Magic Brief shut down. What replaces it?
Magic Brief closed on July 31, 2026 after Canva's acquisition. What it did, and which tools cover each part now: Foreplay for the swipe file, Dovey for research and questions, Canva Grow for making.
Daryl Budiman
Updated · 4 min read
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- Magic Brief shut down on July 31, 2026, after Canva acquired it. Its Pro plan had started at $249 a month with an ad library of about 12 million ads. Dovey starts free, and its Pro plan is $29 a month.
- Its three jobs split across three kinds of tool now: a swipe file and briefs (Foreplay), research and questions over the market (Dovey), and making creatives (Canva Grow, or Dovey's remix and daily agent).
- If you used it mostly to find and save ads, Foreplay is the closest. If you used it to work out what to make, Dovey is closer and cheaper.
What Magic Brief did
An ad library across Facebook, Instagram and TikTok (about 12 million ads), a swipe file with boards, and briefing tools, priced on ad spend from $249 a month. Canva acquired it for $22.5 million and closed the product on July 31, 2026, folding the ideas into Canva Grow.
What covers each job now
| Job | Closest tool | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Save and organize ads with a team | Foreplay | Swipe file, boards, briefs; from $59 a month |
| Search the Meta Ad Library by meaning, top performers first | Dovey | Free to search; $29 or $99 |
| Ask questions over the ads ("which angles perform best") | Dovey | Charts with sample sizes |
| Open a competitor's whole account from a URL | Dovey, Foreplay's Spyder | |
| Find the creators in category ads | Dovey | The creator search |
| Make creatives from the winners | Canva Grow; Dovey's remix and daily agent | |
| Analyze your own account's creative performance | Motion | From $250 a month |
| Checked | September 24, 2026 |
If you are choosing one
Ask what you actually did in Magic Brief most days. Saving ads to boards for a team: Foreplay. Working out what to make next, and making it: Dovey, at a fraction of the old price.
FAQ
When did Magic Brief shut down?
July 31, 2026, following Canva's acquisition. Canva Grow carries some of its ideas.
Can I import my Magic Brief boards into Dovey?
There is no importer. Dovey's bookmarks and collections are the equivalent for saved ads; a list of the ads' Ad Library links is enough to rebuild a board by searching and saving.
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