Agency new business
Ad Prophet vs SpyFu for agency prospect research
SpyFu answers what competitors bought. Ad Prophet answers what to say to this prospect.
The direct answer
Use SpyFu to see which keywords a competitor has bought on Google and which ad tests they have run. Use Ad Prophet's Free Growth Read to prepare a pitch: it starts from a prospect's domain and reads the business, buyer, market, competitors, and a first campaign opportunity in about 5 minutes. Many agencies use both.
At a glance
| SpyFu | Ad Prophet Free Growth Read | |
|---|---|---|
| Best job | Competitor keyword and ad research | Prospect read before a pitch |
| Starts from | A competitor's domain | The prospect's domain |
| Needs account access? | No | No for the Free Growth Read. Yes for the connected audit. |
| What you get | Keywords competitors have bought on Google and the ad tests they have run | A read of the business, buyer, market, competitors, and a first campaign opportunity |
| Pricing | See their pricing page | Free Growth Read is free, no card. See our pricing page for plans. |
| Changes your account? | No | No. Ad Prophet reads and recommends. |
Competitor facts come from each company's own public pages, checked on October 13, 2026. Check their pricing pages for current prices.
When to use each
Job 1: see what competitors bought and tested
When a pitch turns on what rivals already tried, you need keyword and ad test history.
SpyFu
Search a competitor and see the keywords it has bought on Google and the ad tests it has run. It also lists PPC features such as an ad rank tracker.
Job 2: turn research into a pitch
Competitor data is one slide. The pitch also needs the business, the buyer, and a first campaign idea.
Ad Prophet
The Free Growth Read starts from the prospect's domain and returns a read of the business, buyer, market, competitors, and a first campaign opportunity in about 5 minutes. The agency subscription includes 10 client-ready reads a month.
SpyFu
Bring its competitor keyword and ad test data into the competitor slide.
What each tool does well
SpyFu
Competitor keyword buying and ad test history on Google, plus tools to monitor PPC competitors.
Fits best: Teams that want a fast view of what competitors bought and tested.
Source: SpyFu: home page
Ad Prophet
Reads a prospect from its domain before you have access, then gives you a point of view to bring to the first meeting.
Fits best: Agencies that pitch new business and want a source-backed read of the prospect. Ad Prophet reads and recommends. It does not run campaigns.
Source: Ad Prophet: Free Growth Read for agenciesAd Prophet: pricing and agency subscription
Common questions
What is a good SpyFu alternative for prospect research?
It depends on the job. For competitor keyword and ad research, Semrush is a similar kind of tool. For a pitch-ready read of the prospect itself, Ad Prophet's Free Growth Read starts from a domain and needs no account access.
Can I use SpyFu and Ad Prophet together?
Yes. SpyFu shows what competitors bought and tested on Google. Ad Prophet reads the prospect's business, buyer, and market and suggests a first campaign opportunity. Put both in the pitch.
Does Ad Prophet need access to the prospect's Google Ads account?
No. The Free Growth Read starts from the prospect's domain. The connected audit needs account access, and gives first insights in under 2 hours and a full analysis within 48 hours.
Sources and method
Each fact about another company comes from that company's own public page. We left out anything we could not check. Products change, so check each site before you buy.
- SpyFu: home page (checked on )
- Ad Prophet: Free Growth Read for agencies (checked on )
- Ad Prophet: pricing and agency subscription (checked on )