Guides

Best Facebook Ad Spy Tools for SaaS

Honest comparison based on analyzing 14,500+ SaaS ad campaigns. Which tool actually helps you validate ideas vs. just collect screenshots?

Quick Answer

If you're a SaaS founder: Start with Meta Ad Library (free) for quick checks. Use a specialized SaaS tool for revenue validation. Generic ad spy tools like AdSpy are overkill—they're built for e-commerce/affiliates, not SaaS research.

What SaaS Founders Actually Need

Most ad spy tools are built for a different use case: e-commerce brands looking for winning product ads. SaaS founders have different questions:

E-commerce Focus
  • • What products are trending?
  • • What creative angles work?
  • • Which suppliers to use?
SaaS Focus
  • • Is this niche actually profitable?
  • • What's competitor MRR?
  • • Are they scaling or dying?

Based on tracking 14,500+ SaaS companies via Meta ads, here's what we've learned: ad spend patterns are strong signals for business health. A SaaS consistently spending $10K+/month on Meta ads is almost certainly profitable—no one sustains that spend otherwise.

Tool-by-Tool Comparison

Proven SaaS

SaaS IntelligenceSaaS-Focused
Best for:Validating SaaS ideas, estimating competitor revenue
Pricing:Paid subscription
Pros
  • + 14,500+ SaaS tracked
  • + Revenue estimates from ad data
  • + Tech stacks & funnels included
  • + Hourly updates
Cons
  • SaaS-only (not e-commerce)
  • Paid access required

Verdict: Purpose-built for SaaS founders who need revenue validation, not just creative inspiration.

Visit Proven SaaS

Meta Ad Library

Free Official Tool
Best for:Quick competitor checks, verifying active ads
Pricing:Free
Pros
  • + Free & official source
  • + Real-time active ads
  • + No signup required
Cons
  • No historical data
  • No revenue/spend insights
  • No filtering by industry

Verdict: Essential starting point but lacks depth for serious SaaS research.

Visit Meta Ad Library

Panoramata

Marketing Intelligence
Best for:Creative inspiration, email/landing page tracking
Pricing:From $49/mo
Pros
  • + Tracks email + ads + landing pages
  • + Good for DTC/e-commerce
  • + Clean interface
Cons
  • Limited revenue data
  • Not SaaS-focused
  • Expensive for indie founders

Verdict: Solid for creative research but doesn't tell you if a SaaS is actually profitable.

Visit Panoramata

AdSpy

Ad Database
Best for:Finding historical ad creatives, affiliate marketing
Pricing:~$149/mo
Pros
  • + Massive historical database
  • + Advanced filters
  • + Good for e-commerce
Cons
  • No SaaS categorization
  • No revenue estimates
  • Pricey for SaaS use case

Verdict: Powerful but designed for e-commerce, not SaaS research.

Visit AdSpy

Foreplay

Creative Workflow
Best for:Saving/organizing ads for creative teams
Pricing:From $49/mo
Pros
  • + Great for teams
  • + Chrome extension
  • + AI creative analysis
Cons
  • Not a discovery tool
  • No performance data
  • Requires other tools for research

Verdict: Excellent for organizing research, not for discovering opportunities.

Visit Foreplay

What We've Learned from 14,500+ SaaS Campaigns

$3,340
Median B2B SaaS monthly ad spend
1.3-1.8x
Sustainable ROAS threshold
47.6%
Advertisers still pre-revenue

Why this matters: When you see a SaaS spending $10K+/month consistently on Meta ads, you're looking at validated demand. They wouldn't sustain that spend without positive unit economics.

Generic ad spy tools show you the ads—but can't tell you if the business behind them is actually working. That gap is why we built Proven SaaS: to connect ad activity to business outcomes.

Which Tool Should You Use?

1

"I want to validate a SaaS idea before building"

→ Use a SaaS-focused tool with revenue estimates. You need to know if the market is profitable, not just active.

2

"I need creative inspiration for my ads"

→ Meta Ad Library (free) + Foreplay for organization. No need to pay $150/mo for this use case.

3

"I want to track competitor marketing holistically"

→ Panoramata covers ads + emails + landing pages. Good for creative teams, less useful for business validation.

4

"I'm doing e-commerce/dropshipping research"

→ AdSpy or BigSpy. These are built for finding winning products, not SaaS opportunities.

Quick Comparison

ToolPriceRevenue DataSaaS FocusBest For
Proven SaaSPaidVery HighSaaS validation
Meta Ad LibraryFreeLowQuick checks
PanoramataFrom $49/moLimitedMediumCreative teams
AdSpy$149/moLowE-commerce
ForeplayFrom $49/moMediumAd organization

See which SaaS are actually profitable

14,500+ SaaS with revenue estimates, ad spend data, and full funnel breakdowns. Stop guessing, start validating.

Explore Proven SaaS