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

Scrape Meta Ad Library ads (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads) by keyword, advertiser page or Ad Library URL: ad text, headline, CTA, landing page, images, videos, carousel cards, run dates and platforms.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse/facebook-ads-library-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Roman](https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse) (community)
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.60 / 1,000 ad records

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

Scrape ads from the **Meta Ad Library** (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, Audience Network) by **keyword**, **advertiser page** or any **Ad Library URL**, and get clean, structured data: ad text, headline, CTA, landing page, images, videos, carousel cards, run dates and platforms.

No login, no cookies, no browser. It uses the same API the Ad Library website uses, so it is fast and cheap: about 1,000 ads in under 2 minutes. Pair it with the [Google Ads Transparency Scraper](https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse/google-ads-transparency-scraper) to see a competitor's ads on Google and Meta side by side.

What you get for every ad:

- ✍️ **Ad copy**: primary text, headline, link description, caption, call-to-action text and type.
- 🔗 **Landing page URL**: where the ad sends people.
- 🖼️ **Media**: preview image, all image URLs, HD video URLs and video thumbnails.
- 🎠 **Carousel and dynamic ads**: every card with its own title, text, link and media. Catalog templates like `{{product.name}}` are replaced with real product names.
- 📅 **Run dates**: start date, end date, days active, active or not. Ads that run for months are usually the winners.
- 📱 **Platforms**: Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads, Audience Network.
- 🏢 **Advertiser**: page name, ID, URL, categories, likes and profile picture.
- 🗳️ **Political and issue ads**: spend range, impressions range, currency and "Paid for by" line.
- 🤖 **AI label**: whether Meta marks the media as digitally created or altered.
- 🇪🇺 **EU reach, demographics and targeting** (optional): people reached in the EU, UK and Brazil, a breakdown by country, age and gender, the targeted locations, gender and ages, payer and beneficiary, plus the advertiser's Instagram account and followers.
- 🔔 **Monitoring**: give a search a name and schedule it. Each run returns only ads you have not seen yet, so you pay only for new ones.

### Use cases

- **Competitor research**: see every ad a competitor runs right now and which creatives have run the longest.
- **Ad copy swipe files**: export hundreds of hooks, headlines and CTAs from a niche into a spreadsheet.
- **Creative inspiration**: collect the video and image URLs of the top ads in your market.
- **Agency pitches and audits**: show a prospect what their competitors run, by country and platform.
- **Dropshipping and e-commerce**: find products that brands keep advertising for weeks.
- **Political ad monitoring**: track spend and impressions of issue and election ads.

### Input

| Field | Description |
|---|---|
| `queries` | One per line: a keyword (`running shoes`), a page URL (`https://www.facebook.com/nike`), a page ID (`15087023444`) or an Ad Library URL copied from your browser |
| `country` | Two-letter country code where the ads were shown (`US`, `DE`…) or `ALL` |
| `activeStatus` | Active ads, inactive ads, or both |
| `adType` | All ads, or issues, elections and politics (adds spend and impressions) |
| `mediaType` | Images, videos, memes, no media, or all |
| `platforms` | Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Audience Network, Threads (empty = all) |
| `exactPhrase` | Match the keyword as an exact phrase |
| `languages` | Ad language codes (`en`, `es`…) |
| `dateFrom` / `dateTo` | Only ads shown in this date range |
| `includeAdDetails` | Add EU/UK/Brazil reach, demographics, targeting, payer and beneficiary, and the linked Instagram account (one extra request per ad) |
| `monitorName` | Name a search to get only new ads on each run (see Monitoring new ads) |
| `maxAdsPerQuery` | Limit per input line (0 = everything) |
| `maxConcurrency` | How many queries run in parallel |

```json
{
  "queries": ["running shoes", "https://www.facebook.com/nike"],
  "country": "US",
  "activeStatus": "active",
  "platforms": ["instagram"],
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 200
}
```

When you paste an Ad Library URL, its filters (country, status, media type, platforms, languages, dates, search type) are used, so you can set up a search on the website and copy the address bar.

### Output example

```json
{
  "query": "protein powder",
  "adArchiveId": "28415581214739236",
  "adLibraryUrl": "https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=28415581214739236",
  "pageId": "139311472851666",
  "pageName": "Bigbasket",
  "pageUrl": "https://facebook.com/Bigbasketcom",
  "pageCategories": ["Shopping"],
  "pageLikeCount": 825682,
  "isActive": true,
  "startDate": "2026-09-01",
  "endDate": "2026-10-16",
  "daysActive": 46,
  "publisherPlatforms": ["FACEBOOK", "INSTAGRAM", "AUDIENCE_NETWORK", "MESSENGER", "THREADS"],
  "displayFormat": "DPA",
  "body": "Shop from over 30,000+ products & get groceries delivered at your doorstep. Install the bigbasket app & Shop now!",
  "title": "Epigamia Greek Yogurt - Vanilla Bean 85 g Cup",
  "caption": "play.google.com",
  "linkUrl": "http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bigbasket.mobileapp",
  "ctaText": "Install now",
  "ctaType": "INSTALL_MOBILE_APP",
  "previewImageUrl": "https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/581959359_..._n.jpg",
  "imageUrls": ["https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.35426-6/581959359_..._n.jpg"],
  "videoUrls": [],
  "cards": [
    {"title": "Epigamia Greek Yogurt - Vanilla Bean 85 g Cup", "body": "Shop from over 30,000+ products...",
     "linkUrl": "http://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bigbasket.mobileapp", "imageUrl": "https://scontent.xx.fbcdn.net/..."}
  ],
  "collationCount": 1,
  "containsAiGeneratedMedia": false
}
```

Political and issue ads also include `byline`, `currency`, `spend` (for example `"100-199"`) and `impressions`.

#### With `includeAdDetails`

Meta publishes reach and demographics for every ad shown in the **EU** (Digital Services Act), the **UK** and **Brazil**, not only for political ads. With `includeAdDetails` on, each such ad also gets:

```json
{
  "euTotalReach": 9014345,
  "ukTotalReach": 2493788,
  "targetsEu": true,
  "audienceLocations": [{"name": "Italy", "type": "countries", "excluded": false}, {"name": "Netherlands", "type": "countries", "excluded": false}, {"name": "Spain", "type": "countries", "excluded": false}, {"name": "Poland", "type": "countries", "excluded": false}, {"name": "France", "type": "countries", "excluded": false}, {"name": "Germany", "type": "countries", "excluded": false}],
  "audienceGender": "All",
  "audienceAgeMin": 18,
  "audienceAgeMax": 65,
  "reachByCountry": {"GB": 2492528, "FR": 2210082, "DE": 1647371},
  "reachByGender": {"male": 6313826, "female": 5228999, "unknown": 136635},
  "reachByAge": {"18-24": 1208148, "25-34": 4004398, "35-44": 3684762},
  "reachBreakdown": [{"region": "EU", "country": "DE", "ageRange": "18-24", "male": 111268, "female": 69215, "unknown": 2817}],
  "payer": "NIKE, Inc.",
  "beneficiary": "NIKE, Inc.",
  "pageInstagramUsername": "nike",
  "pageInstagramFollowers": 290970338
}
```

Ads that were never shown in the EU, UK or Brazil have no such data. They still get the Instagram fields, and you are **not charged** the detail fee for them.

### Monitoring new ads

Track competitors without paying twice for the same ads:

1. Fill in `queries` and filters as usual and set `monitorName`, for example `competitors-de`.
2. Save the input as a Task and add an Apify **Schedule** (daily or weekly).
3. The first run returns every matching ad. Each later run with the same `monitorName` returns only ads that earlier runs have not returned. Old ads are skipped and **not charged**.

Connect a webhook or the Slack / email integration to the Task to get new ads delivered. The list of seen ads is stored in the `facebook-ads-monitor` key-value store in your account. To start over, use a new `monitorName` or delete its record from that store.

### Pricing

Pay per result: **$0.60 per 1,000 ads**. No extra fee per run beyond the Apify default.

EU reach and demographics (`includeAdDetails`): **+$0.75 per 1,000 ads that have them**. Ads without EU, UK or Brazil data are not charged this fee.

Set a maximum cost per run in the Apify Console, and the scraper stops cleanly when it is reached.

### Tips

- Keep Apify Proxy with the **Residential** group, which is the default. Traffic is tiny, about 3 MB per 1,000 ads.
- Meta returns about 10 ads per request, so 1,000 ads take about 100 requests. Run several queries at once to go faster.
- Big brands have thousands of ads. Narrow with `country`, `platforms`, `mediaType` and dates, or set `maxAdsPerQuery`.
- New Facebook pages have a profile ID in the URL that differs from the Ad Library page ID. The scraper resolves it automatically, but if a page returns nothing, open its "Page transparency" section or Ad Library page and paste that URL instead.
- In monitor mode `maxAdsPerQuery` counts all ads checked, new and old. Leave it at 0 or set it above the advertiser's total so new ads are not missed.
- To get a single ad, paste its link: `https://www.facebook.com/ads/library/?id=<ad ID>`.

### Integrations, API and MCP

**REST API.** Run the Actor and get the results in one call (replace `YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN`; it's in Console → Settings → API & Integrations):

```bash
curl -X POST "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/wakeful_outhouse~facebook-ads-library-scraper/run-sync-get-dataset-items" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"queries": ["https://www.facebook.com/nike"], "country": "US", "maxAdsPerQuery": 50}'
```

**Python** (`pip install apify-client`):

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

client = ApifyClient("YOUR_APIFY_TOKEN")
run = client.actor("wakeful_outhouse/facebook-ads-library-scraper").call(run_input={"queries": ["https://www.facebook.com/nike"], "country": "US", "maxAdsPerQuery": 50})
for item in client.dataset(run["defaultDatasetId"]).iterate_items():
    print(item)
```

**AI agents (MCP).** Give Claude, Cursor or any MCP client this Actor as a tool through the Apify MCP server:

- hosted: `https://mcp.apify.com?tools=wakeful_outhouse/facebook-ads-library-scraper`
- local: `npx -y @apify/actors-mcp-server --actors wakeful_outhouse/facebook-ads-library-scraper` (set `APIFY_TOKEN`)

**No-code.** Use the Apify integrations for **Make, Zapier, n8n, Google Sheets, Slack** and **webhooks**: for example, run the Actor on a Schedule and send each new competitor ad to a Slack channel or append the ad copy to a Google Sheet. All formats are available as JSON, CSV, Excel and HTML from the dataset.

### More ad-intelligence tools

Same author, same data format, same pay-per-result pricing:

- [Google Ads Transparency Scraper](https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse/google-ads-transparency-scraper) — ad copy, YouTube IDs, impressions and regions from the Google Ads Transparency Center.
- [Google Trends Scraper](https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse/google-trends-scraper) — interest over time, interest by region, related queries and today's trending searches by country, to see which keywords are rising.
- [LinkedIn Ad Library Scraper](https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse/linkedin-ad-library-scraper) — B2B ad copy, CTAs, landing pages, media, impressions by country and targeting from the LinkedIn Ad Library.

All tools: https://apify.com/wakeful_outhouse

### FAQ

**Is it legal?** The Meta Ad Library is a public database Meta publishes so anyone can inspect ads. The scraper collects only what the website shows publicly without logging in. You are responsible for how you use the data.

**Why are spend and impressions empty?** Meta publishes spend and impressions only for political and issue ads. Set `adType` to issues, elections and politics to get them. For any ad shown in the EU, UK or Brazil you can get the number of people reached and the demographics with `includeAdDetails`.

**Why does a keyword return ads that don't contain it?** Meta matches any of the words and related terms. Turn on `exactPhrase` for stricter matching.

**Something broke?** Open an issue on the Issues tab with the run link. Fixes usually ship within a day.

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

One per line. A keyword (<code>running shoes</code>), a Facebook page URL (<code>https://www.facebook.com/nike</code>), a numeric page ID (<code>15087023444</code>), or any Meta Ad Library URL copied from your browser (its filters are used).

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

Two-letter code of the country where the ads were shown (<code>US</code>, <code>DE</code>, <code>GB</code>…) or <code>ALL</code>.

## `activeStatus` (type: `string`):

Running ads only, stopped ads only, or both.

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

Political and issue ads also include spend, impressions and the Paid for by line.

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

Only ads with this kind of media.

## `platforms` (type: `array`):

Only ads shown on these platforms. Empty means all.

## `exactPhrase` (type: `boolean`):

Match keywords as an exact phrase instead of any of their words.

## `languages` (type: `array`):

Two-letter language codes of the ad text (<code>en</code>, <code>es</code>…). Empty means all.

## `dateFrom` (type: `string`):

Only ads that had impressions on or after this date.

## `dateTo` (type: `string`):

Only ads that had impressions on or before this date.

## `includeAdDetails` (type: `boolean`):

For ads shown in the EU, UK or Brazil, add people reached, a breakdown by country, age and gender, targeted locations, gender and ages, and payer and beneficiary. Also adds the linked Instagram account. Makes one extra request per ad. Charged per ad only when Meta publishes this data for it.

## `monitorName` (type: `string`):

Turn on monitoring: give this search any name, for example <code>competitors-de</code>. Each run then saves only ads that earlier runs with the same name have not returned, so you pay only for new ads. Use it with an Apify Schedule. The first run returns everything. The list of seen ads is kept in the <code>facebook-ads-monitor</code> key-value store of your account. Leave empty for a normal run.

## `maxAdsPerQuery` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many ads for each input line. 0 means no limit. In monitor mode this counts all ads checked, new and already seen.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

How many queries run in parallel.

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

Residential proxy is recommended.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "running shoes",
    "https://www.facebook.com/nike"
  ],
  "country": "US",
  "activeStatus": "active",
  "adType": "all",
  "mediaType": "all",
  "platforms": [],
  "exactPhrase": false,
  "languages": [],
  "includeAdDetails": false,
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 30,
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `ads` (type: `string`):

All scraped ads with text, media, landing pages, run dates and platforms

# 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 = {
    "queries": [
        "running shoes",
        "https://www.facebook.com/nike"
    ],
    "country": "US",
    "maxAdsPerQuery": 30,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": true,
        "apifyProxyGroups": [
            "RESIDENTIAL"
        ]
    }
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("wakeful_outhouse/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 = {
    "queries": [
        "running shoes",
        "https://www.facebook.com/nike",
    ],
    "country": "US",
    "maxAdsPerQuery": 30,
    "proxyConfiguration": {
        "useApifyProxy": True,
        "apifyProxyGroups": ["RESIDENTIAL"],
    },
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("wakeful_outhouse/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 '{
  "queries": [
    "running shoes",
    "https://www.facebook.com/nike"
  ],
  "country": "US",
  "maxAdsPerQuery": 30,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true,
    "apifyProxyGroups": [
      "RESIDENTIAL"
    ]
  }
}' |
apify call wakeful_outhouse/facebook-ads-library-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,wakeful_outhouse/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/RngPFLZyCGO3xgPbI/builds/vIZQi2VLz0PUpjR4P/openapi.json