Google Search Ads Spy Tools: What to Know in 2025

A Google Search Ads spy tool lets you see which ads your competitors are running, what keywords they’re targeting, and even estimates of how much they’re spending. These tools help you spot gaps in your strategy, find new keyword ideas, and improve your ad copy based on what’s already live in the market.

In this article, we’ll cover: 

• What a Google Search Ads spy tool is and what it does
• 5 top Google spy tools
• How Bestever can complement spy tools
• Common questions

Let’s first start with an overview of the Google Search ads spy tools.

What is a Google Search Ads spy tool?

A Google Search ads spy tool is a form of digital intelligence that gives you insights into your competitors’ search ad strategies. The best tools focus on gathering publicly available information, such as the keywords competitors are bidding on, the ads they’re running, and estimated spending patterns.

It’s important to be selective when choosing a tool, though. While reputable options stick to public data, some lesser-known tools may make misleading claims or attempt to access information that should remain private.

Marketers, media buyers, and agencies use spy tools to make informed decisions based on real market activity. Instead of relying only on keyword planners or guesswork, you can see exactly how others are positioning themselves in live search results.

By understanding competitor approaches, you can:

• Write better ad copy
  
• Target smarter keyword combinations
  
• Identify gaps in the market
  
• Avoid wasted spend on overcrowded or low-performing keywords

Is it legal to spy on competitors’ ads?

Using a Google Search ads spy tool is generally legal when the tool collects publicly available data. However, legality can depend on the tool’s methods and local regulations. Reputable tools avoid scraping practices that violate site terms of service and follow ethical standards. If you’re not sure if a tool is compliant, it’s a good idea to check the details or consult legal counsel.

What can you see with a spy tool?

Most tools give you a solid snapshot of your competitor’s search ad strategy. You won’t see conversions or performance results, but you will see what they’re actively running.

Here’s a quick breakdown of the most common features and what they show:

Can you see exact copy from your competitors?

In most cases, yes. These tools typically show you the actual headlines and descriptions that appeared in Google Search results. Some tools like you view multiple versions of the same ad and even track how the copy changes over time.

5 Best Google Ads spy tools

Not all spy tools are built the same. These five are great for tracking competitor ad copy, keywords, and spend, so you can plan informed campaigns. Each one has its own strengths, and pairing them with Bestever gives you a more complete view of what to do next. Let’s take a look at the tools below:

1. SpyFu: Best for keyword-focused competitive research

SpyFu is a long-standing tool that lets you dig into your competitors’ Google Ads history. Just type in a domain, and you’ll see the keywords they’re bidding on, the ads they’ve run, and how long they’ve been running them.

What makes it different

SpyFu stands out for giving you visibility into keyword targeting and ad copy history over time. You can spot which campaigns competitors have been running longer, which is often a signal of success. While SpyFu also provides estimated ad spend, these numbers are modeled and should be used for general benchmarking rather than exact tracking.

Here are some of SpyFu’s unique features:

• Full keyword lists with estimated monthly clicks
  
• Ad history for every keyword and domain
  
• Side-by-side comparisons with your own site
  
• Google Ads Advisor suggestions based on gaps in your competitors' strategy

Best use cases

SpyFu is ideal if you want to study how your competitors have approached search ads over time. It's especially helpful for spotting high-value keywords that competitors continue to invest in, which is often a signal those terms are delivering results. You can also use it to find seasonal trends, track changes in messaging, and uncover missed keyword opportunities your brand can target.

SpyFu pricing

Plans start at $39 per month for basic access and go up depending on how many results and features you need.

2. PowerAdSpy: Best for seeing multi-platform ad creatives

PowerAdSpy is a competitive ad tracking tool that covers multiple platforms, including Google, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and more. 

While it does provide visibility into Google search ads, its strength lies in visual ad tracking across social platforms. If you want creative inspiration from Facebook, Instagram, or YouTube, PowerAdSpy offers a wide range of examples to benchmark and study.

What makes it different

It’s one of the few tools that let you filter by ad position, so you can see whether an ad appeared in the top spot or further down the page. It’s also built with a strong visual focus, making it easier to scan and save ads for creative inspiration.

Here are some of PowerAdSpy’s unique features:

• Filter ads by ad position, keyword, or date range
  
• View actual landing pages linked to the ads
  
• Save ads to personal collections for later reference
  
• Covers multiple platforms in one dashboard

Best use cases

PowerAdSpy works well when you're looking for creative inspiration across search and social platforms. If you want to see what kind of ad copy is ranking in the top spots or how competitors are connecting their ads to landing pages, this tool gives you a visual way to explore that. 

It’s a solid choice for creative teams and strategists who want a quick overview of what’s trending across channels, not just Google.

If you’re looking for more inspiration for creatives, consider checking out AdCreative, which offers an Ad Inspiration bank full of over two billion ads.

PowerAdSpy Pricing

PowerAdSpy allows you to pay a small amount of money to try their plans — basic costs are $1 to try for 3 days, while all the other plans cost $7 each to try for 7 days. After the initial period, the basic plan starts at $69 per month for access to data from Facebook, Instagram, Google, and YouTube.

3. AdSpyder: Best for tracking ads by industry or location

AdSpyder is a competitive intelligence tool that focuses on tracking search ads across industries, platforms, and even geographic regions. For Google search, it shows live and historical ad data, making it easier to analyze who’s advertising in your niche or area.

What makes it different

What sets AdSpyder apart is its detailed filtering. You can sort ads by industry, keyword, domain, or even city. That makes it especially handy for local businesses or agencies running campaigns in specific markets.

Here are some of AdSpyder’s unique features: 

• Industry and location-based ad filtering
  
• Competitor keyword mapping
  
• Landing page previews and analysis
  
• Timeline view for tracking ad consistency

Best use cases

AdSpyder is a strong option if you’re managing local or niche campaigns. Whether you’re looking to dominate a regional market or understand how others in your industry write their ad copy, this tool helps you narrow your research. It’s also helpful for spotting when new competitors enter your space or existing ones shift their messaging.

AdSpyder pricing

AdSpyder offers a free trial for one week, then the basic plan starts at $49 per month to search and analyze up to 10,000 ads.

4. Semrush: Best for combining SEO and paid search insights

Semrush is known as a go-to SEO platform, but its Advertising Toolkit includes features for researching paid search ads too. You can track competitor ad copy, keyword targeting, and even compare ad strategies across multiple domains, all within the same dashboard.

What makes it different

What makes Semrush stand out is its ability to bring everything together (SEO, PPC, display, and competitive research) in one place. If you’re already using it for organic keyword tracking or backlink audits, you’ll find it convenient to layer in paid search research without switching tools.

Here are some of Semrush Advertising Toolkit’s unique features: 

• Ad history by keyword or domain
  
• Visual breakdown of ad placements and formats
  
• Keyword gap and domain comparison tools
  
• Google Ads competitor analysis with side-by-side performance metrics

Best use cases

Semrush is ideal if you want to combine organic and paid strategies in your planning. It’s especially helpful for agencies or in-house teams doing Google Ads competitor analysis across multiple brands. You can easily spot which keywords competitors are using for paid versus organic and use that data to refine your bidding strategy or identify gaps in your content.

Semrush pricing

This tool has a limited free version. If you’d like access to more features, the Pro plan starts at $139 per month for 5 projects, 500 keywords to track, and 10,000 results per report. Access to the full Advertising Toolkit may require a higher-tiered plan or paid add-ons.

5. iSpionage: Best for competitor landing page and funnel analysis

iSpionage is one of the more advanced PPC spy tools built to help you understand not just what ads your competitors are running, but how those ads connect to the rest of their funnel. You can see the full customer journey from keyword to ad copy to landing page.

What makes it different

iSpionage doesn’t just show you ad copy and keywords, it also gives you cached snapshots of competitor landing pages. You can check out how they set up their pages, what offers they highlight, and how they guide visitors to take action. 

Just a heads-up: Because these are cached versions, you might not see every live A/B test a competitor is running, but it’s still a really useful way to study their overall strategy.

Here are some of iSpionage’s unique features:

• Competitor landing page tracking and screenshots
  
• Keyword effectiveness index (KEI)
  
• Funnel and campaign monitoring
  
• Side-by-side competitor comparisons

Best use cases

iSpionage is great for marketers who want to understand how competitors are turning clicks into conversions. It’s especially useful if you’re doing deeper research, like studying full campaigns or building client reports. You can track what your competitors are testing, how often they’re changing ads or pages, and where they’re directing traffic.

iSpionage pricing

iSpionage does not offer a free trial. Instead, it offers a 30-day money-back guarantee for new users (as long as you don’t exceed 1,000 keywords downloaded). Then, pricing starts at $59 per month for the starter plan, with 5 competitor keyword alerts.

How Bestever complements your spy stack

PPC spy tools help you see what others are doing. Bestever’s creative analytics helps you improve what you’re doing. Together, they give you both Google Ads transparency and creative performance insights so you can research smarter and build better campaigns.

Here’s how they work side by side:

Let’s say you’re using SpyFu to do some keyword research and get a sense of what ads are showing up for your top terms. Tools like this help you see who’s bidding on what, how much they’re spending, and what kind of messaging they’re using. That gives you a clear picture of the competitive landscape.

From there, Bestever helps you shift the focus to your own campaigns. Once your ad is live, Bestever scores your creative, identifies weak spots, flags creative fatigue, and gives suggestions to improve performance, such as tweaking your call to action or changing the opening visual in your video. This way, you can have a more well-rounded campaign which may help you greatly improve your ad performance.

Frequently asked questions

How accurate are tools like SpyFu?

Spy tools provide estimates based on publicly available data, scraping, and trend modeling. They won’t give you exact budgets or performance metrics, but they’re accurate enough to spot keyword targets, messaging patterns, and ad timing.

What’s the difference between SpyFu and Semrush?

SpyFu focuses specifically on paid search and keyword history, while Semrush combines SEO, PPC, and content tools under one platform. If you want deep competitive insights just for Google Ads, SpyFu is more specialized. If you want to combine organic and paid research, Semrush might be a better fit.

What’s the best way to combine spy data with creative testing?

Start with a spy tool to see which keywords and messages competitors are leaning into. Then, you can use that insight to shape your own ad. Once your ad is live, run it through Bestever to get performance feedback and creative suggestions.

How do I know what keywords competitors are bidding on?

Most spy tools let you enter a competitor’s domain and see a list of keywords they’re targeting, along with estimated rankings and ad history. You can also search by keyword to see which brands are bidding on it right now.

What kind of data does Bestever analyze?

Bestever analyzes your ad creatives like images, videos, copy, and structure. It scores performance, identifies what’s working or underperforming, and gives you suggestions to improve based on past campaign data.

How Bestever can work with your ad spy tool

Using Google Search ads spy tools, once called Adwords spy tools, helps you see what competitors are doing, but that’s only half the picture. Once you’ve gathered inspiration or identified trends, you still need to figure out if your own ads are actually working. That’s where Bestever can help. 

We use AI to analyze your creatives and tell you why one’s working and the other isn’t. Here’s how: 

• Analyze your ads' effectiveness: Bestever’s Ad Analysis Dashboard gives you instant feedback on an ad's visual impact, brand alignment, sales orientation, and audience engagement. It’ll even break down each element in detail. 
  ‍
• Get suggestions to improve every frame: If an ad isn’t hitting the mark, ask Bestever to tell you what’s wrong and get instant actionable suggestions on what to do to fix it. No more guessing or wasting time — your team can start fixing those issues asap. 
  ‍
• Understand your audience: Bestever’s audience analysis tools go beyond sharing standard demographics, helping refine both targeting and messaging. You can share your website URL or integrate it with your ad manager, and it’ll quickly let you know who wants to hear more from you. 
  ‍
• Rapid asset generation: Fetch AI-generated images, stock photos, and video clips that all fit your brand voice. Then you can share the creatives with your team to make multiple ad variations faster.
  ‍‍
• Instant feedback loop: Know immediately why an ad variant underperforms, then pivot before wasting your budget.

Want to know if your Google search ad creative is actually working? Let Bestever break down your ad copy and visuals to get clear, data-backed suggestions on how you can improve performance and drive better results, starting today.

Schedule a free demo of Bestever now.