BigSpy vs AdSpy: Ad Research Features Compared

Short answer: start with BigSpy's Free plan if Facebook ads alone are enough, with 10 searches a day, and move to its Starter plan at $69 a month ($49 a month billed yearly) if you also need Instagram. Choose AdSpy, one plan at $149 a month, if your research is Facebook and Instagram only and starts from a competitor's URL, page name, ad text or ad comments, or needs filters for the technologies on an ad's landing page (prices checked October 28, 2026).

BigSpy vs AdSpy: quick comparison for a small store

The biggest difference is platform coverage. AdSpy describes itself as a database of Facebook and Instagram ads and names no other networks. BigSpy covers 11 ad platforms, but each plan unlocks only some of them: Free is Facebook only, and Pinterest, Yahoo and Unity need the top Ultimate plan (checked October 28, 2026).

• Start with BigSpy's Free plan if Facebook creative research and its daily search allowance meet your needs.
• Try AdSpy's listed URL and page-name searches if your research starts with a known competitor.
• Consider BigSpy if you also need TikTok, YouTube or Google ads (Growth plan, $159 a month) or Pinterest ads (Ultimate plan, $499 a month); AdSpy does not cover them.

Write a buying brief, a list of your research requirements, before paying. A sample brief for a small store could read: “I need Instagram ad research, searches by ad text and competitor URL, and filters for landing page technologies.” Check each requirement against the plan you intend to use rather than treating a listed feature as an exclusive advantage.

What BigSpy and AdSpy actually do

BigSpy is an ad spy tool designed to give you creative inspiration for new marketing campaigns. BigSpy also describes research into competitors' creatives, launch times, user responses, and target audiences.

Use that information to separate the visual idea from the offer, product, and market behind it. A creative worth saving should give you something specific to investigate, such as product demonstration, offer presentation, or objection handling.

AdSpy calls itself the largest searchable database of Facebook and Instagram ads. Its pitch is search depth on those two platforms: ad text, URL, page name, advertiser, ad comments, affiliate offers and landing page technologies (checked October 28, 2026).

BigSpy covers Instagram, but not on its Free plan. Instagram starts on Starter at $69 a month, or $49 a month billed yearly, per BigSpy's plan table (checked October 28, 2026).

Compare relevant ads before headline database totals: BigSpy counts ad creatives across multiple platforms, while AdSpy describes its inventory as ads. Search your product category, selling market, and competitors, then assess whether the results answer your buying brief.

For a closer look at either product, see the BigSpy features and pricing review or the AdSpy features and alternatives review.

Search filters, competitor domains, and landing pages

AdSpy supports URL searches and landing page technology filters, making it a strong fit for research that begins with a known competitor.

AdSpy also supports searches using ad text, page name, and advertiser name, plus filters involving likes and media type. Its affiliate network, affiliate ID, and Offer ID filters provide additional ways to narrow research.

For e-commerce research, start with the competitor's URL or page name when you know the business. Use product terms when you want a wider set of creative ideas. Assess landing page technologies when the store experience matters to your research, alongside the ad itself.

AdSpy says it can assess who an ad is trying to target based on location, gender, and age range. Treat those assessments as research clues when reviewing competitors, and decide separately whom your own store should address.

For call-to-action research, record the action the ad requests alongside its offer and destination. Inspect the landing page yourself: compare the promise in the ad with the product presentation, offer terms, and purchase path.

Keep your notes specific enough to reuse. “Product demonstration before the offer” is a more useful observation than “good creative,” because it names something you can adapt to your own product.

Pricing and value for a small business

BigSpy's Free plan provides Facebook ad creatives and 10 searches per day, according to BigSpy's pricing. It also includes 3 Creative to AI Prompt uses daily and up to 20 Tracked Creatives.

Use the free allowance to assess relevance before considering paid access. Keep a note of what prevents you from finishing your research: search allowance, platform access, or a particular feature. Upgrade for that requirement, not for a longer feature list.

AdSpy lists a single plan at $149 a month with what it calls virtually unlimited usage, and labels that price an introductory offer; it shows no free plan and no yearly discount. BigSpy's paid plans run from Starter at $69 a month (Facebook and Instagram) through Growth at $159 (adds Google Ads, YouTube, X, TikTok and Pangle) to Ultimate at $499 (all 11 platforms); yearly billing lowers them to $49, $119 and $399 a month (checked October 28, 2026). For Facebook and Instagram research alone, BigSpy Starter costs $80 a month less than AdSpy.

Refund windows are short on both sides. BigSpy's refund policy accepts requests only for errors caused by a BigSpy system bug or within 24 hours of the first payment (renewals and upgrades excluded), and it does not guarantee refunds for lack of use; paid plans renew automatically until you cancel under Manage subscription. AdSpy's info page offers a full refund within 24 hours of purchase, with later refunds at its discretion (both checked October 28, 2026). Run your test searches on the first day of any paid plan, while a refund is still possible.

For a small agency, seats matter. BigSpy's Scale plan includes 5 seats (1 owner and 4 members) at $399 a month; every other BigSpy plan has 1 seat. AdSpy's terms say your username and password may not be used by anyone else, so budget one $149 plan per researcher (checked October 28, 2026).

Ease of use, access limits, and support

Evaluate ease of use by repeating the same product and competitor searches, then asking each vendor about anything that blocks your work.

Use a product term from your catalog, a competitor you already know, and your selling market. Judge the work required to reach relevant results and preserve useful observations. Do not pay extra for filters you cannot connect to an actual research question.

Many BigSpy features depend on the plan. Its plan table puts ad copy search and creative downloads on Starter and above, and ad pages, domain analysis, TikTok Shop ads and followed pages and domains on Growth ($159 a month) and above (checked October 28, 2026). Before upgrading, find the feature you need in that table.

For support, BigSpy's refund policy points users to online customer service first, with email as a fallback, and asks for up to 48 hours to reply. AdSpy's info page lists only an email address and a UK phone number (both checked October 28, 2026).

AI prompts and ad tracking serve different needs

BigSpy lists Creative to AI Prompt and Tracked Creatives as features included in its Free plan. Compare unique features by their output, separately from the relevance of search results.

For AI ad generation, distinguish the prompt you want to work from, the finished creative you need, and the campaign work that follows. Test it on BigSpy's Free plan, which includes 3 Creative to AI Prompt uses a day, before paying for more.

If ongoing ad tracking matters, assess BigSpy's Tracked Creatives allowance against the ads you want to follow. Keep the reason for following each ad in your notes, such as monitoring an offer or revisiting a creative idea.

Turn competitor research into a Meta creative brief

Use competitor research to prepare an original creative brief, an outline for your store's Facebook ad, before starting your campaign work.

1. Record the reference ad's main promise, product presentation, offer, requested action, and landing page promise.
2. Identify which part you want to adapt, such as the demonstration structure or the order of product benefits.
3. Draft new copy and creative using your own product, assets, and claims you can support.
4. Keep the brief with your campaign notes so each new ad has a documented reason for its offer, visual, and copy.

Do not treat a competitor's likes or the age of an ad as proof that it makes money. Evaluate your own campaign results against the purchase costs and margin your store can support.

Preserve the distinction between observation and intention. “The reference leads with a demonstration” records what you found; “show our product solving this problem” explains what your creative should do.

Which one should you pick: BigSpy or AdSpy?

Pick BigSpy if you want to start free on Facebook ads, need Instagram for less than AdSpy charges (Starter, $69 a month), or need TikTok, YouTube or Google ads in the same tool (Growth, $159 a month). Pick AdSpy at $149 a month if you research Facebook and Instagram only and want its comment search, affiliate and Offer ID filters, landing page technology filters and audience estimates.

If your store advertises on Facebook and Instagram, Crush, our own tool, makes and runs your Meta ads, and our free Ad Library lets you browse Meta ads without a subscription. Get started.