Windsor.ai alternatives (2026): read-only AI tools for Google Ads
Windsor.ai is a data platform: it pulls ads, analytics and CRM data from many sources into AI assistants, dashboards and warehouses, from a free plan up to $598 a month. Its MCP can also write, and pausing campaigns or adjusting budgets is on every plan. If you want an AI that only reads Google Ads and shows where the money goes, look at Google's open-source MCP server, a hosted read-only server like Ads MCP, or a Google Ads script.
What Windsor.ai does
Windsor.ai connects ad platforms, analytics tools and CRMs to the places where you read the data: spreadsheets, BI tools, data warehouses, and AI assistants through its own MCP server, which every plan includes. It is built for reporting across many sources at once. Its pricing FAQ also says read and write functions, "including actions like pausing campaigns or adjusting budgets", come with every plan (windsor.ai/pricing).
Windsor.ai pricing, October 2026
| Plan | Monthly | Billed yearly | Data sources | Accounts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0, after a 30-day trial | $0 | 1 | 1 |
| Basic | $23 | $19 a month | 3 | 75 |
| Standard | $118 | $99 a month | 7 | 75 |
| Plus | $299 | $249 a month | 10 | 200 |
| Professional | $598 | $499 a month | 14 | 500 |
The free plan keeps only 30 days of history. Enterprise is priced on request.
Why some people want read-only
With write access on, the connection that builds your Monday report is the same one that can pause a campaign. Most of the time that is fine. The trouble starts with one vague instruction, or a long chat where the assistant loses track of which account it is in. Agencies have a simpler reason: the account belongs to the client, and plenty of clients only hand out read access. A read-only tool cannot change anything, so the worst it can do is give you a wrong answer that you then check.
The read-only options
| Option | Cost | Setup | What you get |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google's open-source MCP server | free | Cloud project, API, credentials, often a developer token | raw GAQL access from your assistant |
| Ads MCP (hosted) | free plan, then paid | paste an address, sign in with Google | fixed audits, Google Ads Editor files, client reports |
| A Google Ads script | free | paste into Google Ads | one fixed check, emailed daily |
With Ads MCP the fix still reaches the account, but through you. Negative keywords and pauses come as a CSV, and Google Ads Editor shows you every change before anything is posted.
Reporting or auditing?
- You report on Google, Meta, LinkedIn and more in one dashboard or warehouse: Windsor.ai is built for that.
- You run Google Ads and want to know which search terms and campaigns burn money: a read-only audit tool does that in one call.
- Not sure yet: try the free search terms check. It runs in your browser and shows whether search terms are where your money leaks.
Ads MCP is a read-only Google Ads connector for ChatGPT, Claude and other AI assistants. It finds the searches that spend without converting and hands you a file to import. Free: 15 tool calls a month.
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