Seven ad spy tools cover most of what a push, pop or native media buyer needs in 2026: AdPlexity is the best pick for buyers who need deep intelligence across desktop, mobile, native and push, Anstrex is the strongest value option for native and push campaigns, and SpyPush is the focused pick if push notification ads are your only format. Everything below is judged on coverage of the traffic types EZmob advertisers actually buy, not on generic social-media spying.
Why media buyers use ad spy tools
A spy tool indexes the ads your competitors are running on ad networks and shows you the creatives that have stayed live the longest — long-running ads are usually the profitable ones, because nobody pays for a losing creative week after week. The better tools go one layer deeper and show the full funnel: the ad, the landing page behind it, and sometimes the affiliate network running the offer.
That matters most on the traffic types where creative wins campaigns. On push notification ads, the icon-plus-title-plus-image combination you see in the spy database is the exact unit your prospect sees, so you can model winners instead of guessing. On popunder and pop traffic, the landing page is the entire ad, and spy tools that let you download a competitor’s lander save days of copywriting and design work.
What makes a good ad spy tool for push, pop and native buyers
- Traffic-type depth, not breadth. A tool that covers push, pop and native properly beats one that covers everything shallowly — your campaigns run on ad networks, not on Facebook.
- Landing page access. For pop and direct click traffic the lander is the campaign. Tools that rip competitor landing pages for editing and redeployment cut testing time dramatically.
- Freshness and filtering. Databases of millions of ads are useless without filters by GEO, device, carrier, ad network and running time.
- Affiliate network visibility. Knowing which network an ad promotes tells you what payout tier the buyer is working with and whether the campaign can sustain its bid.
- Data age in the database. Push subscriber lists churn fast — an ad flagged as live that stopped running two months ago is a false lead.
The best ad spy tools at a glance
| Tool | Best for | Standout feature | Key limitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AdPlexity | Full-funnel performance intelligence across desktop, mobile, native, push and adult | Separate deep product per traffic type | Priced per product — cost adds up if you need several |
| Anstrex | Native and push campaigns on a budget | Landing page ripper plus push database covering 38+ push ad networks | Social/video coverage is shallow or absent |
| SpyPush | Push-only specialists | Push notification coverage without paying for formats you don’t buy | Useless once you add pop or native formats |
| BigSpy | Cheap all-round starting point | Large multi-platform database with a free tier | Depth on push and pop is thin versus the specialists |
| Minea | Buyers testing several social and native channels | Broad multi-network coverage including TikTok and Pinterest | Less depth per traffic type than dedicated tools |
| TrendTrack | Spotting what is trending before saturation | Trend and campaign-lifespan tracking | Newer database, smaller historic archive |
| PowerAdSpy | Social-heavy buyers who also run display | Searchable multi-platform ad library | Weakest fit for pop and direct click traffic |
1. AdPlexity: best overall for serious performance marketers
AdPlexity sells a separate product per traffic type — desktop, mobile, native, push, YouTube and adult — and each one goes deep on its channel. The desktop product covers banner and pop traffic, the native product covers the big content recommendation networks, and the push product focuses on push notification campaigns. One-click landing page download and affiliate-network filtering are the features professional buyers cite most.
Where AdPlexity shines
- Carrier and connection-type data on mobile campaigns, which decides whether an offer can pay its bid
- Landing page downloads for fast local testing of competitor funnels
- Affiliate network filters so you can separate house offers from network offers
Where AdPlexity falls short
- Each traffic type is a separate subscription, so multi-format buyers pay several times over
- Overkill if you spend under a few hundred dollars a month on media
Best for: experienced media buyers running meaningful budgets across multiple formats. Verdict: Buy if push/pop/native is your main income source; skip if you’re starting out.
2. Anstrex: best value for native and push campaigns
Anstrex has tracked ads across 90+ countries since 2016 and covers native ads, push notifications, pop ads and TikTok video in one place. Its push database is the headline: more than 3 million push ad campaigns from over 32,000 advertisers across dozens of push ad networks, filterable by GEO, device and carrier. The landing page ripper that lets you download, edit and deploy a competitor’s lander is the feature its users mention first.
Where Anstrex shines
- Strong native and push coverage at a price point well below AdPlexity
- Bundle pricing when you need native plus push plus pop in one account
- Direct landing page export for fast split-testing
Where Anstrex falls short
- No meaningful coverage of social platforms if you diversify there
- Interface takes some getting used to
Best for: media buyers whose budgets live on native and push traffic. Verdict: Buy — the default pick for most affiliate media buyers in 2026.
3. SpyPush: best when push is your only format
SpyPush does one job: it indexes push notification ads. If push is 100% of your buying and you don’t want to pay for native, pop or social databases you’ll never open, a single-format tool costs less and often goes fresher and deeper on its one channel than the generalists do.
Where SpyPush shines
- Focused push creative library with the icon, title, body and image intact
- Cheaper than a multi-format subscription when push is your only spend
Where SpyPush falls short
- No pop, native or direct click coverage — add a format and you need a second tool
Best for: push-only buyers and agencies testing push creatives for clients. Verdict: Buy for pure push; skip the moment you add a second format.
4. BigSpy: best budget starting point
BigSpy aggregates ads across the major social and display platforms and offers a free tier, which makes it the lowest-risk way to learn what a spy tool actually does for your workflow before paying for a specialist. Expect breadth over depth: the push and pop coverage is much thinner than Anstrex or AdPlexity.
Where BigSpy shines
- Free tier for learning and light research
- Wide platform coverage in a single interface
Where BigSpy falls short
- Depth and freshness on push, pop and native lag the specialists
Best for: first-time buyers deciding whether spy data changes their campaigns at all. Verdict: Try free, then upgrade to a specialist once you know what you need.
5. Minea: best for buyers spreading across channels
Minea covers a wide range of networks including social platforms, TikTok and native placements. It suits buyers running several offer types across several channels at once, who need one searchable feed rather than per-format subscriptions. The tradeoff is the same as with any generalist: less depth per traffic type than a dedicated push or native tool.
Best for: multi-channel buyers and creative teams collecting reference ads. Verdict: Hold for pop/push specialists; Buy if you run mixed channels.
6. TrendTrack: best for catching trends early
TrendTrack focuses on what is taking off right now rather than on a deep historic archive — trending campaigns, rising landers and how long ads survive. For buyers who enter GEOs and verticals early, a trend view can be worth more than a bigger database.
Best for: early movers who launch fast on new trends. Verdict: Buy as a second tool; don’t make it your only one.
7. PowerAdSpy: best for social-first buyers with some display
PowerAdSpy indexes ads across major social platforms with strong search and filtering. It fits buyers whose media mix is social-heavy with display on the side. If your spend is on pop, push or direct click traffic through ad networks, it is the weakest match on this list.
Best for: social-first performance teams. Verdict: Skip for pop/push/native-only media buying.
How to turn spy-tool data into live campaigns
Spy tools give you a shortlist; the campaign still has to run on a network. The workflow that works: pull the longest-running creatives in your vertical and GEO, note the landing page structure behind them, then test your version on the traffic type the original ran on. If you buy push traffic, start from our ranked guide to the best push notification ad networks; popunder buyers should check the best popunder ad networks comparison, and native buyers get the same treatment in our native ad networks roundup. Wire every test to your tracker the same day you launch — our walkthroughs on connecting a Keitaro tracker and connecting Voluum cover the postback setup.
When you have a shortlist of creatives and landers, EZmob’s self-serve platform lets you launch pop, push, native, display and direct click campaigns from one account and get campaigns live without a sales call.
FAQ
What is an ad spy tool?
A database that indexes ads running on ad networks and social platforms, showing creatives, landing pages and how long each ad has been live. Long-running ads are usually profitable, which is the core signal buyers use.
Which spy tool is best for push notification ads?
Anstrex Push and AdPlexity Push are the strongest general picks; SpyPush is the budget single-format option. Anstrex tracks over 3 million push campaigns across dozens of push networks.
Can spy tools show landing pages, not just ads?
Yes — AdPlexity and Anstrex both let you view and download competitor landing pages, which matters most for pop and direct click traffic where the lander is the whole ad.
Are ad spy tools worth it for beginners?
Start with a free tier like BigSpy’s to learn the workflow. Once you’re spending real budget on push or native, a specialist tool pays for itself by cutting wasted test spend.
Do spy tools work for popunder and direct click traffic?
Partially. Pop campaigns are indexed by AdPlexity Desktop and Anstrex Pop; direct click campaigns show up through the landing pages buyers route traffic to, though dedicated direct click coverage is thinner than for push or native.
One last thing
The single most common spy-tool mistake is copying a winning creative without checking where it runs. An ad that has been live 90 days on one GEO and one carrier is a signal; the same ad spread across 40 networks is often a rebrokered campaign that will leave you bidding against the original buyer on the same inventory. Check the network distribution before you launch your version.
Ready to run what you found? Start advertising on EZmob and launch your first pop, push or native campaign from a $100 test budget.