BigSpy vs Foreplay (2026): which should you pick?
As of Nov 12, 2026, BigSpy and Foreplay share a 2.0 GPA, and only BigSpy has a free plan.
Checked Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 · graded Oct 18, 2026 and Nov 12, 2026 by ToolGPA
BigSpy grades higher on the free plan. Foreplay grades higher on platforms. They get the same grade on value for money, features and ease of use.
Price, platforms and features side by side. The table says where each price was read and when.
BigSpy
Ad library for researching competitor ads on 11 platforms
Foreplay
Save, search and track competitors' ads, and report on your own
Which one is for you
Pick BigSpy if
- Fits if you research Facebook ads and can live with 10 searches a day
- Works for marketers who want one search across several ad networks
Look elsewhere if
- Tight if you stay free, since it is Facebook only with 10 searches a day
- Pricey if you need TikTok or Google ads, which start at Growth at $119
- Watch out: Pinterest, Yahoo and Unity need Ultimate at $399
- Watch out: only Scale has 5 seats, and paid plans renew automatically
- Watch out: AppLovin research is e-commerce only
Pick Foreplay if
- Fits if you collect ads you like and want them saved with transcripts and landing pages
- Works for agencies watching dozens of rival brands, on Agency at $389 a month billed annually
Look elsewhere if
- Skip it if you want ads made for you, as it only finds them and turns them into briefs
- Tight if you're on Basic, which has no rival tracking or reports on your own ads
- Not for you if you want to try it without handing over a card, as the trial charges when it ends
- Pricey if your team grows: extra users are $20 a month each, and each extra Lens brand is $50
- Watch out: Spyder tracks Meta ads only, and Lens reads Meta and TikTok accounts only
How we grade them
| 2.0GPABigSpyFair | 2.0GPAForeplayFair | |
|---|---|---|
| Value for money | CStarter is $49 a month billed yearly ($69 monthly), the middle of ad tools. Growth is $119, Scale $299 for 5 seats and Ultimate $399. | CGraded against the ad research tools it's listed with. Basic, enough for one person saving and searching ads, is $49 a month billed annually ($59 monthly). Tracking rivals and reporting on your own ads needs Workflow at $149, though that doesn't rise with ad spend. |
| Free plan and trial | CFree plan with Facebook ads only, 10 searches a day, 5 video analyses a month and 20 tracked creatives. You will hit those caps. | DNo free plan. Every self-serve plan has a 7-day trial, but the pricing page says you enter a card to start and are charged when it ends unless you cancel. |
| Features | CAd creative search, 11 platforms, chart discovery, advertiser research and AI creative tools. Instagram starts at Starter, Google, YouTube and TikTok at Growth, and Pinterest, Yahoo and Unity at Ultimate. | CSwipe File, Discovery search of 200M+ saved ads, Spyder tracking of rivals' Meta ads with up to 3 years of history, Lens reports and AI briefs. It covers research, but it doesn't make finished ads, and Spyder and Lens aren't on Basic. |
| Ease of use | CNo store rating on record. You learn its filters and charts before the results make sense. | CNo rating on record. Saving an ad with the Chrome extension is a click, but boards, brand tracking and connecting ad accounts for Lens take some setting up. |
| Platforms and integrations | CA web app only. No integrations list, API or phone apps were found. | BWeb, iPhone and Android apps and a Chrome extension, saving from the Meta Ad Library, Instagram and more. Lens reads Meta and TikTok accounts, and an MCP server and API come from Workflow. No desktop app. |
| Best for | searching competitor ads across 11 networks | saving and searching competitors' ads |
The GPA is the average of the five grades: an A is 4 points, an F is none. The full reasons are on each tool's page: BigSpy and Foreplay. How we grade
Price against what you get
BigSpy starts at $49 a month and scores 2.0 out of 4 on features, ease of use and platforms. Foreplay starts at $49 a month and scores 2.3.
Foreplay scores higher for the same starting price. Of the other ad creative and reporting tools on the chart, 13 score higher than BigSpy for less, and 5 score higher than Foreplay for less.
Features, ease of use and platforms, averaged
What paid plans start at, a month (each step along is roughly double) →
- The best score at each price
- Has a free plan
- No free plan
Where they differ
- BigSpy also covers research and ad creative.
- Foreplay also covers reports.
At a glance
| BigSpy | Foreplay | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free plan | Free trial |
| Starts at | $49 per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly) | $49 per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly) |
| Free plan | Facebook ads only, 10 searches a day, 5 video analyses a month, 3 Creative to AI Prompt runs a day and 20 tracked creatives. | None |
| Free trial | None listed | 7-day free trial on every self-serve plan |
| Web | ||
| iOS | ||
| Android | ||
| Browser extension | ||
| Made by | BigSpy.com | Foreplay, Inc. |
| Price read from | bigspy.com | foreplay.co |
| Checked | Nov 12, 2026 | Oct 18, 2026 |
Worth knowing
BigSpy
- The free plan covers Facebook only; Instagram starts at Starter, Google Ads, YouTube and TikTok at Growth, and Pinterest, Yahoo and Unity at Ultimate.
- AppLovin research is limited to e-commerce, and Starter access to it is described as limited-time.
- Scale has 5 seats; every other plan has 1 seat.
- Paid plans renew automatically; refund eligibility depends on a separate Refund Policy.
Foreplay
- Basic has no competitor tracking or analytics of your own ads; Spyder and Lens start on Workflow.
- Extra users cost $20 a month each on every plan, and each extra Lens brand $50.
- Lens reads Meta and TikTok ad accounts; Spyder tracks Meta ads.
- Prices do not rise with ad spend: Lens has unlimited ad spend and history on every plan that includes it.
Key features
BigSpy
- Ad creative search
- Search ad creatives and ad copy with filters, including a visual and feature search whose daily cap rises with the plan.
- Platform coverage
- The site lists 11 ad platforms, among them Facebook, Instagram, Google Ads, YouTube, TikTok, X, Pinterest, Pangle and AppLovin.
- Chart discovery
- Popular, rising and new-creative charts for spotting what is gaining traction, available from the Growth plan up.
- Entity and domain research
- Look up ad pages and domains, follow them, and review the ads and advertisers behind an e-commerce domain.
- AI creative tools
- Video Analysis and Creative to AI Prompt are included with monthly or daily quotas on every plan, the free one included.
Foreplay
- Swipe File
- Save ads from the Meta Ad Library, Instagram and other sources into shared boards, with automatic transcripts, landing page screenshots and live status.
- Discovery
- Searches 200M+ ads saved by Foreplay users, sorted by how long they have run, with AI search and analysis of emotion and target persona.
- Spyder competitor tracking
- Tracks every Meta ad a competitor launches around the clock, with up to 3 years of ad history, creative tests, top hooks and landing pages.
- Lens creative analytics
- Connects your Meta and TikTok ad accounts for top-performer and comparison reports, creative scores and a testing dashboard, with no ad-spend limit.
- Briefs
- Turns saved inspiration into shareable briefs with an AI script writer, brand profiles and a storyboard generator.
- MCP and API
- Brings saved ads and reports into Claude, ChatGPT and other tools through an MCP server or the API, from the Workflow plan.
Plans
BigSpy
Starter$49
per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly)
1 seat, Facebook and Instagram, unlimited searches, 50 downloads a day and 100 tracked creatives.
Growth$119
per month, billed annually ($159 billed monthly)
1 seat, adds Google Ads, YouTube, TikTok, X and Pangle, chart discovery, 300 downloads a day and 500 tracked creatives.
Scale$299
per month for 5 seats, billed annually ($399 billed monthly)
Growth features for 1 owner and 4 members, with Growth quotas applying to each seat.
Ultimate$399
per month, billed annually ($499 billed monthly)
1 seat, all 11 platforms including Pinterest, Yahoo and Unity, 3,000 downloads a day and 1,000 tracked creatives.
Foreplay
Basic$49
per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly)
1 user: Swipe File with the Chrome extension and mobile app, Discovery search of 200M+ ads, and Briefs. No competitor tracking or analytics.
Workflow$149
per month, billed annually ($175 billed monthly)
5 users, Spyder for 15 competitor brands (unlimited on annual), Lens analytics for 1 brand, and MCP and API access.
Agency$389
per month, billed annually ($459 billed monthly)
10 users, Spyder for 50 brands (unlimited on annual), Lens for 10 brands, white-label sharing.
EnterpriseCustom
Sold through sales: unlimited users and usage, priority in-app or Slack support and early access to new features.
Ways to pay less
BigSpy
- Annual discount
Yearly billing saves $240 to $1,200 a year
The pricing page shows each paid plan cheaper billed yearly, for example Starter at $49 a month against $69 monthly, saving $240 a year.
Foreplay
- Annual discount
Save about 15% and get unlimited Spyder yearly
Billed annually, Basic is $49 a month instead of $59, Workflow $149 instead of $175 and Agency $389 instead of $459, and Spyder brand tracking becomes unlimited.
Common questions
Which is cheaper, BigSpy or Foreplay?
As of Nov 12, 2026, they start at the same price. BigSpy starts at $49 per month, billed annually ($69 billed monthly), and Foreplay starts at $49 per month, billed annually ($59 billed monthly).
Which has a free plan, BigSpy or Foreplay?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only BigSpy has a free plan. Foreplay does not, though it has a free trial.
Which platforms do BigSpy and Foreplay run on?
As of Nov 12, 2026, only Foreplay lists iOS and Android apps and a browser extension. Both list a web app. A platform missing from a listing is one its maker's pages did not mention.
More comparisons
How this page was made
- The verdict at the top follows a fixed rule. When both tools are in the same category and either is in our top three for it, the verdict follows that ranking: the higher-placed tool is our pick. The top three weigh who each tool suits as well as its grades, so a pick can go against the GPA. Otherwise the page does not pick one and says which grades higher: the higher GPA first; on a tie, the one with a free plan, then the one that starts cheaper in dollars a month, counted the same way for both; if they are still level, what the choice depends on.
- The grades are our own, from each tool’s review or report card. The GPA is their average.
- Prices, plans and platforms come from each tool’s listing. The table above says where each price was read and when.
- The differences and the answers to the questions are worked out from those listings.