Meta Ad Library vs BigSpy: what each free option shows
Use Meta’s library to see every ad running now, and BigSpy’s free plan to keep Facebook ads after they stop. In our test of 20 new Meta ads, BigSpy Free held 9 of the 19 we could search, every one first seen on launch day.
| Tool | Best for | Entry price |
|---|---|---|
 Meta Ad Library | First-party live adsEvery ad running now, with its launch date; no account needed | Free |
 BigSpy | Keeps ads after they stopFacebook ads over 90 days on the free plan; 11 channels on paid tiers | Free · $69/mo |
Meta Ad Library vs BigSpy side by side
The Meta Ad Library is Meta’s own record of the ads running on its apps. BigSpy is a third-party tool that collects Facebook ads and keeps them after they end. The table mixes what each publishes with what we saw on October 21 and 22, 2026, in the library without an account and on BigSpy’s free plan; the source is named in each row.
| Meta Ad Library | BigSpy | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Freeno account needed | Free plan$69/mo for Instagram too |
| Ads that have stopped | Droppedoutside the EU and UK | Keptlast 90 days by default on our free account |
| Launch date of an ad | “Started running on”plus total active time | First and last seene.g. 26/10/20–26/10/21 |
| Who runs the ad | Page shown | Masked on the free plane.g. “Th***dge” |
| Searches | Not limited in our session | 10 a day on our free account5 a day on its page |
| Channels | Meta’s own apps | Facebook on the free plan11 channels on Ultimate, $499 |
Twenty new ads, searched in BigSpy
On October 21, 2026, we took 20 ads that started running in the US on October 20 from the Meta Ad Library, by a rule fixed before we opened any tool: 7 from big brands such as Gymshark and Ridge, 13 from smaller stores found through Meta’s own search. Then we looked for each in BigSpy by a phrase from its text.
BigSpy’s free account allowed about ten searches a day, so the check stretched over a week. By October 28 we had searched 19 of the 20, and BigSpy held 9, every one first seen on October 20, the day it launched. The Meta Ad Library holds all 20 by definition, since the sample came from it.
What this test does not show is the stopped-ad side: we have not yet followed an ad that stopped, left Meta’s library and stayed in BigSpy. The same 20 ads in other tools, with a screenshot per result, are on our 20-ad test.
What the Meta Ad Library is better at
It is the source. Every ad running on Meta’s apps is in it, with its Library ID, the date it started running and how long it has been active, and you need no account to see it. Ads with very little reach carry a “Low impression count” mark and an impressions band of under 100.
Its limits are in the search. “Most recent” grouped ads by the month they launched and ranked by relevance inside the month, not strictly by date, and a keyword search also returns other pages that merely mention a brand. Outside the EU and UK, an ordinary ad disappears once it stops.
What BigSpy is better at
BigSpy keeps what Meta drops. On the free plan an ad stays searchable after it stops, with the first and last day BigSpy saw it, inside a default window of the last 90 days. It also sorts by newest, which turned up our test ads on launch day.
The free plan covers Facebook only, masks advertiser names and domains with asterisks and runs out of searches: ten a day on our account. Starter at $69 adds Instagram and AppLovin, and all 11 channels need Ultimate at $499.
Compared head to head
Two tools at a time.
- AdSpy vs BigSpy
- BigSpy vs PowerAdSpy
- Minea vs Dropispy
- Minea vs PiPiADS
- BigSpy vs Minea
- AdPlexity vs Anstrex
Frequently asked questions
Is BigSpy better than the Meta Ad Library?
For ads that have stopped, yes: BigSpy keeps them, while the Meta Ad Library drops ordinary ads outside the EU and UK. For what runs today, Meta is the source and shows who runs it, where BigSpy’s free plan masks the name.
Are BigSpy and the Meta Ad Library the same thing?
No. The Meta Ad Library is Meta’s own free record of ads on its apps. BigSpy is a separate company that collects ads, keeps them after they stop and sells wider access from $69.
Does the Meta Ad Library show stopped ads?
Not for ordinary ads outside the EU and UK: once an advertiser stops one, it leaves the library, so a short test and a long winner look the same. BigSpy’s free plan keeps Facebook ads for its default 90-day window.
Is BigSpy free?
Yes, with limits: Facebook only, advertiser names masked and about ten searches a day on our account. Paid plans start at $69. The Meta Ad Library is free without a search limit.
Vendor figures were read on each vendor’s own pages on 31 October 2026. The 20 ads were chosen in the Meta Ad Library on October 21, 2026 and searched in BigSpy’s free plan by a phrase from each, between October 21 and 28.