).

What to extract on the first pass

TikTok Creative Center

Go to ads.tiktok.com/business/creativecenter. It goes further: it shows top-performing ads globally, trending hashtags, trending sounds, and campaign templates by sector. More focused on creative inspiration than on direct competitive monitoring.

Google Ads Transparency Center

Go to adstransparency.google.com. It shows the advertiser’s active ads on Search, Display, YouTube and Shopping. Smaller coverage than Meta, but indispensable for catching campaigns on Search and Shopping.

LinkedIn Ads Library

Go to linkedin.com/ad-library. Useful for B2B — active ads by company, approximate targeting and formats. Corporate and SaaS brands dominate the channel.

Ideal monitoring frequency

• Daily for 3-5 priority competitors — 2 min each, 10-15 min total.
• Weekly for 10-20 secondary ones — consolidated aggregation.
• Monthly for market benchmarks — outside your direct niche.

Where Batedor comes in

Batedor monitors organic posts on IG, Facebook and YouTube — where campaigns usually start before they become a paid ad. Combine:

• An organic dossier via Batedor = a structured history and timeline of detected campaigns
• + a weekly sweep of the Ads Library = a view of active paid media
• = an almost complete competitive view of the 4 stages: ideation, organic validation, paid scaling, withdrawal.

Weekly spying checklist (10 minutes per competitor)

1. Meta Ads Library — how many active ads? Any change in tone?
2. IG Stories — flash coupon? Behind the scenes? A launch?
3. Corporate website — home banner, an active hotsite?
4. LinkedIn — openings on the sales team (a sign their foot is on the gas)?
5. Reclame Aqui — a spike in complaints is an operational signal.