Best Ad Archives in 2026: Sites Like Ads of the World
We compared 7 ad archives on library, search, credits and price. FrameThrower is our top pick for directors, agency creatives and producers who need a specific shot: 35,887 commercials cut into 1,017,873 shots, searchable by describing the shot. Below are the best ad archives in 2026, the sites like Ads of the World that creatives actually use.
We make FrameThrower, so we listed it first and told you so. Every fact about the others is what they state on their own sites.
Key takeaways
- FrameThrower is our top pick for creatives who need a specific shot: 35,887 commercials cut into 1,017,873 shots, searchable by describing the shot, with full credits and a free plan.
- Ads of the World is the best free feed of new campaigns, and the only one here that covers print, outdoor and digital as well as film.
- LBB is where the industry posts news and credits; AdForum is built for choosing agencies and licensing whole ads.
- The Work (Cannes Lions) and shots are sold to companies by demo, with no published price; they hold the largest credited archives.
- Only FrameThrower lets you search inside every shot and take the exact frame or clip; it is $84 a year for Pro.
What an ad archive is (and what it is not)
An ad archive is a searchable collection of finished advertising: TV and online commercials, and in some archives print, outdoor and digital campaigns, usually with the brand, the agency and the people who made it. Creatives use one to find references for a pitch or a treatment, to research a director or an agency, and to study what wins awards.
Archives differ in who they are built for. Some are free feeds of new work, some are industry directories, some are company research tools sold by licence, and some open the work up shot by shot. An ad archive is not an ad library like the Meta or Google ad libraries, which list ads currently running for transparency, without credits or craft data.
How we ranked these ad archives
- Library. How much advertising each archive states it holds, and whether it covers film only or every medium.
- Search. Whether you can search inside the work (describe a shot, use an image) or only by brand, agency and category.
- Credits. Whether each piece carries director, agency, production company and awards, which is what creatives research.
- Access and price. Whether an individual creative can sign up and what it costs, checked on each site on 30 October 2026.
The best ad archives in 2026
Seven archives, ranked by how useful they are to a working creative. Facts are what each states on its own site, checked 30 October 2026.
1. FrameThrower, best for finding a specific shot, with full creditsours
- Library:
- 35,887 commercials cut into 1,017,873 shots, each a still and a clip; plus films and animation
- Search by:
- Describe the shot, image, script, colour, brand, director, agency, production company, award
- Free plan:
- 10 searches a day, 5 downloads a week
- Paid:
- Pro $14/mo, or $84 a year; 5-day free trial of pro
FrameThrower holds TV and brand commercials from 1990 to 2026, including award winners from 27 shows, each with its director, agency, production company and awards. Every commercial is cut into shots with a still and a clip, so you can search inside the work by describing a shot, by image or by script, and take the exact frame or clip into a board, a canvas or a lookbook. The same search covers 1.38M film and animation frames.
Best suited for: Directors, agency creatives, producers and treatment writers who need the exact shot behind an idea. If you need print, outdoor or digital campaigns, Ads of the World covers more media.
2. Ads of the World, best for a free daily feed of new campaigns in every medium
- Library:
- "An ever-growing advertising campaign database"; about 700K visits a month
- Search by:
- Country, brand, industry, agency, medium, collections
- Free:
- Free to browse; a free account adds bookmarks, a watchlist and a profile
- Paid:
- No paid plan shown on the site
Built for creative professionals, students, marketers and strategists. Every medium, not only film: print, outdoor and digital campaigns, student work, and a fresh feed every day, all free.
Best suited for: You want print, outdoor and digital campaigns as well as film. You want a free daily feed of new work.
3. LBB (Little Black Book), best for industry news and who made the work
- Library:
- "The world's largest free-to-view archive of creative work"; 600,000+ unique visitors a month
- Search by:
- Work, people, companies and credits, with filters
- Free:
- Free to view the archive; free profiles and Collections
- Paid:
- Pro User £99.99 a year; Standard and Premium company memberships
Built for the advertising industry, its companies and people ("created for creatives"), with paid company memberships. Daily industry news, and credits linked to people and company profiles across the business. If you need to know who moved where, or to list your own company and work, LBB is the place.
Best suited for: You want daily industry news and who is working where. You need the deepest credits list, or want your company and people listed.
4. AdForum, best for choosing an agency and licensing whole ads
- Library:
- More than 250,000 ads, web films and case studies; 175+ added each week
- Search by:
- Brand, agency, award, keyword, media type, sector, country, date, credits
- Free:
- Not stated for the Creative Library
- Paid:
- Single user, group (3 users $83/mo, 10 users $192/mo, billed yearly) or company-wide; downloads by credit, $10 a print, $20 a video
Built for marketing, "from creative ideation to brand strategy to agency new business"; creative professionals, marketing managers, search consultants, schools. Agency and production-company search for marketers, case studies alongside the ads, and high-resolution downloads of whole ads.
Best suited for: You are choosing an agency, or running an agency search. You need broadcast-quality downloads of whole ads and case studies.
5. The Work (Cannes Lions), best for the official Cannes Lions record
- Library:
- A database of "over 250,000 campaigns" behind The Work.AI
- Search by:
- Festival, year, Lion, category, sector, country, brand, agency; AI questions
- Free:
- Not stated
- Paid:
- Request a demo (price not published)
Built for agencies and brands, by demo and licence (part of LIONS, owned by Informa). The Cannes Lions record itself, with stage talks, reports and The Work.AI for questions across over 250,000 campaigns.
Best suited for: You need the Cannes Lions record, with stage talks and reports. Your company already has access.
6. shots, best for company-wide visual research with full credits
- Library:
- "Over 500,000 videos & 600 million stills", all with full credits
- Search by:
- Spots, people and companies, with tagged data
- Free:
- Not stated
- Paid:
- Get a demo (price not published)
Built for "The advertising industry's hub for visual research and creative inspiration", sold to companies by demo. The biggest credited archive (over 500,000 spots and promos), hi-res stills from any frame, and treatment and showreel tools for production companies.
Best suited for: You need the widest credited archive, music promos included. Your company builds treatments and showreels inside shots.
7. Directors Library, best for discovering directors' newest work
- Library:
- Not stated
- Search by:
- Director, production company, categories
- Free:
- Free to watch on the site
- Paid:
- Company membership $75 a year, for production companies or agencies submitting work
Built for viewers of new films, music videos and campaigns; production companies and agencies that submit work. Discovering new directors and their latest films, music videos and campaigns as they are released, with editorial around them.
Best suited for: You are looking for new directors' latest releases and reels. You want to submit your own work.
Ad archives side by side
The same criteria, as each archive states them (30 October 2026).
| Archive | Best for | Library | Free | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FrameThrower | Finding a specific shot, with credits | 35,887 commercials cut into 1,017,873 shots, each a still and a clip; plus films and animation | 10 searches a day, 5 downloads a week | Pro $14/mo, or $84 a year |
| Ads of the World | A free daily feed of new campaigns in every medium | "An ever-growing advertising campaign database"; about 700K visits a month | Free to browse; a free account adds bookmarks, a watchlist and a profile | No paid plan shown on the site |
| LBB (Little Black Book) | Industry news and who made the work | "The world's largest free-to-view archive of creative work"; 600,000+ unique visitors a month | Free to view the archive; free profiles and Collections | Pro User £99.99 a year; Standard and Premium company memberships |
| AdForum | Choosing an agency and licensing whole ads | More than 250,000 ads, web films and case studies; 175+ added each week | Not stated for the Creative Library | Single user, group (3 users $83/mo, 10 users $192/mo, billed yearly) or company-wide; downloads by credit, $10 a print, $20 a video |
| The Work (Cannes Lions) | The official Cannes Lions record | A database of "over 250,000 campaigns" behind The Work.AI | Not stated | Request a demo (price not published) |
| shots | Company-wide visual research with full credits | "Over 500,000 videos & 600 million stills", all with full credits | Not stated | Get a demo (price not published) |
| Directors Library | Discovering directors' newest work | Not stated | Free to watch on the site | Company membership $75 a year, for production companies or agencies submitting work |
Which ad archive fits your job
| If you are… | Look for | Best fit |
|---|---|---|
| A creative building a treatment or pitch | Search inside every shot, frames and clips | FrameThrower |
| Keeping up with new work every day | A free feed of new campaigns | Ads of the World |
| Researching who made a piece | Credits linked to people and companies | LBB, FrameThrower |
| Choosing an agency | Agency and production-company search | AdForum |
| Studying Cannes Lions winners | The official festival record | The Work, FrameThrower (winners shot by shot) |
| A whole agency researching at scale | Company licence, largest credited archive | shots |
| Scouting new directors | Newest films and reels | Directors Library |
Each archive has a full comparison with FrameThrower: vs Ads of the World · vs LBB (Little Black Book) · vs AdForum · vs The Work (Cannes Lions) · vs shots · vs Directors Library.
Frequently asked questions
What sites are like Ads of the World?
The closest are LBB (industry news and a free archive with credits), AdForum (an agency directory with a creative library), The Work and shots (company archives sold by demo), Directors Library (new work from directors) and FrameThrower (every shot of the commercials searchable).
What is the best ad archive for creatives?
For finding a specific shot, FrameThrower: 35,887 commercials, every shot searchable by describing it, with credits and a free plan. For a free feed of new campaigns in every medium, Ads of the World.
Is there a free ad archive?
Ads of the World and LBB are free to browse, and Directors Library is free to watch. FrameThrower has a free plan with 10 searches a day and 5 downloads a week.
Where can I find award-winning commercials?
The Work holds the Cannes Lions record by demo. FrameThrower holds award winners from 27 shows, 1990 to 2026 (Cannes Lions, D&AD, One Show, Clio and more), each cut shot by shot with full credits.
Which ad archive shows who directed a commercial?
LBB, shots and FrameThrower carry full credits. FrameThrower lists the director, agency, production company and awards on every spot, and has a page for each director and production company.
How much do ad archives cost?
Ads of the World and LBB are free to view (LBB Pro is £99.99 a year), AdForum sells user and group plans, The Work and shots are priced by demo, and FrameThrower Pro is $14 a month or $84 a year.
Try FrameThrower free (no credit card required)
Describe the shot you need and get it from 35,887 commercials, with who made it.
The free plan gives you 10 searches a day and 5 downloads a week. Or browse the commercials database first.
About the author
Leo Kadieff has made film and advertising work for over 20 years, including campaigns for Coca-Cola (FIFA), Amazon and SC Johnson with Monks, and creative partnerships with Google, Adobe, Runway and Luma. He built FrameThrower because finding the right reference was the slowest part of every pitch and treatment.
Leo Kadieff on LinkedIn