Ads Lighthouse vs Minea in 2026: brand-search monitoring vs ecommerce product research

Ads Lighthouse is for monitoring paid results around a known brand-search problem. A project defines the brand, domains, keywords, markets, devices, and schedule; the product then checks Google and Bing paid listings and saves the search term, engine, place, device, time, advertiser domain, copy, and destination. Growth and above add sponsored Google Shopping observations. That precise unit of evidence makes it useful when a team needs to establish what was visible on a selected search, rather than infer a broad market trend from a social creative feed.

Compliance workflow is the product’s clearest differentiator. Teams can declare affiliate parameters and known IDs, filter saved results by affiliate markers or brand mentions, trace eligible destinations, and move suspected issues through New, In progress, Resolved, or Ignored policy cases. Alerts can be sent by email, Slack, or webhook when an advertiser appears or returns. The result is not a legal conclusion: observed visibility only describes a domain’s share of the searches the project captured, not impression share, spend, a purchased keyword, or proof of infringement.

Starter costs $49 monthly for one project, 20 keywords, two locations, daily checks, 7,500 scheduled checks, and 100 on-demand checks. Growth is $99 and adds Shopping. Scale is $299 and adds REST API keys plus client-branded reports. CSV and Excel exports, PDF reports, team roles, alerts, and the MCP server are included across plans. Choose Ads Lighthouse when repeatable paid-search observation itself is the work, not when you need to discover a new product, shop, or supplier.

Minea is an ecommerce research workspace built around a different chain of decisions. A user can start with a social ad or product idea, research ads across Meta, TikTok, and Pinterest, then continue to product listings, the shop behind an offer, and possible supplier sources. Searches can use a brand, product, keyword, or niche, with platform and engagement inputs. For a dropshipper, that bridge from creative to an item and supply lead is often more useful than another archive of ads.

Its recurring research features include brand tracking, notifications, daily niche lists, product and shop listings, an AliExpress supplier finder, reverse image search, and a Chrome extension. Minea also publishes allowances for AI Analysis of an ad, AI Transcript, and Magic Search. Starter includes 10 analyses, 10 transcripts, and 50 Magic Searches per month. Premium raises them to 50, 50, and 100 and lists ten tracked shops with unlimited notifications. Business lists unlimited tracking and AI use. Those limits should guide a buyer more than a broad features claim.

Minea is directional research, not financial verification. The company describes ad activity, engagement, spend or budget, shop traffic, and revenue as signals, estimates, or insights rather than audited advertiser results. It does not publish Ads Lighthouse’s Google/Bing scheduled monitoring, affiliate matching, policy cases, API, or white-label reports. Starter is $49 monthly or $39 monthly paid quarterly, Premium is $99 or $79 quarterly, and Business is $199 or $158 quarterly. Buy it when product discovery is recurring work, not to investigate a trademark-search appearance.