Facebook Ads Library Scraper

Scrape ads from the Facebook Ad Library at scale. Search by keyword, advertiser page URL, or browse by country. Extract ad creatives, copy, destination links, images, videos, spend data, and more — all in a flat, spreadsheet-ready format. No Facebook login required.

What does Facebook Ads Library Scraper do?

This actor searches the Facebook Ad Library and extracts structured data from every ad it finds. It uses a real browser (Playwright) to load the Ad Library page, intercepts the server-side rendered data, and outputs clean, flattened records you can immediately use in spreadsheets, databases, or downstream workflows.

Each search query extracts ads from the initial results page and automatically scrolls to load more. Set the maxAds parameter to control how many ads to extract per search. To collect more ads, use multiple search keywords or advertiser page URLs — the actor processes each one separately and combines all results into a single dataset.

Who is Facebook Ads Library Scraper for?

• Digital marketers — Research competitor ad strategies, discover winning ad creatives, and find inspiration for your own campaigns.
• Competitive intelligence teams — Monitor what competitors are advertising, how much they spend, and which platforms they target.
• Brand monitoring professionals — Track unauthorized use of your brand in ads, or monitor how partners represent your brand.
• Agencies — Audit client competitors' ad presence across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network.
• Researchers & journalists — Analyze political advertising, track ad transparency, and study advertising trends at scale.

Why use Facebook Ads Library Scraper?

• No login required — The Facebook Ad Library is publicly accessible. No Facebook account needed.
• Structured output — All ad data is flattened into clean rows with consistent field names. Ready for Google Sheets, Excel, Airtable, or any database.
• Multiple search modes — Search by keyword, advertiser page URL, or both. Filter by country, ad status (active/inactive), and media type.
• Rich media extraction — Get direct URLs for ad images, videos, and video preview thumbnails.
• Spend and impressions data — When available, includes estimated spend ranges and impression counts.
• Platform breakdown — See which platforms each ad runs on (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network).

What data can you extract?

Field	Type	Description
adArchiveId	string	Unique Ad Library ID
adLibraryUrl	string	Direct link to the ad in Ad Library
pageId	string	Facebook page ID of the advertiser
pageName	string	Name of the advertiser page
pageUrl	string	URL of the advertiser's Facebook page
pageProfilePictureUrl	string	Advertiser's profile picture URL
pageCategories	array	Categories of the advertiser page
pageLikeCount	number	Number of page likes
isActive	boolean	Whether the ad is currently running
startDate	string	Date the ad started running (YYYY-MM-DD)
endDate	string	Date the ad stopped running (YYYY-MM-DD)
platforms	array	Platforms where the ad runs (facebook, instagram, messenger, audience_network)
bodyText	string	Main ad copy / body text
title	string	Ad headline / title
ctaText	string	Call-to-action button text (e.g., "Shop Now")
ctaType	string	Call-to-action type identifier
linkUrl	string	Destination URL the ad links to
linkCaption	string	Display URL caption
linkDescription	string	Link description text
displayFormat	string	Ad format (e.g., "image", "video", "carousel")
imageUrls	array	Direct URLs to ad images
videoUrls	array	Direct URLs to ad videos (HD preferred)
videoPreviewUrls	array	Video thumbnail/preview image URLs
categories	array	Ad categories (e.g., "EMPLOYMENT", "HOUSING")
containsAiMedia	boolean	Whether the ad contains AI-generated media
impressions	string	Impression count text (when available)
spend	object	Estimated spend range (lowerBound, upperBound)
currency	string	Currency code for spend data
gatedType	string	Gated content type (if applicable)
collationCount	number	Number of ad variations in this collation group
cardsCount	number	Number of carousel cards

How much does it cost to scrape Facebook ads?

Facebook Ads Library Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing. You only pay for what you use — no monthly minimums.

Charge event	Price (Bronze)	Description
Run started	$0.01	One-time charge per actor run
Ad scraped	$0.001/ad	Per ad extracted

Volume discounts are available on higher Apify plans:

Plan	Per-ad price	Discount
Free	$0.00115	—
Bronze (Starter)	$0.001	Baseline
Silver (Scale)	$0.00078	22% off
Gold (Business)	$0.0006	40% off
Platinum (Enterprise)	$0.0004	60% off
Diamond (Enterprise+)	$0.00028	72% off

Example cost: Scraping 50 ads from one search query costs approximately $0.01 + (50 x $0.001) = $0.06 on the Bronze plan.

How to scrape Facebook ads

1. Go to Facebook Ads Library Scraper on Apify Store.
2. Click Try for free to open the actor in Apify Console.
3. Enter your search keywords (e.g., "running shoes", "shopify") or advertiser page URLs.
4. Optionally set the country code (default: US), ad status filter, and media type filter.
5. Click Start and wait for the run to finish.
6. Download your data as JSON, CSV, Excel, or connect to any integration.

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Default	Description
searchQueries	array of strings	—	Keywords to search for in the Ad Library
pageUrls	array of strings	—	Facebook page URLs to scrape all ads from specific advertisers
country	string	"US"	ISO country code (e.g., "US", "GB", "DE") or "ALL" for all countries
activeStatus	enum	"all"	Filter by status: "all", "active", or "inactive"
mediaType	enum	"all"	Filter by media: "all", "image_and_meme", or "video"
maxAds	integer	100	Max ads per search query. The scraper scrolls automatically to load more results.

Tip: You must provide at least one search keyword or advertiser page URL. You can use both — results from all sources are combined into one dataset.

Output example

{
  "adArchiveId": "123456789012345",
  "adLibraryUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=123456789012345",
  "pageId": "987654321",
  "pageName": "Shopify",
  "pageUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/shopify/",
  "pageProfilePictureUrl": "https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/...",
  "pageCategories": ["E-commerce website"],
  "pageLikeCount": 4200000,
  "isActive": true,
  "startDate": "2025-11-15",
  "endDate": null,
  "platforms": ["facebook", "instagram"],
  "bodyText": "Start your online store today. No coding required.",
  "title": "Free Trial — Start Selling Online",
  "ctaText": "Sign Up",
  "ctaType": "SIGN_UP",
  "linkUrl": "https://www.shopify.com/free-trial",
  "linkCaption": "shopify.com",
  "linkDescription": "Try Shopify free for 3 days.",
  "displayFormat": "image",
  "imageUrls": ["https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/..."],
  "videoUrls": [],
  "videoPreviewUrls": [],
  "categories": [],
  "containsAiMedia": false,
  "impressions": null,
  "spend": null,
  "currency": "USD",
  "gatedType": null,
  "collationCount": 1,
  "cardsCount": 0
}

Tips for best results

• Use specific keywords — Broad terms like "shoes" return many results. Try "Nike running shoes" or "Allbirds" for more targeted ads.
• Search by advertiser page URL — If you know the exact advertiser, use their Facebook page URL for precise results.
• Combine search modes — Use both keywords and page URLs in a single run to collect ads from multiple angles.
• Use multiple keywords for more data — Each keyword search scrolls automatically to your maxAds limit. Run multiple related keywords in one batch to cover a broader range of ads.
• Filter by status — Use "active" to see only currently running ads, or "inactive" to study past campaigns.
• Filter by media type — Use "video" to focus on video ads or "image_and_meme" for static creatives.
• Check different countries — The same advertiser may run different ads in different markets. Try US, GB, DE, etc.

Integrations

Connect Facebook Ads Library Scraper to your existing tools:

• Google Sheets — Automatically export scraped ads to a spreadsheet for team review.
• Slack — Get notifications when new competitor ads are detected.
• Airtable — Build a competitive ad library with rich media attachments.
• Zapier / Make / n8n — Trigger downstream workflows when new ads are found.
• Webhooks — Send results to your own API endpoint for custom processing.
• Google BigQuery / Snowflake — Load ad data into your data warehouse for analysis.

Example workflows

• Competitor monitoring: Schedule daily runs with competitor brand names. Compare new ads against previous runs to spot new campaigns.
• Ad creative research: Search for product categories ("protein powder", "SaaS tools") to build a library of ad inspiration.
• Brand protection: Search for your brand name to detect unauthorized ads using your trademark.
• Market research: Compare ad strategies across countries for the same advertiser.

Using the Apify API

You can start and retrieve results programmatically using the Apify API.

Node.js

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: 'YOUR_API_TOKEN' });

const run = await client.actor('automation-lab/facebook-ads-library').call({
    searchQueries: ['shopify'],
    country: 'US',
    maxAds: 30,
});

const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items);

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient('YOUR_API_TOKEN')

run = client.actor('automation-lab/facebook-ads-library').call(run_input={
    'searchQueries': ['shopify'],
    'country': 'US',
    'maxAds': 30,
})

items = client.dataset(run['defaultDatasetId']).list_items().items
print(items)

cURL

# Start a run
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/automation-lab~facebook-ads-library/runs?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"searchQueries": ["shopify"], "country": "US", "maxAds": 30}'

# Get results (replace RUN_ID with the actual run ID)
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/datasets/DATASET_ID/items?token=YOUR_API_TOKEN"

Use with Claude AI (MCP)

This actor is available as a tool in Claude AI through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Add it to Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP-compatible client.

Setup for Claude Code

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/facebook-ads-library"

Setup for Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code

Add this to your MCP config file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=automation-lab/facebook-ads-library"
        }
    }
}

Example prompts

• "Find all active Facebook ads from Nike in the US and summarize their messaging strategy"
• "Search for Facebook ads about electric vehicles in Germany and list the top advertisers by number of ads"
• "Pull the latest ads from this competitor's Facebook page and tell me what offers and formats they're running"

Learn more in the Apify MCP documentation.

Is it legal to scrape Facebook Ad Library?

The Facebook Ad Library is a public transparency tool created by Meta to provide public access to all ads running across Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and Audience Network. It was created in response to regulatory requirements for ad transparency.

• The Ad Library is publicly accessible without a Facebook account.
• All data in the Ad Library is intentionally made public by Meta.
• This actor accesses only publicly available data from the Ad Library.

Always review and comply with Meta's Terms of Service and applicable laws in your jurisdiction before using this actor.

Legality

This actor accesses publicly available data through official or public APIs. API usage is subject to each service's Terms of Service and rate limits. Always review the API provider's usage policies before running at scale.

FAQ

Q: How many ads can I scrape per run? The actor automatically scrolls to load more results up to your maxAds limit (up to 5,000 per search). For broader coverage, use multiple search keywords in a single run — each keyword runs a separate search.

Q: Can I scrape all ads from a specific advertiser? Yes. Enter the advertiser's Facebook page URL (e.g., https://www.facebook.com/nike) in the "Advertiser page URLs" field. The actor will extract ads specifically from that page.

Q: Does it support pagination beyond the first page? Yes — the actor scrolls automatically to load more results up to your maxAds limit. The default is 100 ads per search query.

Q: Do I need a Facebook account? No. The Facebook Ad Library is publicly accessible. No login or authentication is needed.

Q: What countries are supported? All countries available in the Facebook Ad Library are supported. Use the ISO country code (e.g., "US", "GB", "DE", "BR", "IN") or "ALL" to search globally.

Q: Why are some fields null? Not all ads have all data. Spend and impression data are only available for ads about social issues, elections, or politics. Some ads may not have video URLs, CTA buttons, or link descriptions.

Q: The actor returned 0 ads. What should I do?

• Check that your search keyword matches ads in the Facebook Ad Library directly.
• Try a broader keyword or different country.
• If searching by page URL, make sure the URL is a valid Facebook page URL.

Q: Can I filter by date range? The actor currently uses the Ad Library's default date handling. You can filter active vs. inactive ads using the activeStatus parameter. Post-processing the startDate and endDate fields lets you filter by any date range.

Q: How often can I run this actor? As often as you need. There are no built-in rate limits. However, very frequent runs against the same search terms may trigger Facebook's anti-bot measures.

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