TikTok Commercial Content API and Ad Library

TikTok’s Commercial Content Library is a free, searchable database of ads and other commercial content shown on TikTok in Europe, and the Commercial Content API gives approved applicants programmatic access to the same data by advertiser name or keyword. Anyone can browse the library; the API requires an application through TikTok for Developers, and the applicant can be based in any country.

The library exists for ad transparency in Europe, so it covers ads shown there, not worldwide. This guide covers what the library and API contain, how to apply, and how the API works. All of TikTok’s official APIs are mapped in TikTok API in 2026. For organic videos rather than ads, researchers use the TikTok Research API, and apps that show a creator’s own videos use the TikTok Display API.

What Is the TikTok Commercial Content Library?

The Commercial Content Library is a searchable database of paid ads and ad metadata on TikTok, including the ad creative, the dates it ran, the main targeting parameters such as age and gender, and the number of people it was served to. TikTok opened it to bring transparency to paid advertising and other commercial content, and only data from Europe is available so far (TikTok Newsroom).

What Does the Commercial Content API Do?

The Commercial Content API lets the public and researchers run customised searches by advertiser name or keyword on the ads and commercial content stored in the library. TikTok says the APIs are available globally and include EU ads data to begin with, while it builds capacity for other regions (TikTok for Developers).

Point	Commercial Content Library	Commercial Content API
Access	Anyone, in a browser	Approved applicants
Search	By advertiser or keyword	Customised queries by advertiser name or keyword
Data covered	Ads and commercial content shown in Europe	The same library data
Cost	Free	Free, after approval

How Do You Apply for the Commercial Content API?

You apply through a TikTok for Developers account created with your official email address; if approved, you’ll find the client key for the Commercial Content API in your developer account. TikTok may follow up from [email protected] if it needs more information, and it reviews applications to prevent misuse of the data (TikTok for Developers, TikTok Newsroom).

How Does the Commercial Content API Work?

After approval, you use your project’s client key and secret to generate a client access token, then send query requests with that token. TikTok’s getting-started guide shows querying ads with a keyword, a country and a date range, and paging through results when there are more matches than one request returns (TikTok for Developers).

curl -X POST 'https://open.tiktokapis.com/v2/research/adlib/ad/query/?fields=ad,ad_group' \
  -H 'Authorization: Bearer YOUR_CLIENT_ACCESS_TOKEN' \
  -H 'Content-Type: application/json'

The request body carries the search filters, such as the keyword, country and date range; TikTok’s guide gives the full example.

What Can You Use Ad Library Data For?

Ad library data is useful for ad transparency research, competitor ad research in European markets, and studying how brands target audiences. Listed below are the 3 common uses.

• Competitor ads: what a rival runs, when, and to which age and gender groups.
• Creative research: which ad formats and messages brands use in a category.
• Compliance and research: auditing commercial content shown in Europe.

Organic content is a different source: tracking a competitor’s own posts is covered in how to track competitors on TikTok.

What Doesn’t the Ad Library Cover?

The library doesn’t cover ads shown only outside Europe, and it’s separate from organic videos, which are the posts creators and brands publish without paying. For trending ads worldwide, TikTok’s Creative Center showcases popular ads; for organic posts, see how to scrape TikTok data in 2026.