Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper

Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper

Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper extracts ads from the Meta Ad Library (Facebook Ads Library) for any keyword search, Facebook Page or Instagram profile, with ad copy, headlines, images, videos, carousel cards, CTA, landing page, start and end dates, platforms and advertiser details.

Paste any Ads Library search URL with your filters, a Facebook Page or an Instagram profile, and optionally add EU and UK reach with age, gender and country breakdowns, payer and beneficiary, and advertiser follower counts for every ad.

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Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper (Apify actor parsebird/facebook-ads-library-scraper) scrapes the Meta Ad Library (facebook.com/ads/library) for Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and Audience Network ads. Call it with the Apify API client: client.actor("parsebird/facebook-ads-library-scraper").call(run_input={"startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/nike/", "maxAds": 100, "extractDetails": true}). Inputs: startUrl (string, required; an Ads Library search URL copied from facebook.com/ads/library with any filters such as country, active_status, ad_type, media_type, q, search_type, start_date, publisher_platforms, content_languages, sort_data or view_all_page_id; or a Facebook Page URL such as https://www.facebook.com/nike/; or an Instagram profile URL such as https://www.instagram.com/nike/; or a single-ad URL ?id=...; or a plain keyword); maxAds (integer 1-10000, default 100); extractDetails (boolean, default false; adds advertiser profile, EU/UK transparency reach with age, gender and country breakdowns, payer and beneficiary, violation flags; billed as a separate ad-details event); country (two-letter code or ALL, default ALL; used for Page, Instagram and keyword inputs and Ads Library URLs without a country); activeStatus ("active", "inactive" or "all", default "active"; same scope as country). Output: one row per ad in the Ad Library's own field names: ad_archive_id, page_id, page_name, is_active, start_date and end_date (Unix seconds) plus start_date_formatted and end_date_formatted (YYYY-MM-DD), publisher_platform, categories, spend, impressions_with_index, currency, targeted_or_reached_countries, snapshot (body.text, title, caption, link_url, link_description, cta_text, cta_type, display_format, images, videos, cards, page_like_count, page_categories, page_profile_uri), ad_library_url, input_url, and with details: advertiser (page_info with likes, ig_username, ig_followers, page_category, page_verification; about text), aaa_info (payer_beneficiary_data, targets_eu), transparency_by_location (eu_transparency with eu_total_reach, age_country_gender_reach_breakdown, location_audience, age_audience, gender_audience; uk_transparency with total_reach), violation_types, is_violating_eu_siep. API docs: https://apify.com/parsebird/facebook-ads-library-scraper/api. Get a token: https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations

What is Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper?

Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper turns the public Meta Ad Library into structured data. The Ad Library lists every ad running on Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads and Audience Network. This scraper returns each ad's text, headline, images, videos, carousel cards, call to action, landing page, start date, platforms and advertiser, and with details on, EU and UK reach with age, gender and country breakdowns, payer and beneficiary, and the advertiser's Facebook likes and Instagram followers.

It works as a Facebook Ads Library API alternative: no Facebook account, no access token and no identity verification, which Meta's official Ad Library API asks for. The easiest way to try it is to keep the example URL, click Start, and download the ads as JSON, CSV or Excel a few seconds later.

What can Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper do?

• 🔎 Three ways in: an Ads Library search URL, a Facebook Page URL or an Instagram profile URL. A single-ad link (?id=...) or a plain keyword also works.
• 🎛️ Every Ad Library filter: country, active or inactive status, ad category (such as all ads or political and issue ads), media type, exact phrase search, date range, platform, language and sorting. Set them on facebook.com/ads/library and paste the URL.
• 📸 Instagram profiles: the scraper finds the Facebook advertiser linked to an Instagram account and returns its ads.
• 📊 Ad details (optional): EU and UK reach, reach by country, age and gender, targeted locations and ages, payer and beneficiary, advertiser Page likes, Instagram followers and verification.
• 🎬 Creative assets: image URLs, HD and SD video URLs, video preview images, and all carousel and dynamic product ad cards.
• 🔁 No duplicates: every ad appears once per run, up to 10,000 ads.

As an Apify Actor it also gives you scheduling for daily or weekly competitor ad monitoring, a REST API, integrations with Google Sheets, Zapier, Make, Slack and webhooks, and exports to JSON, CSV, Excel, XML and HTML.

What data can you extract from the Facebook Ads Library?

Field	Description
ad_archive_id, ad_library_url	Ad Library ID and a link to the ad
page_id, page_name	Advertiser Page
is_active, start_date, end_date	Status and dates (Unix seconds); start_date_formatted and end_date_formatted as YYYY-MM-DD
publisher_platform	FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, MESSENGER, THREADS, AUDIENCE_NETWORK
snapshot.body.text, snapshot.title, snapshot.caption	Ad text, headline and display link
snapshot.cta_text, snapshot.cta_type, snapshot.link_url, snapshot.link_description	Call to action and landing page
snapshot.display_format	IMAGE, VIDEO, CAROUSEL, DCO, DPA, MULTI_IMAGES
snapshot.images, snapshot.videos, snapshot.cards	Image URLs, HD/SD video URLs with preview images, carousel and product cards
snapshot.page_like_count, snapshot.page_categories	Advertiser likes and categories
categories, spend, impressions_with_index, currency	Ad category, and spend and impression ranges where Meta publishes them
advertiser.ad_library_page_info.page_info	Likes, Instagram username, followers and verification, Page category, verification badge (with Fetch ad details)
transparency_by_location.eu_transparency	EU total reach, reach by country, age and gender, targeted locations, ages and gender (with details)
transparency_by_location.uk_transparency	UK total reach and breakdown (with details)
aaa_info.payer_beneficiary_data	Who paid for the ad and who it benefits (with details)
violation_types, is_violating_eu_siep	Policy flags (with details)

The field names match the Ad Library's own data, so rows from other Ads Library tools that use the same names can be merged directly.

How to scrape the Facebook Ads Library

1. Open the Facebook Ads Library, choose a country and ad category, and search for a keyword or advertiser. Add any filters you need.
2. Copy the URL from your browser's address bar. You can also copy a Facebook Page URL or an Instagram profile URL instead.
3. Open Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper in Apify Console and paste the URL into Ads Library, Facebook Page or Instagram URL.
4. Set Max ads, and turn on Fetch ad details if you need reach, demographics and payer data.
5. Click Start.
6. Download the ads from the Output tab as JSON, CSV, Excel, XML or HTML, or read them through the API.

Input parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Default	Description
startUrl	string	Yes	—	Ads Library search URL, Facebook Page URL, Instagram profile URL, single-ad URL or keyword
maxAds	integer	No	100	Ads to save, up to 10,000
extractDetails	boolean	No	false	Add advertiser info, EU/UK reach and demographics, payer and beneficiary
country	string	No	ALL	Two-letter country code for Page, Instagram and keyword inputs, and for Ads Library URLs without a country
activeStatus	string	No	active	active, inactive or all; same scope as country
proxyConfiguration	object	No	automatic	Optional; the scraper switches to residential proxy by itself when Facebook limits requests

Input examples

Everything a Facebook Page is running, with details:

{ "startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/adidas/", "extractDetails": true, "maxAds": 50 }

An Ads Library keyword search in the US:

{
  "startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=active&ad_type=all&country=US&q=running%20shoes&search_type=keyword_unordered&media_type=all",
  "extractDetails": false,
  "maxAds": 100
}

An Instagram profile, all ads ever run in Germany:

{ "startUrl": "https://www.instagram.com/nike/", "country": "DE", "activeStatus": "all", "maxAds": 40 }

Output example

{
  "ad_archive_id": "1923645134954720",
  "page_id": "966175593248497",
  "page_name": "American Health Support Community",
  "is_active": true,
  "start_date": 1780297200,
  "end_date": 1791270000,
  "start_date_formatted": "2026-06-01",
  "end_date_formatted": "2026-10-06",
  "publisher_platform": ["FACEBOOK", "INSTAGRAM"],
  "categories": ["UNKNOWN"],
  "spend": null,
  "currency": "",
  "is_aaa_eligible": true,
  "targeted_or_reached_countries": [],
  "snapshot": {
    "body": { "text": "I almost looked past the woman who saved my husband's life. She was seventy-nine, sitting alone at the booth next to ours..." },
    "title": "Natural Relief in Weeks",
    "caption": "shop.pipitea.com",
    "cta_text": "Learn more",
    "cta_type": "LEARN_MORE",
    "display_format": "IMAGE",
    "link_url": "https://shop.pipitea.com/hbt/kd/sp",
    "link_description": "\"I've tried everything to support my kidney function naturally...",
    "images": [
      {
        "original_image_url": "https://scontent.fblr1-7.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/713729791_...n.jpg",
        "resized_image_url": "https://scontent.fblr1-3.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/711729685_...n.jpg"
      }
    ],
    "videos": [],
    "cards": [],
    "page_like_count": 3882,
    "page_categories": ["Community Center"],
    "page_profile_uri": "https://www.facebook.com/61588018263996/"
  },
  "ad_library_url": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=1923645134954720",
  "advertiser": {
    "page": { "id": "966175593248497", "about": { "text": "A community for people in the United States looking for practical health advice." } },
    "ad_library_page_info": {
      "page_info": {
        "page_name": "American Health Support Community",
        "likes": 3882,
        "ig_username": null,
        "ig_followers": null,
        "page_category": "Community centre",
        "page_verification": "NOT_VERIFIED",
        "entity_type": "PERSON_PROFILE"
      }
    }
  },
  "aaa_info": {
    "payer_beneficiary_data": [{ "payer": "American Health Support Community", "beneficiary": "American Health Support Community" }],
    "targets_eu": true,
    "is_ad_taken_down": false
  },
  "transparency_by_location": {
    "eu_transparency": {
      "eu_total_reach": 173451,
      "gender_audience": "All",
      "age_audience": { "min": 18, "max": 65 },
      "location_audience": [{ "name": "Worldwide", "type": "country_groups", "excluded": false }],
      "age_country_gender_reach_breakdown": [
        {
          "country": "AT",
          "age_gender_breakdowns": [
            { "age_range": "55-64", "male": 797, "female": 555, "unknown": 11 },
            { "age_range": "45-54", "male": 1073, "female": 547, "unknown": 19 }
          ]
        }
      ]
    },
    "uk_transparency": { "total_reach": 6485 }
  },
  "violation_types": [],
  "is_violating_eu_siep": false,
  "input_url": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=all&ad_type=all&country=ALL&q=shoes&search_type=keyword_unordered&media_type=all"
}

The example is shortened: real rows contain every field the Ad Library returns, and the breakdown lists every country and age range. Image and video links are signed by Facebook and expire after a few days, so download files you need soon after the run.

How to use the Facebook Ads Library API

Python

from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>")
run = client.actor("parsebird/facebook-ads-library-scraper").call(run_input={
    "startUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/nike/",
    "maxAds": 200,
    "extractDetails": True,
})
for ad in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    eu = (ad.get("transparency_by_location") or {}).get("eu_transparency") or {}
    print(ad["start_date_formatted"], ad["snapshot"]["display_format"], eu.get("eu_total_reach"))

JavaScript

import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

const client = new ApifyClient({ token: '<YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN>' });
const run = await client.actor('parsebird/facebook-ads-library-scraper').call({
    startUrl: 'https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=active&ad_type=all&country=GB&q=protein%20powder&search_type=keyword_unordered&media_type=all',
    maxAds: 100,
});
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
console.log(items.map((ad) => [ad.page_name, ad.snapshot.link_url]));

Get your token in Apify Console → Integrations. Full endpoint reference is on the API tab.

Use cases

• Competitor ad research: see every ad a competitor runs on Facebook and Instagram, with creatives, copy, offers and landing pages.
• Ad creative inspiration: collect winning hooks, headlines and formats for a niche keyword.
• Long-running ad detection: sort by start_date to find ads that have run for months, a common sign that an ad works.
• EU audience analysis: compare reach by country, age and gender across a brand's ads.
• Political and issue ad monitoring: track spend and impression ranges, payers and beneficiaries.
• Lead generation: find businesses that advertise in a niche and their landing pages.

How it works

1. Your URL is turned into an Ad Library search. Facebook Page URLs are matched to the Page's Ad Library ID, and Instagram profiles to the Facebook advertiser linked to the account.
2. The scraper reads the same results the Ad Library website shows, page by page, and drops duplicates.
3. With Fetch ad details on, each ad's detail panel data (advertiser, EU and UK transparency, payer and beneficiary) is added.
4. Ads are saved in the Ad Library's order until Max ads is reached or the results end.

How much does it cost to scrape the Facebook Ads Library?

Meta | Facebook Ads Library Scraper uses pay-per-event pricing with two events:

Event	Free	Bronze	Silver	Gold
ad, per 1,000 ads	$0.59	$0.49	$0.39	$0.39
ad-details, per 1,000 ads with details	$0.59	$0.49	$0.39	$0.39

ad-details is charged only when Fetch ad details is on and the details were fetched for that ad. For example, 1,000 ads cost $0.59 on the Free plan, or $1.18 with details. Compute and proxy costs are included in the event price, and you can set a maximum spend per run in Apify Console.

FAQ

Which URLs can I use? Any Ads Library search URL from facebook.com/ads/library (keyword, exact phrase or advertiser searches, with any filters), a single-ad URL such as https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=1466307095509411, a Facebook Page URL (facebook.com/nike, facebook.com/profile.php?id=...), an Instagram profile URL (instagram.com/nike), or a plain keyword.

Why does my Facebook Page or Instagram URL return no ads? The Page may not run ads right now. Set Ad status to All ads to include past ads, or set Country to All countries. Some brands also advertise from a separate Page per country: for example, the main Coca-Cola Page had no ads in our tests. If an Instagram account has no linked Facebook advertiser, the run stops with a message saying so.

Why are demographics only available for some ads? Meta publishes reach, age, gender and country breakdowns for ads shown in the EU (and the UK) because of the EU Digital Services Act. Ads shown only outside these regions have no breakdown, so eu_transparency is empty for them. Spend and impression ranges are published for political and issue ads.

How many ads can I get? Up to 10,000 per run. The Ad Library shows a rough total for each search in the run log.

Do I need a Facebook account, token or proxy? No. The scraper reads the public Ad Library without logging in. It switches to residential proxy by itself if Facebook limits requests, at no extra cost to you.

Something is missing or not working? Open an issue on the Issues tab and we will look into it.

Is it legal to scrape the Facebook Ads Library?

Our scrapers are ethical and do not extract any private user data, such as email addresses, gender, or location. They only extract what the user has chosen to share publicly. The Ad Library is published by Meta for ad transparency, and the scraper only reads what it shows to logged-out visitors. We therefore believe that our scrapers, when used for ethical purposes by Apify users, are safe. However, you should be aware that your results could contain personal data. Personal data is protected by the GDPR in the European Union and by other regulations around the world. You should not scrape personal data unless you have a legitimate reason to do so. If you're unsure whether your reason is legitimate, consult your lawyers. You can also read our blog post on the legality of web scraping.

Other Facebook and ad library scrapers

Actor	What it scrapes
Facebook User Posts Scraper	Public posts from Facebook Pages and profiles
Facebook Page Reviews Scraper	Reviews and recommendations on Facebook Pages
Facebook Page Video Downloader	Every video on a Facebook Page
Facebook Media Downloader	Video, reel and photo links from Facebook posts
Facebook Public Group Posts Scraper	Posts from public Facebook groups
Facebook Group Profile Scraper	Facebook group details and member counts
Instagram Profile Scraper	Instagram profiles with email, phone and social links
Google Ads Transparency Center Scraper	Google ads by advertiser or domain
TikTok Ads Scraper	TikTok Creative Center top ads
TikTok Top Ads Scraper	TikTok Creative Center top ads with likes tier and language filters