# Facebook Ads Library Scraper (`techionik9993/facebook-ads-library-scraper`) Actor

Scrape public Meta/Facebook Ads Library results with strict caps, multi-keyword batching, no-login browser extraction, and optional monitoring snapshots.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/techionik9993/facebook-ads-library-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Techionik](https://apify.com/techionik9993) (community)
- **Categories:** Social media, Marketing, Automation
- **Stats:** 4 total users, 3 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 1 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## Pricing

from $0.75 / 1,000 ad rows

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/platform/actors/running/actors-in-store#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are a software tools running on the Apify platform, for all kinds of web data extraction and automation use cases.
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.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## 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.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

In JavaScript/TypeScript projects, use official [JavaScript/TypeScript client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js.md):

```bash
npm install apify-client
```

In Python projects, use official [Python client library](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python.md):

```bash
pip install apify-client
```

In shell scripts, use [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md):

````bash
# MacOS / Linux
curl -fsSL https://apify.com/install-cli.sh | bash
# Windows
irm https://apify.com/install-cli.ps1 | iex
```bash

In AI frameworks, you might use the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/platform/integrations/mcp.md).

If your project is in a different language, use the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).


# README

## Facebook Ads Library Scraper

![Facebook Ads Library Scraper hero](./assets/hero.svg)

Scrape public Meta/Facebook Ads Library results by keyword or full Ad Library URL with strict output caps, monitoring snapshots, and cost-aware browser handling.

![Facebook Ads Library Scraper icon](./assets/icon.svg)

### What You Get

- Meta Ads Library ID
- Advertiser/page name when visible
- Active or inactive status
- Start date when visible
- Platform signals such as Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, and WhatsApp
- Parsed ad text
- Direct Ad Library URL for each ad
- Optional change rows for scheduled monitoring

### Why This Actor Is Premium

- It uses the public Meta Ads Library, so users do not need a Facebook login.
- It keeps billing predictable by treating `Max ads` as an upper limit and charging only rows written to the dataset.
- In Apify cloud tests, Meta currently exposes about 18-29 ads per search/query. Use multiple queries or full Ad Library URLs for larger runs.
- It defaults to no proxy, with proxy modes available only when Meta blocks direct access.
- It closes browser resources on errors and uses a 10-minute default timeout to avoid runaway runs.
- It has both whole-run and per-query cost protection, so blocked or slow Meta sessions stop cleanly.
- It stores notices and monitoring snapshots outside the paid dataset.

### Quick Start

1. Add one or more search queries such as `nike`, `shopify`, or `running shoes`.
2. Choose the country and ad status.
3. Keep `Max ads` at 100 for a multi-query run, or lower it for smaller checks.
4. Keep proxy mode on `No proxy` for the lowest cost.
5. Turn on monitoring if you want to track new or changed ads across scheduled runs.

### Search Modes

Use `Search queries` for simple keyword or brand monitoring.

Use `Ad Library URLs` when you need advanced filters. Configure the filters in Meta Ads Library, copy the URL, and paste it into the input.

### Result Limits

`Max ads` is a run-level cap, not a guaranteed count. Meta Ads Library currently exposes about 18-29 ads per search/query in Apify cloud sessions.

- One query usually returns up to about 18-29 ad rows.
- Multiple queries or Ad Library URLs can produce more total rows in one run.
- The Actor never writes more than `Max ads`.
- Users are charged only for rows written to the default dataset.

Cloud benchmark: `nike`, `adidas`, `puma`, and `reebok` with `Max ads` set to 100 produced 98 ad rows in one run without proxy.

### Monitoring And Billing

Monitoring works by saving ad snapshots in a named key-value store.

- First monitoring run creates the baseline.
- Later runs compare ad IDs, status, text, and start date.
- `Output only the changes` writes only new or updated ad rows.
- Internal notices are saved outside the default dataset.
- Users are charged only for rows written to the default dataset.

### Cost Protection And Error Handling

This Actor is designed to fail closed instead of wasting usage.

- `Max run minutes` defaults to 8 and is capped at 10.
- `Max seconds per query or URL` defaults to 120 and is capped at 180.
- Slow navigation, network idle waits, cookie prompts, scrolling, and proxy fallback all respect the remaining run budget.
- If Meta shows a login, captcha, security check, or temporary block, the Actor records a notice outside the paid dataset and moves on.
- Browser pages, contexts, and browsers are closed in cleanup even after errors.
- The Actor exits through Apify's graceful `Actor.exit()` path, not a raw process exit.

For profit protection, keep `Proxy mode` on `No proxy` first. Use `Auto fallback to datacenter` only when direct access is blocked. Residential proxy should be reserved for advanced users who understand the extra proxy cost.

### Pricing

This Actor uses pay-per-event pricing.

- Small start event: `$0.005`
- Standard ad rows: `$1.50 per 1,000 rows`
- Store discounts: down to `$0.75 per 1,000 rows` on higher Apify plans

Billing is row-based. If a single search exposes 24 ads, the user is charged for 24 ad rows, not for the requested maximum.

### Proxy Strategy

Meta can be protective, so this Actor keeps proxy use explicit.

- `No proxy` is the default and cheapest option.
- `Auto fallback to datacenter` tries direct access first, then retries with Apify datacenter proxy if needed.
- In cloud tests, no-proxy runs produced the best results. Proxy modes should be used only when direct access is blocked.
- Residential proxy is the most expensive option and is not recommended unless a user has a specific need.

### Notes

- Results depend on what Meta exposes publicly for the selected country, query, status, and URL filters.
- Broad keywords can have very large public result counts in Meta's UI, but Apify cloud sessions may expose only the first batch for each query.
- Some creative media and landing-page details may not be visible in the public page for every ad.

# Actor input Schema

## `searchQueries` (type: `array`):

Keywords or brand names to search in the public Meta Ads Library. Add multiple queries to collect more total rows in one run.
## `adLibraryUrls` (type: `array`):

Optional full Meta Ads Library URLs. Use this for advanced filters configured in the Ads Library UI.
## `country` (type: `string`):

Two-letter country code used for keyword searches.
## `activeStatus` (type: `string`):

Which ads to search for.
## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Maximum ad rows to write across all sources. Meta currently exposes about 18-29 ads per search in Apify cloud, so use multiple queries or Ad Library URLs for larger runs.
## `monitorChanges` (type: `boolean`):

Save snapshots in a named key-value store and compare ad IDs across scheduled runs.
## `onlyChanges` (type: `boolean`):

When monitoring is enabled, output only new or changed ad rows.
## `proxyMode` (type: `string`):

Use no proxy for lowest cost. Choose Auto or proxy modes only if Meta blocks direct access.
## `proxyCountryCode` (type: `string`):

Optional two-letter country code for residential proxy. Used only when Proxy mode is Residential.
## `includeRawText` (type: `boolean`):

Include the raw text block used for parsing each ad row.
## `maxRunMinutes` (type: `integer`):

Cost protection timeout for the whole run. The Actor stops early instead of waiting forever when Meta stalls or blocks loading.
## `maxSourceSeconds` (type: `integer`):

Cost protection timeout per search query or Ad Library URL. Lower values reduce risk and cost; higher values may collect more rows on slow pages.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "searchQueries": [
    "nike",
    "adidas",
    "puma",
    "reebok"
  ],
  "adLibraryUrls": [
    "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?active_status=active&ad_type=all&country=US&q=nike&search_type=keyword_unordered"
  ],
  "country": "US",
  "activeStatus": "active",
  "maxResults": 100,
  "monitorChanges": false,
  "onlyChanges": false,
  "proxyMode": "none",
  "proxyCountryCode": "",
  "includeRawText": true,
  "maxRunMinutes": 8,
  "maxSourceSeconds": 120
}
````

# Actor output Schema

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

Normal runs contain ad rows. When Output only the changes is enabled, rows contain change events.

# 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 = {};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("techionik9993/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 = {}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("techionik9993/facebook-ads-library-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

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

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

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{}' |
apify call techionik9993/facebook-ads-library-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "mcp-remote",
                "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=techionik9993/facebook-ads-library-scraper",
                "--header",
                "Authorization: Bearer <YOUR_API_TOKEN>"
            ]
        }
    }
}

```

## OpenAPI specification

```json
{
    "openapi": "3.0.1",
    "info": {
        "title": "Facebook Ads Library Scraper",
        "description": "Scrape public Meta/Facebook Ads Library results with strict caps, multi-keyword batching, no-login browser extraction, and optional monitoring snapshots.",
        "version": "0.0",
        "x-build-id": "Oh1iVBAyFC70ZynXr"
    },
    "servers": [
        {
            "url": "https://api.apify.com/v2"
        }
    ],
    "paths": {
        "/acts/techionik9993~facebook-ads-library-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-get-dataset-items-techionik9993-facebook-ads-library-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for its completion, and returns Actor's dataset items in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/techionik9993~facebook-ads-library-scraper/runs": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "runs-sync-techionik9993-facebook-ads-library-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor and returns information about the initiated run in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK",
                        "content": {
                            "application/json": {
                                "schema": {
                                    "$ref": "#/components/schemas/runsResponseSchema"
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        },
        "/acts/techionik9993~facebook-ads-library-scraper/run-sync": {
            "post": {
                "operationId": "run-sync-techionik9993-facebook-ads-library-scraper",
                "x-openai-isConsequential": false,
                "summary": "Executes an Actor, waits for completion, and returns the OUTPUT from Key-value store in response.",
                "tags": [
                    "Run Actor"
                ],
                "requestBody": {
                    "required": true,
                    "content": {
                        "application/json": {
                            "schema": {
                                "$ref": "#/components/schemas/inputSchema"
                            }
                        }
                    }
                },
                "parameters": [
                    {
                        "name": "token",
                        "in": "query",
                        "required": true,
                        "schema": {
                            "type": "string"
                        },
                        "description": "Enter your Apify token here"
                    }
                ],
                "responses": {
                    "200": {
                        "description": "OK"
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    },
    "components": {
        "schemas": {
            "inputSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "searchQueries": {
                        "title": "Search queries",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Keywords or brand names to search in the public Meta Ads Library. Add multiple queries to collect more total rows in one run.",
                        "default": [
                            "nike",
                            "adidas",
                            "puma",
                            "reebok"
                        ],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "adLibraryUrls": {
                        "title": "Ad Library URLs",
                        "type": "array",
                        "description": "Optional full Meta Ads Library URLs. Use this for advanced filters configured in the Ads Library UI.",
                        "default": [],
                        "items": {
                            "type": "string"
                        }
                    },
                    "country": {
                        "title": "Country",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Two-letter country code used for keyword searches.",
                        "default": "US"
                    },
                    "activeStatus": {
                        "title": "Ad status",
                        "enum": [
                            "active",
                            "inactive",
                            "all"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Which ads to search for.",
                        "default": "active"
                    },
                    "maxResults": {
                        "title": "Max ads",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Maximum ad rows to write across all sources. Meta currently exposes about 18-29 ads per search in Apify cloud, so use multiple queries or Ad Library URLs for larger runs.",
                        "default": 100
                    },
                    "monitorChanges": {
                        "title": "Monitor changes since last run",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Save snapshots in a named key-value store and compare ad IDs across scheduled runs.",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "onlyChanges": {
                        "title": "Output only the changes",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "When monitoring is enabled, output only new or changed ad rows.",
                        "default": false
                    },
                    "proxyMode": {
                        "title": "Proxy mode",
                        "enum": [
                            "none",
                            "auto",
                            "datacenter",
                            "residential"
                        ],
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Use no proxy for lowest cost. Choose Auto or proxy modes only if Meta blocks direct access.",
                        "default": "none"
                    },
                    "proxyCountryCode": {
                        "title": "Residential proxy country",
                        "type": "string",
                        "description": "Optional two-letter country code for residential proxy. Used only when Proxy mode is Residential.",
                        "default": ""
                    },
                    "includeRawText": {
                        "title": "Include raw ad text",
                        "type": "boolean",
                        "description": "Include the raw text block used for parsing each ad row.",
                        "default": true
                    },
                    "maxRunMinutes": {
                        "title": "Max run minutes",
                        "minimum": 1,
                        "maximum": 10,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Cost protection timeout for the whole run. The Actor stops early instead of waiting forever when Meta stalls or blocks loading.",
                        "default": 8
                    },
                    "maxSourceSeconds": {
                        "title": "Max seconds per query or URL",
                        "minimum": 30,
                        "maximum": 180,
                        "type": "integer",
                        "description": "Cost protection timeout per search query or Ad Library URL. Lower values reduce risk and cost; higher values may collect more rows on slow pages.",
                        "default": 120
                    }
                }
            },
            "runsResponseSchema": {
                "type": "object",
                "properties": {
                    "data": {
                        "type": "object",
                        "properties": {
                            "id": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "actId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "userId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "startedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "finishedAt": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "format": "date-time",
                                "example": "2025-01-08T00:00:00.000Z"
                            },
                            "status": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "READY"
                            },
                            "meta": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "origin": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "API"
                                    },
                                    "userAgent": {
                                        "type": "string"
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "stats": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "inputBodyLen": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2000
                                    },
                                    "rebootCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "restartCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "resurrectCount": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "computeUnits": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "options": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "build": {
                                        "type": "string",
                                        "example": "latest"
                                    },
                                    "timeoutSecs": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 300
                                    },
                                    "memoryMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1024
                                    },
                                    "diskMbytes": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 2048
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "buildId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultKeyValueStoreId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultDatasetId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "defaultRequestQueueId": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "buildNumber": {
                                "type": "string",
                                "example": "1.0.0"
                            },
                            "containerUrl": {
                                "type": "string"
                            },
                            "usage": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 1
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            },
                            "usageTotalUsd": {
                                "type": "number",
                                "example": 0.00005
                            },
                            "usageUsd": {
                                "type": "object",
                                "properties": {
                                    "ACTOR_COMPUTE_UNITS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATASET_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "number",
                                        "example": 0.00005
                                    },
                                    "KEY_VALUE_STORE_LISTS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_READS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "REQUEST_QUEUE_WRITES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_INTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "DATA_TRANSFER_EXTERNAL_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_RESIDENTIAL_TRANSFER_GBYTES": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    },
                                    "PROXY_SERPS": {
                                        "type": "integer",
                                        "example": 0
                                    }
                                }
                            }
                        }
                    }
                }
            }
        }
    }
}
```