Kids Apps With No Ads, No Chat and No In-App Purchases: A Parent Checklist

Yes, there are kids apps with no ads, no chat and no in-app purchases. TruPlay, a Christian app of Bible-based games, comics and videos for kids ages 4 to 12, has no ads, no chatrooms and nothing to buy besides the subscription itself. Khan Academy Kids (free, ages 2 to 8), ABCmouse (ages 2 to 8) and Epic (a reading library for kids 12 and under) also describe themselves as ad-free, and PBS KIDS offers free games and videos with brief funding credits on some videos. Here is what each promise means, the risks of free, ad-supported apps for young children, and a checklist to use before you download.

What "no ads, no chat, no in-app purchases" really means

No ads

No banner ads, no videos before the next level, no promotions for other apps. Ad-free is a separate question from data collection, so the privacy policy still matters.

No chat

Your child cannot message, voice chat with or share content with other players. In its 2022 case against Fortnite maker Epic Games, the FTC alleged that voice and text chat switched on by default, along with matching kids and teens with strangers, harmed young players, who were bullied, threatened and harassed while playing.

No in-app purchases

Nothing to buy once the app is open: no coin packs, no gem bundles, no pay-to-skip prompts. One catch: app stores count a subscription bought inside the app as an in-app purchase, so a listing can carry that label even when there is nothing else to buy. TruPlay carries that label for this reason. Its App Store listing shows two items, the $12.99 monthly and $69.99 yearly TruPlay Premium plans, and nothing inside the games can be bought with real money.

The hidden risks of free, ad-supported apps for young children

A free app still needs to make money, and for many apps that means ads, data or purchase prompts.

  • Ads are common, even in apps for preschoolers. A 2019 study of 135 popular apps for children 5 and under found that 95% had at least one type of advertising, from pop-up videos that interrupted play (35% of apps) to ads camouflaged as game items. Every free app in the study had advertising, and apps labeled "educational" had it about as often as the rest.
  • Young children struggle to spot and resist ads. The American Academy of Pediatrics says children are "uniquely vulnerable to the persuasive effects of advertising" because critical thinking and impulse control are still developing. In 2023, FTC staff reported that many children lack the skills to identify ads blended into games and other online content.
  • Data can travel further than you expect. In a 2020 JAMA Pediatrics study of 451 apps played by children ages 3 to 5, 303 apps (67%) sent persistent identifiers (codes that let companies recognize a device over time) to third-party companies.
  • Purchase prompts cost real money. The same FTC staff paper flagged ad prompts that lead to accidental purchases without parental approval, and Epic Games agreed to pay $245 million in refunds after the FTC alleged it used design tricks to push Fortnite players into unwanted charges.

A quick app store checklist for parents

  1. Check the purchase line. If the listing shows in-app purchases, open the price list. A subscription price is very different from a list of coin packs.
  2. Look for "Contains ads" on Google Play. Google notes the label does not cover paid product placement or offers to buy upgrades, so skim the description too.
  3. Search the description for chat, friends, multiplayer or community. If they appear, find out whether those features are on by default.
  4. Open the privacy policy. Check whether children can contact other users and whether advertising cookies are used. TruPlay's privacy policy, for example, says its games for children do not let users communicate with each other and that it uses no advertising cookies in its apps.
  5. Turn on purchase approval anyway. Use Ask to Buy through Apple Family Sharing, or set purchase verification in the Google Play app under Payments & subscriptions.
  6. Play it yourself first. If there is a free trial, use it before your child does.

If your child is asking for a mainstream game instead, TruPlay's parent guides to Roblox and Fortnite cover chat, in-game spending and parental controls.

Kids apps to compare

Here is what each company says about ads, checked on its own site or store listing in September 2026. Chat and purchase details vary, so confirm them in each listing.

TruPlay: Bible-based games, comics and videos (ages 4 to 12)

TruPlay is a Christian entertainment app with 35+ games, comics and videos (100+ hours of content) for iPhone, iPad and Android. It has no ads and no chatrooms, there is nothing to buy besides the subscription, and a parent or guardian sets up the account. The games include Stained Glass, a match-3 game that retells stories from Genesis and Exodus, and Lumi's Words of Light, word puzzles built from 30+ Bible verses. TruPlay costs $12.99 a month or $69.99 a year for up to 10 profiles, and new accounts get a 7-day free trial. It suits families who want Bible stories and faith built into play.

Khan Academy Kids: free early learning (ages 2 to 8)

Made by Khan Academy, a nonprofit, the app offers learning games, books and videos in early reading, math and social-emotional skills for kids ages 2 to 8. Its App Store listing says it is 100% free, with no ads and no subscriptions.

ABCmouse: structured learning paths (ages 2 to 8)

ABCmouse says its app, ABCmouse 2, is 100% free from third-party ads and has more than 13,000 learning activities for kids ages 2 to 8, covering reading, math, science and more. It costs $14.99 a month after a 30-day free trial.

Epic: a digital reading library (ages 12 and under)

Epic describes itself as an ad-free library for kids 12 and under, curated by experts, with 40,000+ books, audiobooks and learning videos and a free trial for families.

PBS KIDS: free games and videos

PBS KIDS offers free programming, games and activities, supported by public media funders and corporate sponsors. Some videos open with a brief funding credit.

For a seven-year-old, match the app to the goal. For a large reading library, Epic. For early reading and math, Khan Academy Kids (free) or ABCmouse (subscription), both built for ages 2 to 8. For Bible stories and values built into play, TruPlay, where the games page lists a suggested age for each title.

Frequently asked questions

Are there kids apps with no ads, no chat and no in-app purchases?

Yes. TruPlay has no ads, no chatrooms and nothing to buy besides the subscription, and Khan Academy Kids is free with no ads or subscriptions. For any app, check the listing for chat features and a price list before you download.

Are there ad-free apps for children under ten?

Yes. Khan Academy Kids (ages 2 to 8), ABCmouse (ages 2 to 8), Epic (12 and under) and TruPlay (ages 4 to 12) all describe themselves as ad-free.

What are the hidden risks of free, ad-supported apps for young children?

Research and FTC findings point to three: ads that young children struggle to spot and resist, device identifiers sent to third-party companies, and prompts that lead to purchases a parent never approved.

Is a paid kids app always better than a free one?

Not always. Khan Academy Kids is free and ad-free, and a nonprofit makes it. A subscription app is paid for by families rather than advertisers, but check chat and privacy details either way.

Why does the App Store list in-app purchases for TruPlay?

The TruPlay subscription is bought inside the app, and the stores count that as an in-app purchase. The App Store lists two items, the $12.99 and $69.99 TruPlay Premium plans, and nothing inside the games can be bought with real money.