Color by Number Apps for Kids: What the Top 10 App Store Results Really Contain

Color by number is one of the most popular kinds of coloring app: tap a numbered area, it fills with the matching color, and a picture slowly appears. It’s satisfying, it’s simple enough for young children, and the App Store is full of it. But the apps at the top of the search results aren’t necessarily made for children. We checked the top 10 App Store results for “color by number” to see what a parent would actually be downloading.

The Short Version

On October 21, 2026, among the top 10 U.S. App Store search results for “color by number”:

• 9 of 10 carried Apple’s “Contains Advertising” label.
• 9 of 10 listed “Data Used to Track You” in their privacy label.
• 6 of 10 were rated above 4+, from 9+ to 18+.
• All 10 offered in-app purchases, and 6 listed a weekly subscription, at up to $9.99 a week.
• Only 1 was in Apple’s Kids category, and it was the only one without an advertising label or tracking.

Color by number can be a great activity for a child. The point is that the most popular apps are largely designed for adults, so check the listing first. For contrast, see what we found when we checked the top 15 results for “coloring for kids”.

How We Checked

We searched the U.S. App Store for “color by number” through Apple’s public search API and opened the App Store listing of each of the top 10 results on October 21, 2026. For each one we recorded the age rating, whether Apple’s “Contains Advertising” label appears, the privacy label sections, and the in-app purchases the listing shows. We didn’t download or play these apps, so this describes what each listing says, not how each app behaves.

A few limits worth knowing:

• Search results change with time, device and region, so your top 10 may differ.
• Privacy labels are self-reported by the developer, and Apple’s listings say the information hasn’t been verified by Apple.
• Listings show up to 10 in-app purchases, so an app may sell more than we saw.

None of these 10 apps are ones we’ve reviewed.

What We Found

We’re not naming the apps: this is about what a parent runs into, not a ranking of other developers’ products.

Advertising

Nine listings carried Apple’s “Contains Advertising” label. Several sell a way to remove ads, and the wording matters: one listing’s purchase is called “Remove ads (hint ads stay),” and another’s is “Remove Inter & Banner Ads.” Paying to remove ads doesn’t always remove every ad. Our guide on why ad-free actually matters explains why ads are a particular problem in children’s apps.

Tracking

Nine listings had a “Data Used to Track You” section, meaning the developer says some data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. The categories listed varied, from identifiers and usage data to location, purchases and contact info. The one exception listed only “Data Not Linked to You.” Our guide on how to read App Store privacy labels explains each section.

Age ratings

Four apps were rated 4+, two 9+, three 13+ and one 18+. The reasons shown on the listings included infrequent sexual content or nudity, horror or fear themes, mature or suggestive themes, and profanity or crude humor. A color by number app rated 13+ or 18+ is a clear signal that its picture library isn’t curated for children. Our guide to what 4+ means on a coloring app explains Apple’s ratings.

Purchases and subscriptions

All 10 offered in-app purchases. The prices shown included:

• Weekly plans from $1.99 to $9.99, listed by 6 of the 10 apps.
• Monthly plans up to $24.99.
• Yearly plans up to $99.99.
• Coins, gems, hint packs and “offers” alongside the subscriptions in several apps.

A weekly plan at $9.99 adds up to about $520 a year. Our guide to how much coloring app subscriptions cost puts these prices in context, and how to read a coloring app paywall shows what to check before anyone taps “Continue.”

The one Kids category app

Only one result showed “Made for Ages 0–5,” which marks Apple’s Kids category, and it was also the only one without an advertising label or a tracking section. That fits Apple’s rules: its App Review Guidelines say Kids category apps shouldn’t include third-party advertising or analytics, with limited exceptions, and must use a parental gate before purchases and links out. Even that app sold subscriptions, so your device’s purchase settings still matter. Our guide to Apple’s Kids category explains what the label does and doesn’t guarantee.

Color by Number or Free Coloring?

Color by number and free coloring practice different things:

• Color by number asks a child to recognize numbers, match them to a key and follow a plan. The picture is decided in advance, which some children find calming and others find limiting.
• Free coloring, including the tap-to-fill style used by the apps we’ve reviewed, lets the child choose every color. There’s no wrong answer, which suits younger children who don’t yet know their numbers.

We haven’t found research showing that one style is better for children. In a study of mandala versus free-form coloring for test anxiety in schoolchildren, both reduced anxiety, which suggests the act of coloring may matter more than the format; we cover it in our guide on whether coloring apps can reduce stress in kids. A practical rule: if your child is still learning numbers, start with free coloring; if they enjoy puzzles and following steps, color by number is a good fit, as long as the app itself is suitable.

A 60-Second Check Before Downloading

1. Look for “Made for Ages” on the listing. It means the app is in Apple’s Kids category.
2. Check for “Contains Advertising” near the age rating.
3. Open App Privacy. “Data Used to Track You” is a reason to keep looking.
4. Read the age rating and its reasons. For a young child, 4+ with no content warnings.
5. Scroll to In-App Purchases. Weekly plans and coin packs mean a paywall is coming.
6. Turn on purchase protection before handing over the device. Our guide to stopping accidental in-app purchases takes ten minutes, and if a purchase has already gone through, see how to get a refund.

Our Picks Instead: Ad-Free Coloring Apps We’ve Tested

The apps we review are free coloring rather than color by number: tap a region, pick any color, and it fills. That suits children who are still learning their numbers. All 15 were ad-free and worked offline in our testing, and all show “Data Not Collected” on their App Store privacy labels (the developer’s statement, which we haven’t verified). They’re published by EyeZen, a developer affiliated with our editorial team (see our disclosure policy).

For kids

• Tiny Rooms Coloring for Kids: BCA Score 9.1, ages 5–11, decorate miniature dollhouse rooms.
• Magic Unicorn: Kids Coloring: BCA Score 8.9, ages 4–10.
• Capybara Coloring for Kids: BCA Score 8.6, ages 4–10.
• Kawaii Animals Coloring Kids: BCA Score 8.5, ages 4–10.
• Happy Dino Coloring for Kids: BCA Score 8.4, ages 4–10.

Each listing offers a one-time Lifetime Unlock alongside its free pages, and all except Kawaii Animals also offer a monthly plan.

For teens and adults who like the calm of color by number:

• Stained Glass Bible Coloring: BCA Score 8.7.
• Retro Toy Box Coloring Book and Vintage Halloween Coloring: BCA Score 7.9 each.

See all our picks in the best coloring apps for kids, the best coloring apps for adults and the best coloring apps for toddlers.

Our Take

Color by number is a perfectly good activity for children, but the most popular color by number apps on the App Store are largely made for adults: nearly all of the top 10 we checked show ads and track users, more than half are rated above 4+, and weekly subscriptions are common. Use the listing to filter quickly (“Made for Ages,” no advertising label, no tracking, 4+), turn on purchase protection, and if your child is happy choosing their own colors, an ad-free coloring app like the ones above avoids most of these problems.

Sources: the App Store listings of the top 10 U.S. search results for “color by number,” read October 21, 2026; iTunes Search API (Apple), App Review Guidelines, section 1.3 Kids Category (Apple Developer), App privacy details on the App Store (Apple Developer), Age ratings values and definitions (Apple Developer)