Facebook ads research tool: winning ads, kept after Meta takes them down

What a Facebook ads research tool does

Two kinds of tool answer to the name, and they answer different questions.

• Research tools show you other brands' ads: what they run, how long they kept it running, and how the ad is built. You use them before you write or brief an ad.
• Analytics tools read your own ad account and tell you which of your creatives did best. You use them after you launch.

The free starting point is Meta's own Ad Library, which shows every ad running now. The catch: Meta shows every ad while it runs. Once an ad stops, only social issue, election and political ads (kept 7 years) and ads delivered in the EU (kept a year after their last impression) stay in the library. So the ad you meant to come back to is often gone, and nothing in it is filed by niche or format.

A research tool fills that gap. It keeps the ads, files them so you can find a type of ad rather than a brand name, and marks the ones a brand kept running. On AdSwipeFile, a winning ad means exactly that: one its brand kept running on Meta. Brands rarely keep paying for ads that lose, so a long run is a signal worth studying, never proof of results.

Kept running the longest, in the library now

63,244+ ads from 1,209 brands in 26 niches. Days are how long each brand kept the ad running on Meta: a reason to study it, not a result.

• CUUP1,538 days running · Lifestyle Image
• Tooletries1,264 days running · Text Overlay
• smol1,237 days running · Graphic Overlay
• Kinfield1,192 days running · Product Image

Four research jobs, done in one library

Most Facebook ads research comes down to four questions. Each one has its own way in.

1. What runs in my niche? Open a niche and sort by longest running. Start with health and fitness ads, or beauty and fashion.
2. What does this format look like when it is done well? Every ad carries a visual format: UGC selfie, before and after, testimonial and the rest of the formats.
3. Which hooks open the ads I like? Filter by hook tactic, such as curiosity or social proof, and read the copy (any free account sees it).
4. What is this competitor running? Open a brand page, such as AG1, to see its ads from the longest running down. On paid plans, follow it: Pro follows 10 brands and Agency 50, and their new ads land in one feed, checked weekly.

Any account saves ads. Paid plans add boards, which you share by link with a client or a designer.

Let your AI agent do the research

The same library works from Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor. Connect it once through the MCP server, then ask in plain words: "ten longest running UGC ads for protein powder, with their hooks", or "what has this brand run since summer". Your AI agent searches the library, reads each ad's copy and comes back with the ads and their links, so you brief from real ads instead of a blank page.

Connecting is free on every plan. A free account gets 50 MCP/API calls for the life of the account; Pro gets 10,000 MCP/API calls a month. The guide to Facebook ads in Claude and ChatGPT shows the setup.

AdSwipeFile, the Meta Ad Library and Motion

The table puts the three side by side. Facts about the other two come from their own sites, checked on 24 October 2026.

The Meta Ad Library is the place to check what one advertiser runs today. Motion is AI creative analytics: it reads your own ad accounts and shows which creatives work, with an AI analyst, leaderboards, AI tagging and reports. Inspiration (Inspo) is one part of it. Runneth, the AI marketing teammate Motion builds, comes with Starter and up. AdSwipeFile is for the research before the brief: other brands' winning ads, kept, filed and open to your AI agent.

What it does not do

AdSwipeFile holds no spend, reach or sales figures: nobody outside an ad account sees them, so no research tool can show which ad made money. It is a curated collection of ads, not a live copy of Meta's Ad Library, and it does not run, buy or make ads. Video ads show their opening frame, with a link to watch them on Meta. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta.

Where to start

Make a free account: no card, the first 50 ads of every list with their copy, saved ads and the MCP server. Pro opens every ad, follows brands and adds boards, with a 7 day free trial; see pricing.

Then pick the job in front of you: researching a prospect before a pitch, AdSwipeFile for agencies, or the method behind it all in how to find winning Facebook ads and how to track competitor Facebook ads.

Try AdSwipeFile with your assistant

Copy the setup prompt and paste it into Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor. It connects the library and asks for recent ads from your niche. Free: 50 MCP/API calls for the life of the account and the first 50 ads of every list, no card.

Copy setup promptCopied

Continue with Google

Setup steps for each assistant

FAQ

What is a Facebook ads research tool?

A tool that shows you the ads other brands run on Facebook and Instagram, so you can study their hooks, formats and offers before you make your own. Some also keep ads after Meta stops showing them and file them by niche and format.

What should I look for in a Facebook ads research tool?

Ads kept after they stop running, filters by niche, format and hook, a way to see which ads a brand kept running, brand pages you can follow, and a way to hand the ads to your AI agent. Check what it holds on spend: most tools, AdSwipeFile included, hold none.

How do I research competitor Facebook ads?

Search the brand in the Meta Ad Library for what runs today, then keep what matters before it disappears. On AdSwipeFile, open the brand's page, sort by longest running and follow it on a paid plan to see its new ads in one feed.

Is the Meta Ad Library enough for ad research?

For one advertiser today, yes. It is free and covers every active ad. It drops most ads once they stop, has no niche or format filter and cannot follow a brand, which is the work a research tool does.

How is AdSwipeFile different from Motion?

Motion analyses your own ad accounts to show which of your creatives work. AdSwipeFile is a library of other brands' winning ads for the research before you brief. A team can use both: one before the brief, the other after launch.

Can Claude or ChatGPT search Facebook ads for me?

Yes, with AdSwipeFile's MCP server. Connect it once, free on every plan, and your AI agent searches the library, reads the copy and returns the ads with links. A free account gets 50 MCP/API calls for the life of the account.

Sources

Checked on 6 November 2026 and 12 November 2026 on each tool's own site. Prices are in US dollars as listed, and change: check the source before you buy. AdSwipeFile's facts come from its pricing page.

1. Meta Ad Library
2. Meta Ad Library API
3. Meta Ad Library tools
4. Graph API ads_archive reference
5. Motion pricing
6. Motion home page
7. Runneth llm-info
8. Motion help: MCP
9. Motion Creative Strategy Library