Kids Coloring Apps on the App Store: What We Found in the Top 15 Results

When a parent types “coloring for kids” into the App Store, which apps come up, and what’s actually in them? We opened the App Store listing of each of the top 15 results and recorded what Apple’s own labels say: age rating, Kids category, advertising, privacy and in-app purchases. The short answer is better than we expected on ads, and more complicated on prices.

The Short Version

Among the top 15 U.S. App Store results for “coloring for kids” on October 22, 2026:

• All 15 were rated 4+, and 12 were in Apple’s Kids category (“Made for Ages”).
• Only 1 carried the “Contains Advertising” label.
• 2 listed “Data Used to Track You”, both outside the Kids category.
• 3 said “Data Not Collected”, and 1 provided no privacy details at all.
• 11 sold in-app purchases, 7 listed subscriptions, and 3 listed weekly plans.
• 1 hadn’t been updated since 2017.

Compare that with our check of the top 10 color by number apps, where 9 of 10 showed ads and 9 of 10 listed tracking. If you’d rather skip the research, jump to our picks.

How We Checked

We searched the U.S. App Store for “coloring for kids” through Apple’s public search API and opened the App Store listing of each of the top 15 results on October 22, 2026. For each, we recorded the age rating, the Kids category label, Apple’s “Contains Advertising” label, the privacy label sections, the in-app purchases the listing shows and the date of the latest version. We didn’t download or play these apps, so this is what the listings say, not how the apps behave.

Limits worth knowing:

• Search results vary with time, device and region.
• Privacy labels are self-reported; Apple’s listings say it hasn’t verified them.
• Listings show up to 10 in-app purchases, so an app may sell more.
• Several results are drawing apps rather than pure coloring apps; we kept them because that’s what a parent sees for this search.

None of these 15 apps are ones we’ve reviewed. We’re not naming them: this is about what a parent runs into, not a ranking of other developers’ products.

What We Found

Most results were in the Kids category

Twelve of the 15 showed “Made for Ages,” which marks Apple’s Kids category: 11 for ages 0–5 and one for ages 6–8. Apple’s App Review Guidelines say Kids category apps shouldn’t include third-party analytics or third-party advertising, with limited exceptions, and must put purchases and links out of the app behind a parental gate. Our guide to Apple’s Kids category explains what that does and doesn’t guarantee.

Ads were rare, but not absent

Only one listing carried the “Contains Advertising” label, and it was in the Kids category, which shows that the category limits advertising rather than banning it outright. If ads matter to you, as they do to most parents, check for the label every time; our guide on why ad-free actually matters explains why.

Tracking appeared only outside the Kids category

Two apps listed “Data Used to Track You,” both outside the Kids category. Both privacy labels list third-party advertising among the purposes for the data collected, even though neither listing showed the “Contains Advertising” label on the day we checked. The advertising label and the privacy label are separate, so read them together. Our guide on how to read App Store privacy labels explains each section.

One provided no privacy details, and hadn’t been updated since 2017

One app showed “No Details Provided” in its privacy section, with Apple’s note that the developer will be required to provide privacy details when it submits its next update. Its latest version was dated January 5, 2017. An app that hasn’t been updated in nearly a decade tells you very little about its data practices.

Prices: packs, full versions and subscriptions

All 15 were free to download. Eleven sold in-app purchases, in three main patterns:

• Themed page packs at $1.99 to $2.99, plus a one-time full version from $3.99 to $11.99.
• Subscriptions in 7 apps, including weekly plans from $4.99 to $9.99 in 3 of them. A $9.99 weekly plan comes to about $520 a year.
• Larger plans and bundles, with the highest price we saw at $119.99.

Two listings also showed items labeled “FREE TRIAL!” with a price attached, so read the terms before starting a trial. Our guides to how to read a coloring app paywall and how much coloring app subscriptions cost help you judge an offer.

What This Means for Parents

1. Look for “Made for Ages,” but still check for “Contains Advertising.” The Kids category limits ads; it doesn’t always eliminate them.
2. Read the privacy label. “Data Not Collected” is the best answer; “Data Used to Track You” or “No Details Provided” is a reason to look elsewhere.
3. Check the update date. An app untouched for years may not work well on new devices.
4. Scroll to In-App Purchases. Weekly plans add up fast for a young child’s app.
5. Turn on purchase protection with our guide to stopping accidental in-app purchases, and if a charge slips through, see how to get a refund.

Our Picks: Coloring Apps That Pass This Check

These are the apps we’ve tested hands-on. All 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). Each listing offers a one-time Lifetime Unlock, so you can avoid a recurring payment if you decide to pay. They’re published by EyeZen, a developer affiliated with our editorial team (see our disclosure policy).

For more, see our best coloring apps for kids, best coloring apps for toddlers and best coloring apps without subscriptions, or take the Find My App quiz.

Our Take

Searching “coloring for kids” mostly surfaces 4+ apps in Apple’s Kids category, with few ads. The things to watch are elsewhere: apps outside the Kids category that track users, apps with no privacy details or no updates in years, and a lot of subscription pricing, including weekly plans. A one-minute look at the listing catches most of it, or start with the ad-free picks above.

Sources: the App Store listings of the top 15 U.S. search results for “coloring for kids,” read October 22, 2026; iTunes Search API (Apple), App Review Guidelines, section 1.3 Kids Category (Apple Developer), App privacy details on the App Store (Apple Developer)