Is there a drawing app for kids with no ads?
Yes, but check two things before installing: whether ads are removed by paying or absent entirely, and whether the app contains an advertising SDK at all. An app can be ad-free today and start showing ads in the next update if the SDK is already in it.
Three things worth checking
Look at the app's privacy label on the store page. If it lists "Third-Party Advertising" or "Advertising Data", the app is wired for ads whether or not you currently see any.
Check whether the app needs an internet connection to work. Apps that draw ads need a network; apps that genuinely do not have them usually run offline, which is an easy thing to test on a plane or in airplane mode.
Look for a parent gate — a simple maths question — in front of anything that leaves the app: purchases, links, settings. Its presence tells you the developer thought about a child holding the device unsupervised.
Why "free with ads" is worse than it looks for young children
Children under about 7 do not reliably distinguish an advert from content. A full-screen interstitial between drawings is not an interruption to them; it is the next thing they are supposed to tap. That is why ad-supported drawing apps produce so many accidental installs and purchases.
What ad-free usually costs
Somewhere between a one-off payment and a small subscription. It is worth checking whether the paid version unlocks content permanently or only while subscribed, because the two feel very different a year later.
Where Draw Along fits
Draw Along has no ads, no advertising SDK, and no third-party analytics inside the app on iOS. It works fully offline, purchases sit behind a parent gate, and it does not collect personal information from children. There is a free set of drawings to try before paying anything.