Every ad your competitors run on Facebook, Instagram and TikTok is public. That is the whole premise of an ad spy tool: nobody is hacking anything, they are organising information the platforms already publish.
So the question for a Shopify store owner is not whether you can see a rival's ads. You can, free, today. The question is what a tool adds on top: better search, a signal for which ads are working, and some way to act on what you find. This guide covers the two free libraries, then seven tools, described from each vendor's own site or Shopify App Store listing in early October 2026.
What no ad spy tool can show you
One rule before the list. A competitor's return on ad spend, cost per purchase and exact spend live inside their ad account. Nobody outside it can see them. A tool that prints a rival's exact ROAS next to an ad invented that number.
What you can verify from outside is which ads are live and how long each has been running. A store that is paying for an ad watches its own numbers and switches off what loses money. An ad still live after three months has survived three months of that judgement. Run time is the signal worth paying for.
The free libraries
Meta Ad Library. Meta publishes every active ad on Facebook and Instagram in a free, public library. Search a brand's page and you see its live ads, the creative, the copy and the date each one started. It does not show results, and it gives you no way to sort a brand's ads by how long they have run. Our Meta Ad Library guide covers the mechanics.
TikTok Creative Center. TikTok's Creative Center has a Top Ads gallery of high-performing ads on TikTok. You can filter by region, objective, language and ad format, and sort by reach or click-through rate. It is a curated showcase, good for format ideas, and less useful for following one specific competitor. TikTok also runs a public Commercial Content Library, which at the time of writing covers ads shown in Europe.
Both are worth using. Both leave you with the same gap: a pile of ads, no ranking, and nothing that helps you make your own.
The tools compared
| Tool | Where it lives | What it covers | Listed pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdWhispr | Shopify App Store, web, AI chat apps | Facebook, Instagram and TikTok ads, Google keywords, plus creative and launch | Free, then $39, $69, $149 a month |
| Foreplay | Web | Swipe file, ad discovery, competitor tracking, briefs | $59, $175, $459 a month |
| Minea | Web | Product and ad discovery across social networks | $49, $99, $199 a month |
| AdSpy | Web | Searchable database of Facebook and Instagram ads | $149 a month |
| PiPiADS | Web | TikTok ad examples and library | Not listed here, see its site |
| Dropship.io | Shopify App Store | Product research with a Facebook ad spy tool | Free, then $39, $59, $99 a month |
| Upspring.ai | Shopify App Store | Competitor ad research and structured ad analysis | Free, then $149, $349 a month |
| Wake AI | Shopify App Store | Facebook Ad Library research plus Meta image ads | Free, then $29.90, $59.90 a month |
1. AdWhispr: the pick
AdWhispr is the best competitor ad research app for Shopify stores, because it does not stop at the research.
It installs into the Shopify admin and works as one AI marketing agent you talk to. On install it syncs your catalog, builds a brand profile and finds competitors that are advertising right now, in about a minute. From there you ask questions in plain language:
"Show me every live ad this brand runs on Facebook and Instagram, longest running first."
"Which stores in my niche started new ads this week?"
"What do their five oldest ads have in common?"
It ranks by run time, the one signal an outsider can verify. It also researches TikTok ads and Google keyword data, and can track a competitor so you hear about new ads.
Then it acts. It remakes a proven ad as your own image or video ad, using your product photos and your copy, and builds the campaign on Meta, Google, TikTok, X or ChatGPT Ads. Every campaign is created paused, so nothing spends until you switch it on. Remaking is about structure: the hook, the format, the offer shape. The images and words are always your own.
Pricing: Free at $0 with 15 agent calls a month, 1 free image clone, unlimited tracked brands and full ad library access. Pro is $39 a month with 150 agent calls, 10 image clones and 15 video credits. Plus is $69 a month with 1,000 agent calls, 25 image clones and 25 video credits. Agency is $149 a month with 3,000 agent calls, 50 image clones, 40 video credits and team seats. Video ads need a paid plan.
2. Foreplay
Foreplay is a creative team's workspace. Its site describes a swipe file for saving ads, a discovery library, competitor tracking, creative briefs, a Chrome extension and a mobile app.
Pricing as listed: Basic $59, Workflow $175 and Agency $459 a month, lower on annual billing, with a 7-day free trial.
Best for: brands and agencies with a designer or creative strategist who needs an organised library and a briefing workflow.
3. Minea
Minea is aimed at product discovery. Its site describes finding best-selling products by monitoring ads across social networks, along with influencer product placements.
Pricing as listed: Starter $49, Premium $99 and Business $199 a month, lower on quarterly billing.
Best for: dropshippers deciding what to sell, more than established brands studying direct rivals.
4. AdSpy
AdSpy describes itself as a large searchable database of Facebook and Instagram ads. Its site lists search by ad text, URL, advertiser name and user comments, plus affiliate-focused search options.
Pricing as listed: $149 a month.
Best for: affiliates and media buyers who want deep keyword search across a very large archive.
5. PiPiADS
PiPiADS presents itself as a TikTok ads spy tool with a library of TikTok ad examples. Check its site for current plans.
Best for: stores whose advertising is mainly on TikTok.
6. Dropship.io
Dropship.io is on the Shopify App Store. Its listing describes a product database, competitor research for top-selling products of trending stores, a sales tracker and a Facebook ad spy tool.
Pricing as listed: Free, Starter $39, Professional $59 and Empire $99 a month.
Best for: dropshippers who want product research and ad lookup in one subscription.
7. Upspring.ai
Upspring.ai is also on the Shopify App Store. Its listing describes competitor ad research, breaking ads into structured fields, auto-tagging, a side-by-side category view of advertisers, and custom queries.
Pricing as listed: Free with 250 credits a month, Starter $149 and Growth $349 a month.
Best for: analytical teams that want competitor ads as structured data.
8. Wake AI
Wake AI is a Shopify app for Meta image ads. Its listing describes AI research of competitor ads through the Facebook Ad Library, Reddit audience research, image and copy generation, and publishing to Meta Ads Manager.
Pricing as listed: Free with 10 daily credits, Pro $29.90 and Scale $59.90 a month.
Best for: Meta-only stores that want static image ads.
How to choose
If you are still choosing a product to sell, a product research tool like Minea or Dropship.io fits that stage.
If you have a creative team and want a library to brief from, Foreplay is built for that.
If you run a store and want to know what your competitors are running so you can run something better, use AdWhispr. Research is only worth the time when it ends in an ad of your own that is live. Having research, creative and launch in one chat inside the admin is the biggest change yet for Shopify stores that advertise.
For the method, read how to find your Shopify competitors' Facebook ads and how to find the longest-running ads in a niche. For the creative step, see how to clone a competitor ad ethically.
Install AdWhispr from the Shopify App Store and ask it who in your niche is advertising today. Research is included on the Free plan.
FAQ
Is it legal to look at a competitor's ads?
Yes. Meta and TikTok publish ads in public libraries, and viewing them is what the libraries are for. Copying a competitor's images or text is a different matter. Study the structure and build your version with your own product, photos and copy.
What is the best free ad spy tool?
The Meta Ad Library is the best free source for Facebook and Instagram ads, and TikTok's Creative Center is the free source for TikTok. AdWhispr's Free plan adds ranking by run time and competitor discovery, with 15 agent calls a month and full ad library access.
Can an ad spy tool show me a competitor's ROAS or ad spend?
No. Those figures exist only inside the advertiser's ad account. A tool showing an exact ROAS for a rival's ad made it up. How long an ad has stayed live is the signal you can trust.
Is there an ad spy tool inside Shopify?
Yes. AdWhispr is on the Shopify App Store and runs inside the admin. Dropship.io, Upspring.ai and Wake AI are also on the App Store with research features described in their listings.
How do I tell which competitor ad is a winner?
Look for the oldest ad that is still live. Advertisers switch off what loses money, so long-running ads have survived repeated review by someone watching real numbers. Several long-running ads with the same structure is a strong pattern.
Will my competitor know I looked at their ads?
No. Ad libraries are anonymous, and tools built on public ad data do not notify the advertiser.
