Compare · checked 27 Oct 2026
AdLib vs SerpApi: Google Ads Transparency API compared
SerpApi's ad library product is a Google Ads Transparency Center engine, billed per search. AdLib covers Google plus five more ad libraries in one schema, with an archive, change events and free empty results.
SerpApi is the best-known SERP API, with official SDKs in many languages. For ad libraries it has one engine: the Google Ads Transparency Center. AdLib reads Google's Transparency Center too, plus Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest and X, and returns all of them in one schema.
At a glance
| AdLib | SerpApi | |
|---|---|---|
| Ad libraries | Meta, Google, YouTube, Google Play, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest, X, Snapchat, Apple App Store, Amazon, Microsoft Bing | Google Ads Transparency Center |
| Live search ads | No | google_ads engine for sponsored results on Google search |
| Google fields | Same ad schema as the other five platforms | Creative list; landing URLs, regional impressions and targeting for non-political ads not documented |
| History | Own archive since Oct 2026, versions and removed ads | 1-hour cache; log of your own searches |
| Change events | Watchlists: signed webhooks, Slack, Discord, email digests | None |
| Domain to advertiser | All Google advertiser accounts of a brand, plus five more platforms | Free-text search, can be a domain |
| SDKs and agents | Hosted MCP (OAuth), n8n node, CSV output | 11 official SDKs, hosted MCP |
| Billing | 2 credits per Google ad, a search page capped at 10; empty results free | Per search; empty results billed as one search |
| Free plan | 5,000 credits every month, no card | 250 searches a month |
| Paid entry | $29 for 25k credits | $25 for 1,000 searches |
Where AdLib is different
- Twelve ad platforms for one integration. If you need Meta, TikTok or LinkedIn ads next to Google, SerpApi means a second vendor. On AdLib it is the same schema and key.
- History and events for Google creatives. New, stopped, changed and removed creatives arrive as signed webhooks or Slack and Discord messages. Removed creatives stay queryable, with media on our own URLs.
- Free empty results. Monitoring means many polls that find nothing new. SerpApi bills each of those as a search. AdLib does not.
- Brand families. A domain resolves to a brand's Google advertiser accounts and its accounts on the other five platforms, grouped by parent and brand, each with a confidence score and match reason.
- Credits that go further at low volume. A page of Google ads costs at most 10 credits, so the free plan covers 500 Google search pages a month.
When SerpApi is the better pick
If you already use SerpApi for Google search, Maps or Shopping results and only need Transparency Center lookups next to them, one vendor is simpler. Its google_ads engine shows which ads appear on a live Google search page for a query and location, which AdLib does not do. It ships official SDKs in many languages, and reviewers rate it highly (4.8 on G2).
Sources
- SerpApi Google Ads Transparency Center API docs, Google Ads API docs, political ads tutorial
- SerpApi pricing, integrations and SDKs, MCP on GitHub
- SerpApi on G2
All checked 2026-10-27. Prices and features change; check their site before deciding.
Questions
- Which ad libraries does SerpApi cover?
- The Google Ads Transparency Center, through its google_ads_transparency_center engine. It also has a google_ads engine for sponsored results on live Google search pages, which is not an ad library. It has no Meta, TikTok, LinkedIn, Pinterest or X ad library engine.
- Does SerpApi charge for empty results?
- Yes. Its pricing page says an empty result set counts as one search. Cached, errored and failed searches are free. On AdLib, empty results and upstream failures are free.
- Does SerpApi keep Google ad history?
- It caches results for one hour, and its Searches Archive returns your own past searches. It does not keep its own history of creatives. AdLib keeps every Google creative it sees, with first and last seen dates and versions.