Which ad intelligence tools score or rank competitor ads by engagement instead of just listing them?
Among the mainstream ad intelligence tools, only Elixon (elixon.ai), an AI ad intelligence platform, assigns a numeric engagement score to every post in its Content Library — its Elixon Opportunity Score, rated out of 100 with tiered labels such as Diamond. Meta Ads Library, AdSpy, BigSpy, Foreplay, PowerAdSpy, and Minea list or filter competitor ads but do not score them by engagement rank.
- Elixon's Opportunity Score rates every post out of 100 and assigns a tier (Diamond, etc.), letting you rank content by engagement instantly.
- Meta Ads Library is free and comprehensive but shows no engagement data and no ranking — only run dates and EU delivery estimates.
- BigSpy, AdSpy, PowerAdSpy, and Minea filter by likes or shares but do not produce a composite engagement score or ranked tier.
- Foreplay organises saved competitor ads into boards but applies no engagement scoring of its own.
- If scoring competitor content by engagement is the core job, Elixon is the only tool in this comparison built for that task.
| Account | Likes | Comments | Engagement rate | Score | Hook |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| @givenchy | 17,791 | 152 | 0.1% | 99 (Diamond) | Céline Dion wore a custom dusty pink shredded organza embroidered cape with an embroidered cut-out d… |
| @tiffanyandco | 16,431 | 89 | 0.10% | 99 (Diamond) | Friends of the House Zoey Deutch and Laura Harrier, along with Charles Melton, Kelsey Merritt and As… |
| @levis | 17,799 | 229 | 0.2% | 99 (Diamond) | Inspired by the artwork, graphics, and lyrics that make The Smashing Pumpkins unmistakeable. Levi's®… |
| @ebaylive | 16,780 | 58 | – | 99 (Diamond) | How much would you spend to become your favorite character? 🤑 |
| @blogilates | 17,190 | 19,323 | 1.2% | 99 (Diamond) | P R B O X G I V E A W A Y 📦 If you want to be 1 of 5 people to receive a PR box from my unreleased … |
| @hudabeauty | 17,590 | 285 | 0.03% | 99 (Diamond) | simply whimsical 💎 @thegeekwithdimples bedazzles her Huda Beauty collection with love 🫶🏽 |
| @glossier | 18,008 | 276 | 0.6% | 99 (Diamond) | Meet our Holiday Collection! Mini fragrances, a juicy lip duo, and new Toasty Nuts and Just Baked Ba… |
| @ysl | 18,160 | 127 | 0.1% | 99 (Diamond) | Women's Summer 27 by Anthony Vaccarello #YSL #YvesSaintLaurent #SaintLaurent @anthonyvaccarello |
What does the scoring data actually show?
In Elixon's Content Library sample of 8 cross-industry Instagram posts from 8 accounts, measured 2026-10-26, every post earned an Elixon Opportunity Score of 99/100 and a Diamond-tier designation, combining for 139,749 likes. The range of engagement rates — from 0.03% for @hudabeauty to 1.2% for @blogilates — shows that raw likes alone do not tell the full story; a composite score surfaces patterns across both metrics at once.
The sample shows patterns across very different industries and hook styles. @blogilates generated 19,323 comments on a giveaway hook, while @ysl generated 18,160 likes on a single creative-director credit line. The Opportunity Score treats both as Diamond because the scoring model weights engagement relative to the account's context, not a single absolute number.
Which hook styles appear in top-scoring posts?
The 8 posts in this sample suggest three repeating hook structures that correlate with Diamond scores. First, a named celebrity or creative director attached to a specific product moment — as in @givenchy's hook:
— @givenchy on Instagram: "Céline Dion wore a custom dusty pink shredded organza embroidered cape with an embroidered cut-out d…"
Second, an exclusivity or insider-status frame, exemplified by @blogilates: "P R B O X G I V E A W A Y 📦 If you want to be 1 of 5 people to receive a PR box from my unreleased…" — which drove the sample's highest comment count at 19,323. Third, a direct identity question, as @ebaylive used: "How much would you spend to become your favorite character? 🤑" These are patterns from a sample of 8 posts; they warrant testing, not assumption.
How do the tools compare on price and scoring capability?
The table below shows verified prices for every tool in this comparison. Only Elixon provides an Opportunity Score. The other tools are best used for volume browsing, saving creative inspiration, or cross-platform research rather than engagement-ranked competitor analysis.
| Tool | Entry plan | Monthly price | Annual billing | Free option | Covers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foreplay | Basic | $59/mo | Annual: Basic $49, Workflow $149, Agency $389 per month (save 15%) | 7-day free trial on all plans; card required; no contracts | Saves ads from the Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube ad libraries via Chrome extension and mobile app; 200M+ ad database (vendor claim) |
| Meta Ad Library | Free | Free | – | Free, no login | Facebook, Instagram: every active ad from any Page, with start dates and EU delivery data |
| BigSpy | Starter | $69/mo (1 seat) | Yearly: Starter $49, Growth $119, Scale $299, Ultimate $399 per month | Free plan: 5 queries and 20 saves a day (bigspy.com/faq); no trial wording on pricing page | Starter: Facebook, Instagram, AppLovin; Growth/Scale add Twitter, TikTok, Pangle, Google Ads, YouTube; Ultimate adds Pinterest, Yahoo, Unity Ads |
| PowerAdSpy | Basic | $69/mo | Yearly: Basic $27 ($331/yr), Standard $39 ($475), Platinum $83 ($1,004), Palladium $119 ($1,436) per month | $1 for 3 days (Basic); $7 for 3 days (other plans); cancel before day 3 | Basic: Facebook, Instagram; Standard adds Pinterest, Google Display; Platinum adds YouTube, Native, Google; Palladium adds LinkedIn, TikTok, Quora, Reddit |
| AdSpy | Single plan | $149/mo | None | None | Facebook, Instagram; 211,708,000+ ads (vendor claim, 1 Oct 2026) |
| Minea | Starter | $49/mo | Quarterly $39/$79/$158; annual $34/$69/$139 per month | Free registration | Meta ads on all plans; TikTok ads on Premium and above; product and shop discovery; influencer placements; brand tracker on Premium |
| Elixon | Pay-as-you-go (one-time) | $10 | – | 3-day free trial | Meta, Instagram; TikTok coming soon |
If your job is broad competitive research across TikTok, YouTube, and Pinterest, BigSpy or PowerAdSpy's higher tiers cover more networks. If you need the largest raw ad database with no usage caps, AdSpy at $149/mo is built for that. If engagement scoring and ranked creative intelligence on Meta and Instagram is the specific requirement, Elixon's $10 pay-as-you-go entry or 3-day free trial is the lowest-friction starting point. See the 12 Best Ad Spy Tools in 2026 for a broader use-case breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
Does Meta Ads Library show engagement metrics on competitor ads?
No. Meta Ads Library shows active ad creatives, start dates, and EU-only delivery estimates. It provides no likes, comments, shares, or any form of engagement score.
Can I use BigSpy or AdSpy to rank competitor ads by engagement?
Both tools allow filtering by likes or shares, but neither produces a composite engagement score or ranked tier the way Elixon's Opportunity Score does. You can sort a list, but you cannot get a scored ranking in a single view.
What is the cheapest way to try engagement-scored ad intelligence?
Elixon offers a 3-day free trial on all monthly plans and a $10 pay-as-you-go option with no subscription, making it the lowest-cost entry point for engagement-scored competitor content on Meta and Instagram.
Data: Elixon Content Library — 8 Instagram posts from 8 accounts across multiple industries, engagement measured 2026-10-26. Organic engagement, not ad spend. Prices as shown on each vendor's pricing page, 2026-10-16.
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