The Facebook Ads Library in 2026: how to see and read your competitors' ads, and what the library does not show
How to search Meta's Ads Library by name, keyword and country, how to read an ad's running time and versions, what the library does not show for ads in our region (budget and targeting), and how to learn from a competitor's ad without copying it.
The ArabyBot teamOfficial Meta partner · written from our own platform dataOn this page 5
The short answer
Open Meta's Ads Library, choose the country and the "All ads" category, and type a Page name or a keyword: active ads appear with their texts, pictures, start date, platforms and number of versions. The library does not show a commercial ad's budget or targeting in our region — those appear only for European and political ads. In ArabyBot you add a screenshot of a competitor's ad, and the AI reads how it is built and writes you an ad with your own offer.
Also asked as: «مكتبة اعلانات فيسبوك» · «مكتبة اعلان فيسبوك» · «مكتبة اعلانات ميتا» · «كيف اعرف اعلانات منافسي» · «مكتبة اعلانات انستقرام» · «البحث في مكتبة اعلانات فيسبوك» · «facebook ads library» · «meta ads library» · «facebook ads library search» · «meta ads library search» · «facebook ads library français» · «facebook ads transparency»
How to search the library
- Open Meta's Ads Library
From the browser, without logging in. It is the same library for Facebook, Instagram and Messenger.
- Choose the country and category
The country your competitor sells in, and the category "All ads". The other categories are for political, housing, employment and financial ads.
- Type the Page name or a word
The Page name shows all its active ads. A word — "evening dress" or "dental clinic" — shows everyone advertising with it, so you discover competitors you did not know.
- Filter the results
By language, platform and media type — picture or video — and by start date.
- Open the ad's details
You see the full text, the picture or video and the button, plus the Page's information: its creation date and name changes.
How to read an ad from the outside
| What you see | What it may mean |
|---|---|
| Start date | An ad running for weeks is probably profitable; few pay for weeks for a losing ad |
| Number of versions | The advertiser is testing several pictures or texts for the same offer |
| The button and destination | A WhatsApp or Messenger message, a site or a form: how they sell |
| The first line and first second | The opening they are betting on to stop people scrolling |
| The offer and price | Whether they sell on discount, on value or on free shipping |
A long run and many versions are clues of success, not figures. An ad may keep running because its owner forgot it. Take what you see as an idea to test with your own ad, not a fact to build your budget on.
What the library does not show for ads in our region
| Information | A commercial ad in our region | An ad shown in the EU | A political or social issue ad |
|---|---|---|---|
| The ad, its text and date | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Amount spent | No | No | An approximate range |
| Reach and targeting | No | Yes: age, gender and location | Audience breakdown |
| Stopped ads | Not shown | Kept for a while after stopping | Kept for years |
So any tool claiming to show your competitor's Facebook budget in Egypt or the Gulf is estimating, not reading. What can be read with confidence is the ad itself: its structure, its offer, how long it ran, and how many versions it has.
Learn from your competitor's ad, do not copy it
Copying a competitor's picture or text word for word exposes your ad to removal on an intellectual-property complaint, and makes you a weaker copy of them. Take the structure, not the words: the opening that stops people, the way the price is shown, the proof and the button. Then fill that structure with your own offer and pictures.
- Find your competitor
In ArabyBot by their Facebook Page name or Instagram account, and you see their Pages and public posts ranked by engagement.
- Add a screenshot or video from the library
The AI reads the ad's structure: destination, format, opening, offer and the audience it seems to target.
- Get your ad ready
An ad for your business with the same structure, your offer and price, opening in the ad builder for you to review and approve. Competitor ads analysis.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Facebook Ads Library free?
Yes, and open to anyone; you do not need an ad account to search it.
Can I see my competitor's budget or audience?
No, if it is a commercial ad shown in our region. Spend appears only for political and social issue ads, and targeting and reach for ads shown in the European Union. What you see is the ad itself, its start date, versions and platforms.
Why can't I find my competitor's ads?
The usual reasons: you chose a country other than the one they advertise in, a category other than "All ads", they are not advertising right now — a commercial ad outside Europe appears only while active — or they advertise under another Page name. Try searching a word from their product instead of their name.
Does the competitor know I searched for their ads?
No. The library is public, and searching it does not notify the Page owner.
Does the Ads Library have an API that returns commercial ads?
Meta's library API returns political and social issue ads, and EU ads, and does not return commercial ads in our region. That is why ArabyBot's competitor ads analysis reads a screenshot or video you take from the library.
How we write these guides Figures come from our platform and Meta's actual invoices, dated with their sample; we describe what works today, not what we plan, and say what we do not do and when someone else is the better choice. Reviewed by the ArabyBot team on 10 October 2026.
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