In this article
Key takeaways
- The official libraries are entirely free: the Meta Ad Library and Google's Ads Transparency Center show Gulf ads; TikTok's and Snapchat's official libraries cover Europe only.
- For TikTok ads in the Gulf use Top Ads in TikTok Creative Center: free, but a curated selection rather than a database.
- Among the global paid tools, only BigSpy has a limited free plan (10 searches a day, published limits checked 6 November 2026); Minea, AdSpy, Pipiads and Foreplay are paid from about $49 (AdSpy about $149).
- GccFY's free plan: 20 searches a day across 1,290,000+ Arabic ads of Gulf stores, with the store page behind each ad.
What "free" means in ad spy tools
Free comes in three kinds here, and mixing them up leads to disappointment:
- The official libraries: published by the platforms themselves (Meta, Google, TikTok, Snapchat, LinkedIn, X) under transparency laws. Free without limits, but they are transparency tools, not market research tools.
- The free plans of paid tools: a limited version of a paid product, built to get you to subscribe later.
- Free searches in a specialised tool: such as GccFY's free plan: a number of searches a day in the full library.
The scary word ("spy") changes nothing: all of these show ads that are published openly. What is not acceptable is copying competitors' images, videos and copy as they are. The full comparison with the paid tools is in Ad spy tools.
The free official libraries, one by one
Meta Ad Library (Facebook and Instagram)
The one that matters most for Gulf stores: every ad active right now on Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, searchable by keyword, Page and country, with platform, media type, status and date filters. It drops a commercial ad when it stops, has no sort by running time, and shows no spend or sales. Full guide: Facebook Ad Library.
Google Ads Transparency Center
Search an advertiser's name or website and see their ads on Search, YouTube and Display, with a region filter (including Saudi Arabia and the UAE), format and date. Useful for the larger stores that pay for Google keywords.
TikTok: an official library for Europe, a Creative Center for the Gulf
TikTok's official library (the Commercial Content Library) covers Europe, Switzerland and the UK only. The free alternative for the Gulf is Top Ads in TikTok Creative Center: a curated set of the best-performing ads, with region, industry and objective filters, and a login to see everything. Details in TikTok ads library.
Snapchat
Snap's public library publishes political and advocacy ads as yearly archive files, plus a gallery of commercial ads in the European Union. There is no library of Snapchat's commercial ads in the Gulf; the workaround is in Snapchat ads.
LinkedIn and X
The LinkedIn Ad Library shows ads in every country and keeps them a year after their last impression; it serves B2B and services more than stores. The X Ads Repository covers the EU only. Every library in one guide: Ad libraries compared.
Table: the free option, what it shows, where it stops
| Free option | What it shows | Its limits |
|---|---|---|
| Meta Ad Library | Every active Facebook and Instagram ad in any country, by keyword and Page | Active ads only; no sort by running time; no store page or platform; no spend |
| Google Ads Transparency Center | An advertiser's Search, YouTube and Display ads, with a region filter | By advertiser or website, not by a word in the ad copy |
| TikTok Creative Center (Top Ads) | A curated set of TikTok's best-performing ads in Saudi Arabia, the UAE and other regions | A selection, not every ad; login to see everything |
| TikTok Commercial Content Library | Every ad in Europe, Switzerland and the UK | No Gulf countries |
| Snapchat's library | Political ads worldwide, commercial ads in the EU | No commercial ads in the Gulf |
| BigSpy (free plan) | Facebook ad creatives, limited search across many networks | 10 searches a day; downloads and advanced research on paid plans (published prices, checked 6 November 2026) |
| GccFY (free plan) | 1,290,000+ Arabic ads of stores in the six Gulf countries, with the store page and running time | 20 searches a day; Facebook and Instagram only; the Gulf only |
The free plans of paid tools: what we can confirm
Only what the tools publish themselves:
- BigSpy really has a free plan. According to its pricing page (checked 6 November 2026): 10 searches a day, 5 video analyses a month, 20 tracked creatives, and Facebook ad creatives; creative downloads and advanced research need a paid plan, the first being Starter at $69 a month ($49 a month billed annually).
- Minea, Pipiads and Foreplay: published October 2026 prices from about $49 a month, and we cannot confirm a permanent free plan for any of them.
- AdSpy: about $149 a month, with no free plan we know of.
Prices change with offers, so check the pricing page before subscribing. The comparison by price and Arabic coverage is in AdSpy and Minea alternatives.
GccFY's free plan: what you get
GccFY is a library of Arabic ads only, from stores selling in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman. The free plan is permanent, needs no card, and gives you 20 searches a day in the full library:
- An Arabic word inside the ad copy, a filter for each of the six countries, and the store platform (Salla, Zid, Shopify, YouCan, WhatsApp…).
- Longest running as a one-click sort, and stopped ads kept: what the Meta library does not give.
- The store page captured behind every ad, with the pixels it carries.
- What it does not do: TikTok and Snapchat (their free libraries are above), and markets outside the Gulf.
If you need more than 20 searches a day, paid plans start from $19 dollars a month.
A free routine in fifteen minutes a day
- Meta Ad Library: search the Pages of your three most important competitors in your country, and note new ads and their start dates.
- GccFY: spend the free searches on a word from your category sorted by longest running; the ad that has run for weeks is the one that sells.
- TikTok Creative Center: once a week, the top ads of your industry in Saudi Arabia for creative ideas.
- Google's Transparency Center: once a month, has the big competitor started paying for Google keywords?
And if you follow a single advertiser, the Meta library alone is enough.
