Ads Explorer
Monitor your competitors' ads — see what they are running, how long they have been running, and get AI-powered creative analysis.
Ads Explorer lets you monitor the Meta Ad Library for ads from any competitor. See what creatives they are running, how long each ad has been active, and use AI to break down what makes their ads effective.
What it does
Atribu scans the Meta Ad Library for ads from competitors you specify. It discovers new ads, tracks how long they run, and stores everything so you can browse and analyze the creative at any time.
Adding competitors
Go to Ads Explorer
Navigate to Ads Explorer in the sidebar, then click the Sources tab.
Click Add Source
Click the Add Source button to open the source configuration form.
Enter the competitor's page
Provide the competitor's Facebook page name or URL. Atribu uses the advertiser name to search the Meta Ad Library.
Select target countries
Choose which countries to scan for ads. Ads are often geo-targeted, so selecting the right countries ensures you see the relevant creatives.
Start scanning
Save the source and Atribu begins scanning for their ads. New ads are discovered automatically on an ongoing basis.
Browsing discovered ads
The main Ads Explorer view shows a grid of cards for every discovered ad. Each card shows:
- Thumbnail — a preview of the ad creative (image or video frame)
- Advertiser name — who is running the ad
- Platforms — Facebook, Instagram, or both
- Status — whether the ad is currently active or has stopped running
- Days running — how long the ad has been live
- Media type — image or video
You can filter by source, status (active/inactive), media type, and sort by newest, oldest, or AI score.
Long-running ads are usually winners
If a competitor has been running an ad for 90+ days, it is probably profitable. Advertisers do not keep spending money on ads that do not work. Study what makes long-running ads effective — the hook, the offer, the creative format.
Ad detail view
Click any ad card to open the detail sheet. This shows:
- Full creative preview — the complete image or video
- Primary caption — the ad copy text
- Landing page URL — where the ad sends people
- Call-to-action — the CTA button text (Shop Now, Learn More, etc.)
- Platforms — which platforms the ad appears on (Facebook, Instagram)
- Countries — all countries where the ad runs
- First and last shown dates — when the ad was first detected and most recently seen
AI creative analysis
Atribu can analyze any discovered ad using AI to extract structured insights:
- Hook — what grabs attention in the first 3 seconds (for video) or at first glance (for images)
- CTA — the call to action and how compelling it is
- Offer — what is being promoted and how it is framed
- Script — for video ads, the full spoken text extracted and transcribed
- Score — an overall quality score with explanation
- Improvement suggestions — specific recommendations for how the creative could be stronger
To run the analysis, click the Enrich button on any ad. The AI processes the creative and results appear in the detail view.
Send to Ads Lab
Found a competitor ad you want to learn from? Click Send to Ads Lab to use it as inspiration for generating your own ad variations. The ad's creative analysis is passed to the AI pipeline so it can study what works and create something original for your brand.
Competitive intelligence, not copying
The goal is not to copy competitor ads. It is to understand what patterns, hooks, and offers resonate in your market, then create your own original creative informed by those insights.