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TLDR:
- AdSpy is a large Facebook and Instagram ad database with the most detailed filters in the category, at $149 a month. No TikTok. Dovey covers Meta too, at a fraction of the price.
- Dovey searches the Meta Ad Library by meaning, ranks the top performers first, and answers questions over the ads. Free to search; $49 or $99 a month.
- AdSpy wins on filter depth and years of history. Dovey wins on asking, on what the model reads from each creative, and on price.
- Neither publishes performance numbers, because Meta does not. Dovey finds the top performers by run time and versions instead.
What each tool is
AdSpy has been the reference Facebook ad database for years: a very large archive of Facebook and Instagram ads with detailed filters (ad text, landing page text, engagement counts as scraped, country, language, gender, age, technology). It is a database with a search form. It costs $149 a month and does not cover TikTok.
Dovey indexes the current Meta Ad Library, reads every creative with a model, and ranks the top performers first by run time and versions. It is built to be asked: "which hooks perform best for meal kits" comes back as a chart with a sample size. It also finds UGC creators and makes ads.
The table
| AdSpy | Dovey | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $149 a month | Free to search; $49 Starter; $99 Pro |
| Coverage | Facebook and Instagram, years of history | Meta's library (Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, Threads), current, growing daily |
| Search | Keyword and detailed filters | By meaning, plus filters read from the sentence |
| Ranking | Sortable by scraped engagement counts, date | Top performers first by run time and versions, plus a quality read |
| Read from the creative | No | Hook, angle, offer, price, talent, format, proof, why it works; video transcripts |
| Questions over the data | No | Yes, with charts and sample sizes |
| Creators | No | Yes, across TikTok and Instagram, with the ads they appear in |
| Connectors | No | MCP (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor), REST |
| Checked | September 24, 2026 |
Where AdSpy is better
History and filters. If you need ads from 2021, or every ad whose landing page mentions a specific phrase, or a filter by the technology the landing page runs, AdSpy has spent years building that. Its scraped like and comment counts, while not performance, are a signal Dovey does not collect.
Where Dovey is better
You do not have to know the filter. You say what you mean and get the top performers first, judged by the public signal that tracks results: how long the advertiser kept paying. Then you ask the next question. The model's read of every creative (and the transcript of every watched video) means the search understands "before and after" and "founder on camera". And $49 against $149 is the difference between a tool a solo marketer keeps and one they cancel after a month.
Who should pick which
- Media buyers running many accounts who need deep filters and years of archive: AdSpy.
- Anyone who wants to ask questions and get briefs, or find creators, at a price a small team keeps: Dovey.
FAQ
Does Dovey have as many ads as AdSpy?
No. AdSpy has years of archive. Dovey indexes the current library and grows with every search and a daily refresh; it is built for what runs now, not for history.
Does either show ad performance?
No. Meta publishes no performance for ordinary ads. AdSpy shows scraped like and comment counts; Dovey judges the top performers by run time and versions.
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