13 Top Tools for Competitive Advertising Tracking [2025]

Google and Facebook still control 58% of digital ad spend, and businesses earn $2 for every $1 spent on Google Ads. Your competitors are cashing in.

But with new platforms like Amazon and Snapchat gaining ground, the ad landscape is shifting fast.

If you're not doing competitive advertising tracking, you're falling behind.

This guide shows you the 13 best tools to see exactly what your competitors are doing—and how to beat them.

Why you should track competitor ads

You won’t uncover every move your competitors make—and that’s fine.

Competitive advertising tracking isn’t about knowing everything; it’s about identifying patterns that matter.

The goal is simple: gain marketing insights you can actually use.

Tracking competitor ads helps you make smarter, data-backed decisions that improve ROI across channels.

Here are five key reasons why smart marketers rely on ad intelligence tools today.

1. Make smarter, data-driven decisions

Effective marketing isn’t based on gut feelings—it's driven by data.

Tracking competitor campaigns reveals where they’re focusing ad spend, what messaging they’re testing, and which creatives are converting.

Whether you're choosing new customer acquisition channels or refining your paid media strategy, competitor data provides clarity on what works—and what doesn’t.

2. Learn from competitor mistakes

Your competitors aren’t perfect.

By watching their ad campaigns, you can spot weak creative, poor engagement, or failed product launches early.

Use competitor ad analysis to avoid making the same costly mistakes. 

Let them test. You optimize.

3. Stay ahead of industry trends

Digital ad trends evolve fast—platform features change, formats shift, and buyer behavior moves.

Competitor tracking helps you stay relevant.

Are they using influencer content on TikTok? Testing AI-generated ads? Leaning into sustainability messaging?

This kind of competitive marketing research helps you stay one step ahead in fast-moving markets.

4. Discover opportunities and monitor threats

New players enter your space all the time.

Competitor tracking alerts you to emerging market threats and uncovers untapped opportunities you may be missing.

If they’re testing new positioning, launching features, or running campaigns in a new niche—you’ll know.

That gives you time to react strategically.

5. Benchmark your Ad performance

How do your campaigns really compare to the competition?

Ad performance benchmarking shows how your results stack up across reach, engagement, messaging, and spend.

When you track competitor PPC campaigns, organic efforts, email pushes, and paid social, you build a clearer picture of what’s possible—and where you need to improve.

Where your competitors are advertising

Your competitors aren’t just running ads—they’re everywhere your customers are. Knowing where they advertise helps you understand their strategy, audience focus, and creative direction.

Social media ad spend is set to exceed $200 billion by 2025. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok dominate for both reach and ROI. 

Facebook leads with 3.07 billion monthly users, followed by YouTube and Instagram with over 2 billion each. TikTok continues to trend globally, especially with short-form video content.

Video ad spending will surpass $120 billion in 2025, and it’s central to most platforms. Combine that with GenAI tools—used by 38% of marketers for faster content creation—and you can see why video is key in competitive ad campaigns.

Programmatic ads now account for 90% of display ads. Your competitors are scaling campaigns faster using automated buying across thousands of sites.

Search ads still dominate, taking nearly 40% of digital ad budgets. If you're not tracking their Google Ads or PPC campaigns, you're missing a big part of their funnel.

Retail media (like Amazon Ads) is growing fast—set to hit $130 billion by 2026. Expect budget shifts here, especially in eCommerce.

Mobile drives over 70% of digital ad revenue, so assume competitors are running mobile-first ads across platforms.

Emerging channels like Connected TV (CTV) are also rising, with $45 billion in ad spend expected by 2026. M

Meanwhile, OOH (out-of-home) is making a digital comeback, reaching $40 billion by 2025.

If you want to improve your campaign response, start by studying where and how your competitors are showing up.

Need help with execution? Learn how to make an ad or explore what makes an effective ad creative.

Top tools to monitor competitor ads this 2025

Let’s be honest—most ad tracking tools promise a lot but deliver half. Some are helpful for surfacing creative ideas, others are better at tracking budgets or ad frequency. 

But if you're managing real paid media, you need clarity, not fluff. 

Here's a tool-by-tool breakdown with insights you won't find in sales copy.

1. Meta Ad Library (Facebook/Instagram)

Meta’s native tool is a staple for tracking active Facebook and Instagram ads. It lets you search by advertiser or keyword, view variations, and check launch dates. 

What you won’t find is performance data or targeting info. It's good for a quick scan—but lacks depth. 

Still, if you’re running Meta Ads, it’s essential baseline research before building your own creatives in tools like Cropink, which is made specifically for Meta ad formats.

2. Madgicx Ad Library

Think of this as a polished upgrade to Meta's default library. You get better filtering, industry-specific results, and a Pinterest-style board feature to collect ads. 

It’s great for inspiration—but it's still mostly about browsing. 

If you’re ready to turn that inspiration into actual product ads, something like Cropink will save you hours in production with dynamic templates ready for eCommerce campaigns.

3. Google Ads Transparency Center

It’s clean, direct, and refreshingly open. You’ll see all active Google search, display, and YouTube ads tied to verified advertisers. 

You can filter by geography, ad type, and time frame. What you won’t see: impressions, clicks, or spend. 

It's great for seeing what messaging your competitors are betting on, but weak if you want to know how well those ads actually perform.

4. SEMrush Ads History

If you need real keyword intelligence and search ad history, SEMrush delivers. It shows who’s bidding on what, when, and with which creatives. 

Great for long-term trend tracking—but it’s priced for teams that use the full SEMrush suite. 

Casual advertisers might be better off combining simpler research tools with purpose-built design platforms like Cropink to turn ideas into high-performing visuals.

5. LinkedIn Ad Library

LinkedIn’s ad library finally exists, but it’s basic. You’ll get some targeting info and the ability to view current ads, but it only goes back to June 2023. 

Filtering is limited, and the interface isn’t great. It’s free and better than nothing, but for serious B2B marketers, you’ll need more context than what this tool offers.

6. AdSearch.io (LinkedIn Focused)

AdSearch fills in LinkedIn’s gaps by giving you a searchable, filterable archive of over a million LinkedIn ads—including pre-June 2023 campaigns. 

Filters like CTA, company size, and engagement are useful for trend-hunting. But there’s no drill-down on actual performance. 

At $49/month, it’s a niche tool, but for recruiters or B2B marketers, it could be a tactical edge.

7. Sprout Social (X/Twitter Monitoring)

Sprout Social isn’t really built for ad tracking. It’s a social listening tool that helps you monitor organic content and brand mentions. 

You won’t see paid posts or sponsored creatives directly. Unless you're managing brand perception or PR crises, it’s probably more than you need—and at $399/month, it should be.

8. BuzzSumo

Great for content marketing and influencer discovery, BuzzSumo shines when it comes to social sharing and virality—but not paid ad tracking. It works well if your competitors focus on Twitter/X content and organic reach. 

But for ad-focused teams, you’ll still need a way to produce ad creatives at scale. That’s where something like Cropink fills the gap by giving you templates, product feed support, and fast turnarounds.

9. TikTok Ad Library

TikTok’s ad library is surprisingly solid, showing ad reach estimates, creative previews, and targeting insights for ads within the EEA/UK. 

It’s free and straightforward, but the regional limitation is frustrating. If you're outside Europe, you’ll need a VPN or an alternative way to assess TikTok ad performance. 

Still, a great resource for seeing what formats and hooks are trending.

10. TikTok Creative Center

This is where TikTok shows off the best of its platform. 

The Creative Center highlights high-performing ads and provides keyword, CTR, and CVR insights. You can filter by region and industry, making it a good resource for inspiration. 

Just remember: these ads are curated, not comprehensive. 

You’re seeing TikTok’s version of “best in class,” not your actual competitors' full campaigns.

11. iSpionage

You get solid historical PPC data, ad copy examples, and estimated spend across Google, Bing, and Yahoo. 

It’s solid—but the UI feels dated and it lacks the integrations or real-time insight many marketers now expect. 

Best used for foundational keyword research, not rapid creative iteration.

12. SpyFu

SpyFu is the scrappy PPC tool that punches above its weight. You’ll get access to competitor ad budgets, historical keyword usage, and creative shifts over time. 

It’s a strong pick for search-heavy marketers—but it’s not ideal for visual creative strategy or ad production. Great for knowing what to say, not how to say it visually.

13. Adbeat

One of the most advanced tools for display ad intelligence. 

You’ll see where ads run, what networks are used, what creatives perform, and how long each ran. It’s powerful—but starts at $249/month and assumes you already have a media strategy in place. 

If you’re still at the creative phase, you’ll need a design engine like Cropink before you spend money scaling ad placements.

Here’s a quick comparison of the top tools to do competitive advertising tracking in 2025:

How to track competitor ads

Competitive advertising tracking isn’t just about watching what shows up in your feed—it's about being methodical. 

Here's how you can track competitor campaigns effectively, using the tools already mentioned above.

1. Identify your direct competitors

Start by listing the brands that target the same audience or sell similar products. Focus on those consistently advertising across Google, Meta, LinkedIn, or TikTok.

2. Search for ads directly

Use the Google Ads Transparency Center to search by brand name or website. You'll see current and past Search and Display ads, plus targeting filters like region and format.

In parallel, go to the Meta Ads Library to see what ads are running on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger. You can filter by country, category, and advertiser name.

3. Visit competitor websites and trigger retargeting

Click around their product and landing pages. Many brands retarget website visitors—so you may soon see their ads across social platforms or display networks. Pay attention to frequency, creative variations, and ad placements.

4. Save and track ad creatives

Take screenshots or save links. Note visuals, headlines, copy, CTAs, and offers. Tools like Madgicx and TikTok Creative Center are great for organizing, comparing, and reviewing trends in ad formats and messaging.

5. Analyze landing pages

Follow each ad to its destination. Look at the page structure, messaging, and offer. Are they using urgency? Is the copy aligned with the ad? Tools like SEMrush and Similarweb can help analyze landing page structure, SEO strategy, and even estimate traffic.

6. Monitor ad changes over time

Check in weekly using the same tools: Meta Ads Library, Google Transparency Center, LinkedIn Ad Library, etc. If an ad keeps running, it’s likely performing well. If it disappears quickly, it's likely a failed test.

7. Look for patterns

Over time, you’ll start to see cycles—launch dates, copy angles, promo periods. Using tools like SpyFu, Adbeat, or iSpionage, you can connect the dots between ad timing, keywords, and media placements.

What metrics can you actually see?

While competitor ad tools don’t always give you everything, there are key metrics you can often access or infer. 

At a minimum, you’ll usually see impressions, clicks, and CTR—helpful for judging visibility and engagement.

Some tools go further, offering estimates on CPC, CPA, conversion rates, and even ROAS.

These help you understand not just how often ads are seen, but how well they’re converting and what they might be costing.

Here's what you can often see (or infer):

• Impressions – how many times the ad was displayed. High impressions signal significant budget or aggressive reach.
• Clicks – sometimes visible or estimated, depending on platform. A click-heavy ad suggests strong creative or curiosity.
• Click-through rate (CTR) – helps you judge how engaging the ad is. If an ad is running long-term with high CTR, it's likely a top performer.
• Conversion rate – rarely shown directly, but can be inferred by consistent creative/language across ads and landing pages.
• Cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-acquisition (CPA) – typically estimated from tools, not exact, but still useful for benchmarking.
• Return on ad spend (ROAS) – this one’s tricky, but you can spot clues: if they’re scaling spend or reusing creatives, it’s a good sign the ROAS is solid.

Even if you can’t see exact values, tracking creative trends and performance estimates over time helps you spot what’s working—and where your competitors are doubling down.

FAQs

How do I see my competitors’ ads on Meta?

To see your competitors’ ads on Meta, use the Meta Ads Library. You can search by business name, website URL, or keyword, and filter by country and category to view all active ads running on Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger.

Is it legal to track competitor ads?

Yes, it is legal to track competitor ads as long as you’re using public or approved third-party tools like Meta Ads Library, Google Ads Transparency Center, SEMrush, or Similarweb. You’re viewing publicly accessible data—not accessing private accounts or violating terms of service.

Can I see how well an ad is performing?

You cannot see exact performance data like CTR or ROAS for competitor ads unless the advertiser makes it public. However, you can infer performance by how long an ad runs, how often it’s shown, or through estimated data from tools like SEMrush or Adbeat.

How often should I track competitor ads?

You should track competitor ads at least once a week to catch new campaigns, creative shifts, and testing patterns. For high-competition markets or product launches, twice a week gives better visibility into fast-moving changes.

Final thoughts

Competitive advertising tracking gives you the insights—now it’s time to turn them into action. Don’t just watch what your competitors are doing—outperform them.

With Cropink, you can quickly turn competitor research into scroll-stopping, high-converting ads—without the guesswork.

Start creating smarter ads today. Try Cropink now and stay ahead!

Sources

1. WordStream. 34 Advertising Statistics to Know in 2025
2. Cropink. 50+ Advertising Statistics That Are Changing the Game
3. Statista. Social media advertising and marketing worldwide – statistics & facts