Use the Meta Ad Library to see what a competitor is running on Meta's apps, the Google Ads Transparency Center to see what an advertiser has served across Google's platforms, and TikTok Creative Center to find high-performing TikTok video ads by region and industry. Each shows creative, none shows a rival's results, and their coverage differs, so most researchers use more than one.
Key takeaways
- The Meta Ad Library and Google Ads Transparency Center are searchable by advertiser, so they answer "what is this competitor running?"
- TikTok Creative Center is a curated inspiration hub of Top Ads, so it answers "what works in this industry?" rather than "what did this brand run?"
- Outside the EU and UK, Meta shows only active commercial ads, with no spend or reach.
- Google's page says targeting and reach details are shown only for ads in certain countries or regions.
- TikTok's separate Commercial Content Library, for advertiser look-ups, held only European data when TikTok published its announcement.
What does each ad library show?
The table summarises what the official pages say. Always check the vendor's current help page, because these tools change.
| Meta Ad Library | Google Ads Transparency Center | TikTok Creative Center (Top Ads) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main question | What is this advertiser running now? | What has this advertiser served? | Which video ads perform well? |
| Search by advertiser | Yes (by Page or keyword) | Yes (advertiser or website) | Not as the main route; browse by filters |
| Filters | Country and ad category | Date and targeted location | Region, industry, campaign objective |
| Spend and reach | Spend ranges for social-issue and political ads; reach and targeting for EU/UK ads | Targeting and recipient data only in certain countries or regions | Performance view per ad; not a spend report |
| Advertiser coverage | All active ads on Meta technologies | Verified and not-yet-verified advertisers | Ads authorised by their advertisers |
What does the Meta Ad Library show?
It shows the creative and Page behind ads on Meta's apps. What else you see depends on where the ad ran and what it is about.
In SOMIN's guide to the library, based on Meta's own help article, a commercial ad that did not reach the EU or UK shows its creative, Page and start date, but no spend, impressions, reach or targeting, and it disappears from the library when it stops running. For ads delivered in the EU, Meta announced in 2023 that the library would cover every ad targeting people there, keep ads for one year and record dates, targeting parameters such as age, gender and location, and who was served. Social issue, electoral and political ads have their own rules. For the full table and a method, read how to research competitor ads in the Meta Ad Library.
We could not open Meta's help article for this post, because the site blocked our fetch. The Meta details above rely on SOMIN's guide and Meta's newsroom post, so check the current help page before you depend on a detail.
What does the Google Ads Transparency Center show?
Google describes it as a searchable repository of advertisers and the ads they have served on Google platforms, such as Search, Display, Gmail and YouTube. You can search by advertiser or website name and narrow results by date and targeted location.
It includes both verified advertisers and those who have not yet completed verification, and marks each with a badge. Google's help page says that targeting information, total recipients per ad and subject-matter labels appear only for ads served in certain countries or regions. It does not mention ad spend, and it does not state how long ads are kept. Political content gets extra transparency in some locations, set out in a separate report. Google's page lists API access for ads served in the EEA.
What does TikTok Creative Center show?
Creative Center is TikTok for Business's free public hub for trends and ad examples. According to TikTok's help page, a login is not required, though logging in unlocks more features, data and insights.
Top Ads is a collection of high-performing video ads. You can filter by region, industry and campaign objective, and for each ad see a second-by-second graph of the most successful engagement moment. TikTok says all featured ads are authorised by their advertisers in TikTok Ads Manager. The help page does not explain how "high-performing" is defined or ranked, so treat the selection as curated, not complete.
For look-ups of a specific advertiser, TikTok launched a separate Commercial Content Library. Its announcement says it holds paid ads and other commercial content, shows creatives, dates, main targeting parameters and the number of people served, and, at the time, held data from Europe only. Check TikTok's current pages for any change.
Which ad library should you use?
Pick by question.
- "What is a named competitor running on Facebook or Instagram?" Meta Ad Library.
- "What search, display or YouTube ads has a named advertiser served?" Google Ads Transparency Center.
- "What video styles work in my industry on TikTok?" TikTok Creative Center, Top Ads.
- "What is a named brand running on TikTok in Europe?" TikTok Commercial Content Library.
What do all of them miss?
They are archives of creative, not of results. None of them tells you which of a rival's ads converted, and each has limits by region and ad type. They also do not compare across platforms or label the messages for you. To use them well, record every ad on a schedule, tag it with one codebook, and compare shares of messages across rivals. Our post on marketing whitespace shows what to do with the tagged data, and competitor ad analysis by market adds the market view.
SOMIN (SoMin.ai), the AI marketing-intelligence company run by Somin Pte. Ltd. in Singapore, builds this kind of cross-platform category analysis; see SOMIN Strategy.
FAQ
Is the Meta Ad Library free?
Yes. Meta's library is open to anyone, and SOMIN's guide describes it as free and covering all active ads shown across Meta's technologies.
Does the Google Ads Transparency Center show how much a competitor spends?
Google's help page does not mention ad spend. It describes search by advertiser and filters by date and targeted location.
Is TikTok Creative Center free?
Yes. TikTok's help page calls it a free, public resource hub, and says a login is not required but unlocks more features.
Does TikTok Creative Center show every ad a brand runs?
No. Top Ads is a collection of high-performing ads that advertisers have authorised, so it is a curated sample, not a full archive.
Can I see competitor results in any of these tools?
Not conversions or sales. TikTok's Top Ads shows an engagement graph per ad, and EU ads on Meta show reach data, but none reveals a rival's return on ad spend.
