Have you ever wondered, “How do I check what ads my competitors are running?” or “Where can I see every live Facebook and Instagram ad for free?” If that’s why you’re here, you’re asking the exact question marketers, business owners, and creators ask daily. And the answer is surprisingly simple: Meta’s publicly accessible ad transparency tool.
The Facebook Ads Library is a free online database where you can view all active ads running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. Just search a page, keyword, or advertiser, and you instantly see their ad creatives, formats, captions, and spending data (for political ads).
It’s one of the easiest ways to research competitors, discover ad ideas, and understand how top brands promote their products.
Before diving deeper, let’s place the first required keyword naturally:
What Exactly Is the Facebook Ads Library?
Think of it as a searchable showcase of all ads currently running on Meta platforms.
You don’t need:
Just open the database, type a keyword or brand name, and scroll.
This transparency tool was originally built for political ad monitoring but has evolved into an essential marketing research asset.
Using the facebook ads library is incredibly simple. Here’s the workflow: