# Facebook Ads Library Scraper — Ad Intelligence (`muhammadafzal/facebook-ads-library-scraper`) Actor

Scrape Facebook Ads Library creatives, advertisers, copy, media, landing pages, dates, and targeting signals for competitor and campaign research.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/muhammadafzal/facebook-ads-library-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Muhammad Afzal](https://apify.com/muhammadafzal) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Lead generation
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.40 / 1,000 ad scrapeds

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Facebook Ads Library Scraper — Meta Ad Intelligence Tool

> **Free-plan limit:** Apify free-plan users receive at most 5 delivered records per run. Paid users may use the Actor’s configured result limit.

Scrape ads from the **Meta/Facebook Ads Library** by keyword, advertiser Page URL, or pre-configured Ad Library URL. Get ad copy, creatives, CTA, spend estimates, reach data, running days, **winner scores**, and EU transparency data — all in clean, flat, structured JSON.

No login required. No Meta API token needed.

### Features

- **3 input modes**: Search by keyword, advertiser Page URL, or paste an Ad Library URL with filters
- **Ad intelligence signals**: Winner score (0-100), winner tier, winner signals, CTA detection, ad categorization, running days
- **EU transparency data**: Spend ranges, impression ranges, EU total reach, demographic distribution (age/gender breakdown)
- **Full creative extraction**: Images, videos (HD/SD/preview), carousel cards, CTA text/type/URL
- **Advertiser metadata**: Page name, ID, URL, profile picture, like count, verification status, page category
- **Flat, clean output**: No nested API dumps — every field is at the top level, ready for spreadsheets, databases, and AI pipelines
- **52 countries supported**: Or search all countries at once
- **No login**: Works entirely from the public Ad Library

### Use Cases

- **Competitor ad research**: Monitor rival brands' ad creatives, copy, and strategies
- **Dropshipping & product research**: Find winning ads by winner score and running duration
- **Agency reporting**: Bulk-collect active ads for clients across countries and platforms
- **Political ad monitoring**: Collect DSA/transparency data (spend ranges, reach, demographics) for regulatory analysis
- **Creative benchmarking**: Compare CTAs, formats, and copy angles across competitors
- **Market research**: Track seasonal spend shifts and creative strategy changes

### Input

| Field | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|-------|------|----------|---------|-------------|
| `searchTerms` | string\[] | No\* | `["nike"]` | Keywords to search (e.g. "skincare", "crypto trading") |
| `pageUrls` | string\[] | No\* | `[]` | Facebook Page URLs or numeric page IDs |
| `adLibraryUrls` | string\[] | No\* | `[]` | Full Ad Library URLs with filters pre-configured |
| `country` | string | No | `ALL` | Country code or `ALL` for worldwide |
| `adActiveStatus` | string | No | `ALL` | `ACTIVE`, `INACTIVE`, or `ALL` |
| `adType` | string | No | `ALL` | `ALL`, `POLITICAL_AND_ISSUE_ADS`, `HOUSING_ADS`, `EMPLOYMENT_ADS`, `CREDIT_ADS` |
| `mediaType` | string | No | `ALL` | `ALL`, `IMAGE`, `VIDEO`, `MEME`, `NONE` |
| `maxResults` | integer | No | `100` | Maximum ads to collect across all sources |
| `proxyConfiguration` | object | No | Residential | Proxy settings (residential recommended for deep pagination) |

\*At least one of `searchTerms`, `pageUrls`, or `adLibraryUrls` must be provided.

### Output

Each ad is returned as a flat JSON record:

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `adId` | string | Meta Ad Library archive ID |
| `pageName` | string|null | Advertiser page name |
| `pageId` | string | Advertiser page ID |
| `pageUrl` | string|null | Facebook Page URL |
| `pageLikeCount` | number|null | Page like count |
| `pageVerified` | boolean|null | Page verification status |
| `adText` | string|null | Ad body copy |
| `headline` | string|null | Ad headline |
| `ctaText` | string|null | CTA button text |
| `ctaType` | string|null | CTA type code |
| `ctaUrl` | string|null | Landing page URL |
| `displayFormat` | string | image, video, carousel, or unknown |
| `mediaType` | string | image, video, or meme |
| `imageUrls` | string\[] | Direct CDN image URLs |
| `videoUrls` | object\[] | Video objects with hd, sd, preview URLs |
| `carouselCards` | object\[] | Carousel card data |
| `platforms` | string\[] | Platforms (facebook, instagram, etc.) |
| `isActive` | boolean | Currently running? |
| `startDate` | string|null | Start date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| `endDate` | string|null | End date (YYYY-MM-DD) |
| `daysRunning` | number|null | Days the ad has been running |
| `winnerScore` | number | 0-100 score (longer running + active + more variants = higher) |
| `winnerTier` | string | high (>=70), medium (>=40), low (<40) |
| `winnerSignals` | string\[] | Signals: long_running, still_active, high_variants, etc. |
| `detectedCtas` | string\[] | CTA phrases detected in ad text |
| `hashtags` | string\[] | Hashtags in ad text |
| `emojiCount` | number | Emoji count in ad text |
| `wordCount` | number | Word count of ad body |
| `adCategory` | string | Auto-detected: ecommerce, lead_gen, app_install, etc. |
| `spend` | object|null | EU spend range: {lower, upper} |
| `impressions` | object|null | EU impression range: {lower, upper} |
| `euTotalReach` | number|null | Total EU reach estimate |
| `demographicDistribution` | array|null | Age/gender breakdown |
| `containsAiMedia` | boolean | AI-generated content flag |
| `scrapedAt` | string | ISO 8601 scrape timestamp |
| `sourceUrl` | string | Source Ad Library URL |

### Winner Score

The winner score helps identify proven, high-performing ads:

| Score | Tier | Meaning |
|-------|------|---------|
| 70-100 | **high** | Long-running, active, with multiple creative variants — likely a winner |
| 40-69 | **medium** | Established ad with some signals of success |
| 0-39 | **low** | New or inactive ad — unproven |

Signals: `long_running` (60+ days), `still_active`, `high_variants` (3+ carousel cards), `multiple_variants`, `proven_active` (30+ days AND active).

### Pricing

This Actor uses **pay-per-event** pricing. These are the current Apify Store event prices:

| Event | Price (USD) | When it is charged |
|---|---:|---|
| `apify-actor-start` | $0.00005 | Actor Start — Charged when the Actor starts running. Number of events charged depends on Actor memory (one event per GB, minimum one event). |
| `result-item` | $0.001 | Ad Scraped — One Facebook/Meta ad extracted from the Ad Library with ad copy, creatives, CTA, platforms, dates, page info, winner score, and EU transparency data. |

Apify platform usage for this Actor run is included alongside the event prices above; no separate per-run platform-usage fee is passed to users.

This covers Apify platform usage for this Actor run. Other Apify products or usage outside this Actor run may still follow your account plan.

### Proxy Requirements

The actor defaults to **Apify residential proxies** (`RESIDENTIAL` group), which are required for:

- Scraping more than ~30 ads per search (Facebook rate-limits pagination per IP)
- Accessing country-specific Ad Library content

For heavy bulk scraping, consider providing your own premium residential proxy via the `proxyConfiguration` field.

### Limitations

- The Meta Ad Library is a dynamic SPA — occasional rate limiting may reduce result counts
- EU transparency data (spend, reach, demographics) is only available for ads targeting EU/UK markets
- Instagram follower counts and page "About" data require visiting individual pages (not included in base scraping for speed)
- The Ad Library may not show ads from pages that have been deleted or restricted

### Example Input

```json
{
    "searchTerms": ["running shoes", "fitness app"],
    "country": "US",
    "adActiveStatus": "ACTIVE",
    "mediaType": "VIDEO",
    "maxResults": 200
}
```

```json
{
    "pageUrls": ["https://www.facebook.com/nike"],
    "country": "ALL",
    "adActiveStatus": "ALL",
    "maxResults": 500
}
```

### Export scraped data

Export scraped data, run the scraper via API, schedule and monitor runs, or integrate with other tools.

```bash
## Run via Apify CLI
apify run USERNAME/facebook-ads-library-scraper --input='{"searchTerms":["nike"],"maxResults":50}'

## Get results
apify dataset get-default --format=json
```

# Actor input Schema

## `searchTerms` (type: `array`):

Keywords to search for in the Ad Library (e.g. 'nike', 'running shoes', 'crypto trading'). Each keyword runs as a separate search. Use this when the user provides a topic, niche, or product name to find ads for. Use pageUrls instead when the user provides a specific Facebook Page URL.

## `pageUrls` (type: `array`):

Facebook Page URLs (e.g. https://www.facebook.com/nike) or numeric page IDs. Returns every public ad run by that advertiser. Use this when the user provides a specific brand's Facebook page. Use searchTerms instead when the user wants to search by keyword/topic.

## `adLibraryUrls` (type: `array`):

Paste full Meta Ad Library URLs (https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?...) with filters already configured in the URL. Useful when you've set up a search in the Ad Library UI and want to scrape it. Filters encoded in the URL are preserved.

## `country` (type: `string`):

Country whose Ad Library to query. Use 'ALL' to search every country at once. Applied to search terms and page URLs. Ad Library URLs use whatever country is encoded in the URL.

## `adActiveStatus` (type: `string`):

Filter by whether ads are currently running. 'ACTIVE' = still being delivered, 'INACTIVE' = stopped, 'ALL' = both.

## `adType` (type: `string`):

Meta groups ads into transparency categories. 'ALL' covers every public ad. Political, Housing, Employment, and Credit ads have additional spend/reach disclosures.

## `mediaType` (type: `string`):

Restrict results by creative format. 'ALL' includes every format.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of ads to collect across all sources combined. Set to 0 or leave high for unlimited. Each ad is billed at the 'result-item' rate.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Proxy settings for the scraper. Defaults to Apify residential proxies. If Facebook blocks Apify's shared proxies (403 errors), provide your own premium residential proxy URL (e.g. from Decodo, Bright Data, or IPRoyal) via the proxyConfiguration custom URL field. This is required for reliable scraping — Facebook aggressively blocks shared datacenter and residential proxy pools.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchTerms": [
    "nike"
  ],
  "country": "ALL",
  "adActiveStatus": "ALL",
  "adType": "ALL",
  "mediaType": "ALL",
  "maxResults": 100,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

Link to the dataset containing all extracted ad records.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "searchTerms": [
        "nike"
    ],
    "country": "ALL",
    "adActiveStatus": "ALL",
    "adType": "ALL",
    "mediaType": "ALL",
    "maxResults": 100
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("muhammadafzal/facebook-ads-library-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "searchTerms": ["nike"],
    "country": "ALL",
    "adActiveStatus": "ALL",
    "adType": "ALL",
    "mediaType": "ALL",
    "maxResults": 100,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("muhammadafzal/facebook-ads-library-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "searchTerms": [
    "nike"
  ],
  "country": "ALL",
  "adActiveStatus": "ALL",
  "adType": "ALL",
  "mediaType": "ALL",
  "maxResults": 100
}' |
apify call muhammadafzal/facebook-ads-library-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,muhammadafzal/facebook-ads-library-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/mhpQeUJkVe584dlqz/builds/CuaNuyvIr368tHK8y/openapi.json