Comparison
Ad Radar vs Foreplay
Foreplay is a swipe file and ad research platform with a 200M+ ad library, competitor tracking and analytics for your own ad accounts. Ad Radar does less, on purpose: it shows only Meta ads that are already winning, puts an estimated spend on each one and tags it ten ways.
The short answer
Pick Ad Radar if
- You want a short list of proven Meta ads, not a library to dig through.
- You want an estimated spend on every ad, so you can rank winners against each other.
- You want Claude to search the board and write briefs, without paying $175 a month for MCP access.
- You run an agency and need client workspaces and client approvals for $199 every 4 weeks.
Pick Foreplay if
- You save ads from TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts as well as Meta.
- You need a Chrome extension and a mobile app today.
- You want creative analytics on your own Meta and TikTok ad accounts (Foreplay Lens).
- You want competitor ad history going back up to 3 years.
Side by side
Prices checked October 2026
| Feature | Ad Radar | Foreplay |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | $49 every 4 weeks (launch price, list $99) | Basic: $59/month, or $49/month billed annually |
| Agency plan | $199 every 4 weeks: 25 client workspaces, 5 seats, client portal, white-label | Agency: $459/month, or $389/month billed annually, 10 users |
| Seats | 1 on Membership, 5 on Agency | 1 on Basic, 5 on Workflow, 10 on Agency; $20 per extra user |
| What you search | Only winning Meta ads: estimated spend of $50k or more | Discovery: 200M+ ads saved by the Foreplay community |
| Performance signal | Estimated spend on every ad, plus days live and variants launched | Sort by time running, impressions and more |
| Ad tagging | 10 dimensions: hook pattern, hook mechanism, narrative angle, reader awareness, proof level, production format, video type, landing page type, niche and CTA type | AI emotional analysis, persona and creative target detection, custom tags and ratings |
| Transcripts | Search headlines, body copy and video transcripts in one box | Automated transcription on every plan |
| Competitor tracking | Follow any brand from its Meta Ad Library link, Today briefing, winner alerts | Spyder (24/7 Meta ad tracking), from Workflow at $175/month |
| Claude via MCP | Included from $49 | Included from Workflow at $175/month; also works with ChatGPT |
| Platforms | Meta (Facebook and Instagram); TikTok is on the roadmap | Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts ad libraries, plus Instagram and TikTok organic |
| Chrome extension | In progress | Yes, on every plan |
| Your own ad accounts | Not offered | Lens analytics, from Workflow |
| Briefs | Turn a winning ad into a brief, in the app or in Claude | Briefs: AI script generator and storyboards |
| Billing | Every 4 weeks, cancel anytime | Monthly, or about 15% off billed annually; 7-day free trial with a card |
Foreplay figures come from foreplay.co/pricing, checked October 9, 2026. Ad Radar bills every 4 weeks, which is 13 charges a year.
Winning ads only, with a spend estimate
Foreplay's Discovery is built for breadth: over 200 million ads saved by its community, which you can sort by time running and impressions. That is useful when you want inspiration across every format and platform.
Ad Radar starts from the other end. It tracks the Meta ads of DTC brands, estimates each ad's spend from how its engagement grows over time, and keeps only the ads at $50k or more. Every ad on the board has already had real money behind it. The score also weighs days live and the number of variants a brand launched, two signals an advertiser can't fake.
The spend figure is an estimate and it is labeled as one. Use it to rank ads against each other, not to audit a competitor's books.
Ten ways to filter every ad
Each ad on Ad Radar is tagged on ten dimensions: hook pattern, hook mechanism, narrative angle, reader awareness, proof level, production format, video type, landing page type, niche and CTA type. You can ask for problem-aware UGC ads that open with a statistic and get a list back, not a feed to scroll.
Foreplay tags its library too, with AI emotional analysis and persona detection, and you can add your own tags and ratings to the ads you save.
Inside Claude from the first plan
Both tools ship an MCP server, so an AI assistant can query them directly. Foreplay's works with Claude, ChatGPT and other MCP clients, and it starts on the Workflow plan at $175 a month.
Ad Radar's MCP server is included in the $49 Membership. Claude can search the whole board, read the hooks a brand is scaling, find the patterns that win more often than the rest, and write a swipe brief for your product, all in the same chat. It works in Claude Code and Claude Desktop with a personal token from your settings. See how the MCP server works.
Price
Ad Radar Membership is $49 every 4 weeks at the launch price (list $99), with one seat. Agency is $199 every 4 weeks with 5 seats, 25 client workspaces, a client portal where clients approve ads as guests, and white-label sharing.
Foreplay Basic is $59 a month ($49 billed annually) for one user. Competitor tracking, Lens and MCP access start on Workflow: $175 a month ($149 billed annually) with 5 users. Extra Foreplay users are $20 each.
Where Foreplay is better
- More platforms. Foreplay saves ads from Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn and YouTube Shorts. Ad Radar covers Meta only for now.
- A much bigger library. If you want everything, not only winners, 200M+ ads is more ground to cover.
- Capture tools are live today. Foreplay has a Chrome extension and a mobile app. Ad Radar's extension is still being built.
- Analytics on your own ads. Lens connects your Meta and TikTok ad accounts. Ad Radar doesn't connect to your ad account.
- Longer history. Spyder keeps competitor ad history for up to 3 years. A permanent archive is on Ad Radar's roadmap.
- A production workflow. Foreplay Briefs include storyboards and AI scene iterations for creators.
Questions
Is Ad Radar a Foreplay alternative?
For competitor research on Meta, yes. Ad Radar covers the part where you look for ads that work: it shows only winning ads, each with an estimated spend and ten tags. It doesn't replace Foreplay Lens (analytics on your own ad accounts) or saving ads from TikTok and LinkedIn.
Which is cheaper, Ad Radar or Foreplay?
Ad Radar Membership is $49 every 4 weeks at the launch price and includes the MCP server. Foreplay Basic is $59 a month, or $49 billed annually; MCP access and competitor tracking start on Workflow at $175 a month. Ad Radar bills every 4 weeks, so that is 13 charges a year.
How does Ad Radar decide an ad is winning?
It estimates each ad's spend from engagement snapshots of the public Meta Ad Library, stored over time, and keeps only ads at $50k or more. The winner score also looks at days live and how many variants the brand launched.
How accurate is the spend estimate?
It is an estimate and it is labeled as one. It is modeled on engagement, so use it to rank ads against each other, not to audit a competitor's books.
Can I use either tool inside Claude?
Yes. Both have MCP servers. Foreplay's starts on the Workflow plan and also works with ChatGPT. Ad Radar's is included in Membership and works in Claude Code and Claude Desktop.
Does Ad Radar cover TikTok?
Not yet. Ad Radar covers Meta today, which means Facebook and Instagram. TikTok coverage is on the roadmap, with the same score.
Does Ad Radar have a Chrome extension?
It is in progress. Today you follow a brand by pasting its Meta Ad Library link, and Ad Radar starts tracking it.
More comparisons
See the ads that are already winning.
Membership is $49 every 4 weeks at the launch price. Cancel anytime.