Search a brand or keyword in Ad Spy

Q: Why is LinkedIn greyed out when I choose Keyword?

LinkedIn can only be searched by brand. Switch Search by back to Brand .

Type a competitor or a topic, pick Meta, Google or LinkedIn, and see the ads they are running right now.

Free and ProFree, no creditsLibrary > Spy (or Home > Ad Spy)

#What it is

Ad Spy shows the ads a competitor is running on Meta, Google and LinkedIn. You search by brand (a website) or by keyword, and the ads appear as a grid of tiles.

TikTok and X are coming soon. You cannot search them yet.

#Who can use it

Everyone, on Free and Pro. The code does not lock searching to Pro, and there is no daily count limit on either plan. You can run up to 3 searches at the same time.

You need a role that is allowed to spend in the workspace (not Viewer or Commenter) to start a search.

#Cost

Free, no credits. Today every live platform searches for 0 credits, and an empty search also costs nothing. The app is built to show you a price before it runs anything, so if a search is ever priced you see the amount and confirm first.

#Where to find it

Open Library in the sidebar. Spy is the first tab and opens by default.
Or open Home and choose the Ad Spy tab, type your search there and press Search ads. You land in Library with your search filled in and it starts on its own.

#Buttons and controls

The Ad Spy search bar in Library with the brand or keyword box, the Search by, Platform, Results and Country menus and the Search button.

#	Name in the app	What it does	Plan
1	Competitor brand or keyword	The search box. For a brand search it asks for a website, for example hubspot.com. For a keyword search it asks for a topic, for example AI ad generator.	Both
2	Search by	Choose Brand or Keyword.	Both
3	Platform	Choose Meta, Google, LinkedIn or All platforms.	Both
4	Results	How many ads to ask for per platform.	Both
5	Country	Limit the ads to one country, or leave it on All countries.	Both
6	Search	Starts the search. While it checks, the button says Checking....	Both
	Cancel	In the quote box Search fresh competitor ads?. Closes it without searching. Shows only when your search finds older stored results.	Both
	Confirm search	In the same box. Refreshes the stored results with a new search.	Both
	Close quote	The X in the corner of the quote box.	Both
	Dismiss	The X on a red message above the results.	Both

#How to search for a brand

Open Library. Spy is already selected.
Leave Search by on Brand.
Type the competitor's website in the search box, for example hubspot.com.
Choose a Platform. Pick All platforms to search Meta, Google and LinkedIn together.
Optional: choose a Results size and a Country.
Choose Search.
Wait while the screen shows the search running. You can leave the page. The search keeps running and the results open here when it is done.

#How to search for a keyword

In Search by, choose Keyword.
Type a topic, for example a product type.
Choose Meta as the Platform, or All platforms.
Choose Search.

Keyword search is for Meta. LinkedIn only searches by brand, so it shows Brand only and cannot be picked while Keyword is on. With All platforms and Keyword, only the platforms that support keyword search run.

#How to search from Home

On Home, choose the Ad Spy tab.
Type a competitor name or website in the Ad Spy search box.
Pick Search by, Platform and Country if you want to change them.
Choose Search ads (the arrow button), or press Enter.
You land on Library > Spy with the search already running.

#Options explained

Search by

Value	What it is for
Brand	Only that company's ads. Type its website, for example hubspot.com.
Keyword	Every advertiser running ads on a topic. Meta only.

Platform

Value	What it searches
Meta	Meta ads. Brand and keyword.
Google	Google ads. Brand search.
LinkedIn	LinkedIn ads. Brand search only.
All platforms	Runs each platform that supports your kind of search and combines the ads.

The Library search bar does not list TikTok or X. Home lists them in its Platform menu, but they are coming soon, so choose Meta, Google or LinkedIn.

Results offers 40, 100 and 200 ads per platform. The first is the default. A larger size takes longer and gives a fuller sweep.

Country lists All countries, India, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, France and Singapore.

#Limits

The search box takes up to 200 characters.
Results per platform: from 40 to 200.
Up to 3 searches can run at once.
A search that is already stored and less than 24 hours old opens at once with no new search.
A search that does not finish waits up to 5 minutes on screen. It keeps going in the background after that.

#When something goes wrong

Message in the app	What it means	What to do
Competitor Spy is coming soon.	Ad Spy is switched off on the server right now.	Try again later. Your Library and saved ads are not affected.
Search not found.	The search you were waiting for no longer exists.	Start the search again.
No platform could run this search. You were not charged.	None of the platforms could start your all platforms search.	Try again in a few minutes.
The search could not finish. You were not charged.	The search failed part way.	Try again.
The search is taking longer than expected. It will continue in the background.	The search ran past the time the screen waits.	Open Recent searches later to see the results.
You already have the maximum number of searches running.	You have reached the number of searches that can run at once.	Wait for one to finish.
This search is already in progress. Please try again in a moment.	The same search is being started by someone else.	Wait a moment and search again.
Competitor Spy is at capacity right now. Please try again later.	The service is busy.	Try again later.
Your workspace role does not permit this action (spend).	Your role in this workspace cannot start searches.	Ask an owner for a role that can spend.
Enter what you want to search for.	An all platforms search had an empty box.	Type a brand or keyword.

#Questions

#Is Ad Spy only for Pro?

No. Free and Pro both search the same three platforms. The code does not lock search to Pro.

#Does a search cost credits?

Today it does not. Every live platform quotes 0 credits. See the costs page.

#Why can I not pick TikTok or X?

They are coming soon. Only Meta, Google and LinkedIn are live.

#Why is LinkedIn greyed out when I choose Keyword?

LinkedIn can only be searched by brand. Switch Search by back to Brand.

#What does a brand search need?

A website such as hubspot.com. It returns only that company's ads.

#Can I leave the page while it searches?

Yes. The search keeps running. When you come back, a banner shows it is still searching and the results open when it finishes.

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Last checked against the app on 26 October 2026. View as Markdown

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