If you run paid ads for an ecommerce brand, you already know that creative is the new targeting. The algorithm does most of the audience work now, which means the ad itself - the hook, the format, the angle - is what decides whether you scale or stall. That's why creative research has stopped being a "nice to have". Studying what's already working in the market, spotting which competitor ads are actually being scaled, and saving proven concepts before they hit saturation is how good media buyers cut wasted spend and shorten the path to a winner.

The catch is that manual research drains hours. Copying links into spreadsheets, screenshotting ads into folders, rewatching videos just to write down the hook - it doesn't scale, and it doesn't give you the deeper signals you need. Purpose-built research platforms fix that, and two names that come up often in the ecom space are Gethookd and Adnova.

Both are solid tools built by people who understand performance marketing. This guide breaks down where each one shines so you can pick the platform that fits how your team actually works.

What is Adnova?

Adnova is a creative intelligence platform built for ecommerce brands and agencies that want their entire creative workflow, research, analytics, collaboration, and launching in one place. It started as a creative research and analytics tool and has grown into a full creative operations suite.

On the research side, Adnova gives you a large multi-platform discover library, AI-powered competitor tracking, and a browser extension for building swipe files across more than just Meta. Beyond research, it layers on creative analytics (so you can see what's actually performing in your own account), a creative hub for review and feedback, and a bulk ad launcher. The pitch is straightforward: instead of paying for research in one tool, analytics in another, and asset review in a third, you run the whole loop inside one platform at a transparent price.

What is Gethookd?

Gethookd is an all-in-one ad research and AI creative production platform built primarily around Meta advertising. Its core idea is to shorten the distance between finding a winning ad and building your own version of it.

It pairs a sizable ad library with a competitor-tracking feature called Brand Spy, then adds AI production tools on top: you can transcribe a video ad to pull its hooks and CTAs, generate fresh scripts with AI, and clone winning creatives with new visuals. Reviewers tend to praise its ease of use and the time it saves on creative production. If your bottleneck is "I find good ads but turning them into new creatives is slow," that AI-generation angle is genuinely where Gethookd is strong.

Ad Library

This is the foundation of any research tool, so it's worth comparing closely.

Adnova runs a discover library of 100M+ ads with deep, granular filtering. You can search by keyword and filter by ad format, ad status (active vs. inactive), industry, and, importantly, by ad running days. That last filter is one of the most reliable proxies for a winner: an ad that's been live for 60+ days is almost certainly profitable, and being able to isolate those instantly saves a lot of scrolling.

Gethookd offers a library of 65M+ high-performing ads, focused on Meta platforms (Facebook and Instagram). You can filter by niche, format, and performance, and it applies AI scoring to surface ads based on longevity and engagement signals, useful for catching winners before they saturate.

The practical difference comes down to two things: scale and breadth. Adnova's library is larger, and its filtering is built to let you slice the data many different ways to find proven concepts fast.

Competitor Tracking

Adnova's competitor tracking lets you follow any brand and pull a 360-degree, AI-generated breakdown across multiple creative dimensions: hook tactics, full funnel breakdown, asset types, and spend configuration. The depth here is the differentiator -instead of just seeing what a competitor is running, you get a structured read on their hook strategy, how their funnel is built, the mix of asset types they lean on, and how they're allocating spend. For teams that want to reverse-engineer a competitor's entire creative system rather than just copy a single ad, that breadth of insight is hard to beat.

Gethookd's Brand Spy lets you track competitor ad accounts to see their full creative library, top ads, hooks, and landing-page traffic and it's designed to surface which ads a brand is actively scaling, not just the ones they happen to be running. That scaling signal is a meaningful edge over a basic ad library.

Swipe File

Adnova takes the swipe file wider. Its browser extension lets you save creatives from Meta, the TikTok Ad Library, and organic content on TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, so you're not limited to paid Meta ads. Organic posts are often where the freshest hooks and formats show up first, so capturing them matters. On top of that, Adnova lets you share your swipe file with your team via a shareable link, which keeps the whole creative team working from the same inspiration board. If your research spans multiple platforms and your team collaborates, that broader coverage and easy sharing is a clear advantage.

Gethookd offers a Chrome extension that lets you save ads from the Meta Ad Library and TikTok into your swipe file or a specific board, without leaving your browser and can be organized into boards, and shared with your team to brainstorm and collaborate.

Apart from Research

Adnova extends across the full creative operations loop. Beyond research, it includes:

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• Creative analytics: connect your ad account and see which of your own creatives are actually driving results, so research decisions are grounded in your real performance data.
• Creative hub: streamline the review and feedback process with version stacking and annotated comments, so creatives, strategists, and clients can collaborate without the usual email-and-spreadsheet chaos.
• Ad launcher: push your finished creatives live in bulk.

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Gethookd extends forward into production. Once you've found a winning ad, its AI tools help you transcribe it, generate new scripts, and clone the creative with fresh visuals. If your team's biggest gap is producing volume quickly, that's a real strength.

The honest way to frame the two: Gethookd leans toward helping you generate creative, while Adnova leans toward helping you analyze, collaborate on, and ship creative - all anchored by deeper research. If your workflow involves a team reviewing and iterating on creatives and you want analytics and launching in the same place, Adnova covers more of the end-to-end loop.

Pricing

Both offer a 7-day free trial, but their entry plans are built for different starting points.

Gethookd's Starter is the cheaper entry point and a great fit for solo buyers who mainly want research and AI generation. Adnova's Plus costs more because it's a multi-seat platform with research, creative analytics, and team collaboration bundled in and Adnova. Check the Adnova pricing page.

Why Choose Adnova?

Both tools are capable, and Gethookd is a legitimately good choice if your single biggest priority is using AI to spin up new creative variations quickly. There's no wrong answer here, it depends on what your team needs most.

That said, if you want the most complete creative engine for an ecom brand or agency, Adnova makes a strong case:

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• A bigger research library: 100M+ ads versus 65M+, with granular filtering by format, ad status, industry, and ad running days to find proven winners fast.
• Deeper competitor intelligence: not just what a brand is running, but AI-driven insight into their hook tactics, funnel structure, asset mix, and spend configuration.
• Broader, team-friendly swipe files: capture creatives from Meta, the TikTok Ad Library, and organic TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, then share them with your team in one link.
• The full workflow, not just research: creative analytics tied to your real performance, a creative hub with version stacking and annotated comments for painless review, and a bulk ad launcher to ship what works.
• Transparent, flat pricing with a free trial to test it all first.

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In short: Gethookd is a great research-to-AI-production tool. Adnova is a research-to-analytics-to-launch system, broader coverage, deeper competitor insight, and a collaboration layer that keeps your whole creative team in sync.

Ready to see it for yourself? Start your free Adnova trial - no credit card required or book a quick call with the team to see how Adnova fits your creative workflow.