Hey everyone,
We are known of so many cross-platform frameworks in recent years that includes flutter, react-native, ionic, xamirin and goes on. All are promissing one thing, build once run anywhere.
Today we can get a look at the new player in the same segment - Kotlin Multiplatform and how it differ from others.
Shared logic and not UI
Kotlin Multiplatform(KMM) shared the business logic. The api calls, catching, algorithms or anything which is common to iOS and Andorid will be written in shared logic.
These shared logic is public for iOS and Android platform.
UI developement is seperate for iOS and Android, ie. iOS UI will be developed using swift UI and Android will be developed in Jcompose. Which gives us platform dependent UI experience for both the users which is a great plus.
Keep the native codebase
Unlike frameworks that abstract everything away (like Flutter’s rendering engine or RN’s JavaScript bridge), KMP works with your existing native projects.
You can gradually migrate or share code without rewriting everything. This makes KMP a great fit for teams maintaining mature Android and iOS apps who want to reduce code duplication without a full rewrite.
Written in Kotlin, a known language for Android
If you’re already an Android developer using Kotlin, you’ll love KMP. No learning Dart, JavaScript, or C#.
Also,
The shared modules are pure Kotlin.
You can use Kotli
n libraries (like Ktor, Coroutines, Serialization) across platforms.
KMM is not for mobile alone
KMP is truly multiplatform:
Android (JVM)
iOS (Native)
Backend (JVM)
Web (via Kotlin/JS)
Desktop (Compose Multiplatform)
Even WebAssembly (experimental)
So if you’re building shared SDKs, libraries, or full-stack apps, Kotlin Multiplatform offers some powerful potential.
But It’s Not All Roses
Like any tech, KMP has its challenges:
iOS setup can be tricky at first (especially with cocoapods + Xcode integration).
Smaller ecosystem compared to Flutter or React Native.
UI has to be written separately — more work if you’re aiming for a quick prototype.
But for apps where performance, maintainability, and code reuse matter, KMP really shines.
So… Who Should Use It?
✅ Use KMP if:
You already use Kotlin and want to reuse business logic across platforms.
You want to avoid bloated frameworks or rendering engines.
You prefer native UI and platform-specific behavior.
You’re building SDKs or libraries that need to work everywhere.
❌ Avoid it if:
You want one codebase for everything, including UI.
Your team has zero Kotlin experience.
You need very rapid UI prototyping across platforms.
Kotlin Multiplatform isn’t trying to be a Flutter or React Native replacement. It’s giving developers more control, better integration, and smarter code sharing.
For teams that want to maintain platform-specific UI while still avoiding code duplication in logic, KMP is a powerful and flexible alternative.
Signing off,
Jigin – Exploring cross-platform, one shared module at a time.
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