Flutter vs Kotlin: Which to Choose for Cross-platform App Development?

In such a scenario developing a cross-platform mobile app development is one of the best solutions.

The reason behind developing cross-platform apps is they can be developed quickly for multiple platforms from a single codebase. Here’s one of the research from Researchgate, which depicts the importance of cross-platform app development in the era of the app development world.

When it comes to cross-platform application development, entrepreneurs rely on Flutter, React Native, Ionic, and Xamarin. However, there is one new cross-platform language that is gaining attention named Kotlin.

Since Flutter has gained much attention in the IT market, we have compared Flutter and Kotlin. So, if you are searching for Flutter vs Kotlin for cross-platform app development, you have landed at the right place.

You may end up with multiple blogs, but in our blog, you will get the real solution of choosing Kotlin Multiplatform or Flutter as per your requirements. So yes, the actual comparison is between Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (newly released cross-platform SDK by Kotlin) and Flutter.

So which one fits your requirements?

Let’s discuss further.

What is Flutter? ( A Brief Definition)

Flutter is open-source technology developed by Google to create apps and web apps for desktop, iOS, and Android. It is a mobile UI framework, freely available and enables the creation of native mobile applications with a single codebase.

This means only one programming language and one codebase is used to create two different apps for iOS and Android. This results in building iOS and Android apps simpler, quicker, and faster.

Flutter consists of two parts:

• Software Development Kit (SDK): A collection of tools to develop the applications. It even has the tools which can help to compile code into native machine code.
• Framework: A collection of UI elements like buttons, text inputs, sliders to personalize the project as per the requirements.

Dart programming language created by Google is used to develop an app in Flutter. Dart focuses on front-end mobile app development and can be used to develop mobile and web applications. Companies that have developed applications in Flutter include ByteDance, Dream11, eBay, and Hamilton.

Space-O being one of the leading Flutter app development companies has experienced Flutter app developers who can build customized app in Flutter. The developers of Space-O technologies have created one of the popular ride-sharing platforms in Flutter which helps to book taxis on-demand.

Moreover, the entire Google Pay was rewritten in Flutter to drive global product development. When they started using Flutter, here’s how the success metrics looked like:

And here’s what Google Pay director David Ko had to say about Flutter.

Want to know which other companies have integrated Flutter, what was their success ratio, and how Flutter development helped enterprises to grow?
Explore this blog about Flutter app examples to know more.

Now let us take an overview of Kotlin along with its features and essential information. Get to know more about Kotlin in the next section.

What is Kotlin?

Kotlin is an open-source general-purpose programming language used for Java Virtual Machine. This statically typed programming language was designed by JetBrains and now Google. Since it is designed to run on Java Virtual Machine, it can also run side-by-side with Java.

Kotlin as a language is used to create Android apps in the mobile app development arena and works ONLY for Android.

What is Kotlin Muliplatform Mobile (KMM)? How is it Different from Kotlin?

Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile is an SDK designed to create cross-platform apps. With the help of KMM, developers can write the same business logic for iOS and Android apps. During app development, it helps to write the platform-specific code where necessary. The only difference between Kotlin and KMM is – Kotlin is a programming language, and KMM is an SDK.

Since KMM was released recently in 2021, it is still in the alpha phase. Still, companies like VMware, Yandex, Autodesk, and Quizlet have already started leveraging iOS and Android development because of their reusable code features.

Moreover, Philips implemented KMM to build connectivity. KMM helped the app development team to push out new features faster and write better code with less effort.

Here’s one of the tweets from an official account of Kotlin depicting how KMM helped to implement new features and served more than 1M customers.

#KMM not only helps @Philips implement new features faster but also fosters and enhances interaction between their Android and iOS developers.

Find out why they chose Kotlin Multiplatform to build their connectivity platform serving over 1M customers!

➡️ https://kotl.in/KMM-Philips pic.twitter.com/HHnCuJ2Kg1

— Kotlin (@kotlin) January 28, 2021

So if you are looking to develop customized cross-platform apps in Kotlin, a leading Kotlin app development company can easily cater to your business requirements.
You can even hire mobile app development company like Space-O who has experience in developing simple to complex app solutions.

Let’s further discuss the detailed comparison of Kotlin vs Flutter for cross-platform development based on the features and functionalities. So have a look and decide which programming languages to choose for app development?

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Kotlin vs Flutter: A Comprehensive Comparison

You may have got a brief overview of the difference between Flutter and Kotlin.

Let’s understand the functionalities deeper to know what to choose for your app development project.

Kotlin vs Flutter: In-depth Difference Comparison Between Flutter and Kotlin

1. Flutter vs Kotlin: Performance

Flutter: The Flutter framework offers hot reloading functionality, which means developers can edit the code to the back-end and simultaneously observe the changes in the front-end. This decreases the need to reload the entire app frequently and saves the development and compilation time. Moreover, the code is compiled with dart virtual machines directly into the machine code, resulting in fast apps.

Kotlin: With Kotlin, developers can set up the basic projects in less than 10 minutes. The amount of enhancement Kotlin brings in is tremendous. Moreover, Kotlin code is compiled in the same format as it is written in it. This means the Kotlin compiler is stable for both platforms. So instead of converting into another format (which takes time), it directly compiles the code, resulting in less development time.

Winner: Draw

Reason: In terms of performance, both Kotlin and Flutter have different functionalities and features to deliver the best performance. Kotlin’s concise code practices, improvements, extensions, support, and Flutter’s live tracking feature enhance performance.

2. Flutter vs Kotlin: UI Experience

Flutter: Since Flutter is a tool for cross-platform development, it offers a variety of widgets that help in animation, scrolling, and navigation. Thus Flutter mobile app developers can quickly and easily leverage these widgets to develop platform-specific UI. Flutter even comes with the advanced SDK for developing UI in cross-platform apps that easily fits the requirements.

Kotlin: Its Multiplatform capability provides a free environment to create the app’s interface. It enables app developers to craft the interfaces without needing to follow constraints and instructions. Moreover, UI/UX designers can utilize native features for cross-platform applications whenever necessary or even write the platform-specific code.

Winner: Flutter

Reason: Since Flutter provides a variety of widgets, platform-specific designing can be quick and efficient. On the other hand, UI/UX designers take more development time in designing as Kotlin doesn’t provide the widgets and has to do platform-specific custom designing.

3. Flutter vs Kotlin: Market Popularity



Image Source: Statista

Flutter: As per the statistics from Statista, the Flutter framework is used by 42% of developers in 2021. Moreover, companies like Google, Square, eBay, BMW have invested in Flutter to grow their businesses. It is one of the active communities having 133k stars and 19.5k forks on GitHub.

Kotlin: Looking at the statistics from Statista, Kotlin Multiplatform is used by only 2% of the developers in 2021. Looking at GitHub, it has only got 3.5k stars and 415 forks.
This means it is still in the growing phase. But, popular companies like Netflix, Philips, and VMware are leveraging the benefits of the Kotlin Multiplatform to scale their business.

Winner: Flutter

Reason: Flutter is launched in 2018, and Kotlin Multiplatform is launched in 2021 so, it is pretty obvious that the popularity and community of Kotlin Multiplatform are still progressing. However, popular companies have already adopted Kotlin Multiplatform for cross-platform mobile applications as their tech stack to grow their business.

4. Flutter vs Kotlin: Third-party Libraries and Tools Integration

Flutter: Since Flutter is cross-platform, it provides easy integration of third-party UI development tools. It integrates the platform-specific APIs for iOS and Android operating systems such as Swift, Objective C, and Java. These platform-specific languages are not dependent on code generation but make use of a flexible message-passing style.

Kotlin: Kotlin Multiplatform operates within native platform ecosystems. You do not have to develop a code from scratch. So, developers can use the same tools and libraries like Jetpack Compose and SwiftUI that they have been using for native app development. This means they need not look for third-party tools like other programming languages to connect with the native environment.

Winner: Kotlin

Reason: In Kotlin Multiplatform, developers can code the projects for native apps without using third-party libraries.

5. Flutter vs Kotlin: Programming Language

Flutter: Since Flutter uses the Dart programming language, developers have to learn from scratch before developing a project in Dart. Dart is like an object-oriented programming language such as C and C++, so it is quite easy to adopt if developers are familiar with the concept.

Kotlin: Kotlin programming language has an easy learning curve since it is quite similar to Java. Moreover, the syntax of Kotlin is pretty simple and easy and shows many similarities with the existing languages such as Swift and Java for iOS and Android, respectively. However, it is compatible with Java, but Kotlin Multiplatform offers fewer learning courses. But if developers are familiar with Kotlin, it is pretty easy to learn Kotlin Multiplatform.

Winner: Kotlin

Reason: Although Kotlin Multiplatform has fewer learning courses, it is pretty easy to learn. So the developers who understand Java can quickly get acquainted with Kotlin.

6. Flutter vs Kotlin: Speed

Flutter: Writing and modifying the code is a lengthy and tedious process, but Flutter will ease this task. Because one HTML code can work throughout the pages without repeating it multiple times. Moreover, constant constructors, splitting code into small widgets, and hot reload helps to increase the speed of iOS and android app development.

With the use of constant constructors, splitting the code into small widgets, implementing lazy loading to use the data when it’s needed, and of course hot reload; helps to increase the speed of iOS and android app development.

Kotlin: Kotlin Multiplatform facilitates faster development due to the utilization of the native components. Moreover, developers can use the same codebase, libraries, and business logic across multiple platforms. Since mobile app developers can share logic and libraries below the UI layer, they can directly interact with the native components. Apart from this, it removes a lot of boilerplate code, which results in faster development.

Winner: Flutter

Reason: Since Flutter offers several widgets and a hot reload feature, mobile app development in Flutter can be quick in iOS and Android.

7. Flutter vs Kotlin: Compatibility Platforms

Flutter: Flutter is designed to develop apps in Android, iOS, and desktop. Developers cannot use it for making apps on tvOS, Android Auto, CarOS, and WatchOS.

Kotlin: There are no such restrictions and guidelines in the case of the Kotlin Multiplatform. Moreover, with Kotlin developers can develop web and mobile app projects for any device and different platforms.

Winner: Kotlin

Reason: It is easy to develop apps for any device. There are no constraints for any specific platforms or devices.

Let’s further understand the advantages and limitations of choosing Flutter for building cross-platform apps for your business. Understanding these will help you to make the right decision.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Flutter for App Development

Here are the five advantages of Flutter for mobile development:

Four Advantages of Using Flutter

1. Reduce Debugging Time

   A typical application for both Android and iOS, with a similar codebase, clearly reduces the time required to debug the program for both platforms simultaneously. This results in saving time and simplifying the process of debugging.

2. Similar App UI on Different Devices

   The most fantastic part about Flutter is that you can use the same user interface for both old and new devices. Apps work and look similar in different versions of Android and iOS operating systems.

   For example, an app will look identical on both the Android platform and the iOS platform. Here is an image from Android and iOS which has the same look and feel on both devices.

   

3. Flutter Community and Support

   Flutter, being a new alternative compared to other cross-platform frameworks available in the IT market, had a limited number of people in the community. However, as soon as its demand increased, Flutter outperformed React Native (one of the oldest cross-platform frameworks) regarding community support and popularity. Considering the current stats, Flutter has 133,000+ stars and 19.6k forks on GitHub.

4. Super Smooth UI for iOS and Android

   The applications developed on Flutter have a smooth and comfortable UI as it has a Skia Graphics library. The library provides the authority to redraw the User Interface and see the changes in real-time. With the help of GPU (Graphics Processing Unit), Flutter UI offers a smooth and highly responsive experience.

5. Perfect for MVP

   Apps developed by Flutter are perfect for the minimum viable product because applications are natively compiled without any interpreters or converters. It starts quickly and runs at 60 frames per second. Moreover, since the code is reused and can be developed on iOS, Android, and other platforms, development time can be saved and you can release MVP faster.

Three Disadvantages of Using Flutter

Let’s have a look at some of the disadvantages before opting for application development.

1. Libraries

   The libraries of Flutter still have a long way to go. A few libraries for graphics, data fetching, and security should be added to the Flutter libraries to find them more productive.

2. Size of the Application

   The application size holds significance as a large number of audiences no longer prefer heavy apps. Maybe that’s the reason Facebook and Instagram came up with a lighter version of their applications for Android users. On the other hand, Flutter apps are larger in size as compared to other alternatives. However, this issue will be resolved soon as the community is religiously dedicating a lot of time and effort for the same.

3. Dart Language

   The Dart language, one of the most promising programming languages, was developed alongside Flutter. Developers are supposed to know how to use and write on Dart if they want to use Flutter. This works as a barrier and is kind of discouraging for the new developers who want to adopt a common language like Javascript if they are working on other cross-platform frameworks.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Using Kotlin Multiplatform for App Development

Four Advantages of Using Kotlin Multiplatform

1. Shared Codebase for Business Logic

   With a shared codebase on Kotlin Multiplatform, Mobile developers can write the same business logic for iOS and Android. Moreover, they can write the platform-specific code where necessary.

2. Works Well With the Existing Projects

   If you already have a project and want to publish it on multiple platforms, developers do not have to make it available from scratch on other platforms. It is easy for the developers to use the code and modify it to work for other platforms. However, the code migration is easy, so even if your project is complex, developers can easily integrate with KMM.

3. Simple Syntax

   Kotlin is a popular programming language, and the syntax for the same is similar to other languages such as Java and Swift. If developers are aware of Java, it is easy to adopt Kotlin; the learning curve is quite less.

4. Native UI Experience

   Kotlin does not require developers to work as per its own User Interface. Instead, the platform itself uses UI elements to provide the experience of native development.

Three Disadvantages of Using Kotlin Multiplatform

1. Requires More Time to Develop

   Kotlin cannot be said to be the best to create a prototype or MVP quickly. The Multiplatform requires semi-native components and increases the cost of development in terms of resources and time.

2. Still in the Developing Stage

   Kotlin Multi-Platform was unveiled in Kotlin 1.2. but the SDK is still in the alpha stage of development. It has some of the biggest adoptions by brands like VMware, Trikot, CashApp, and PlanGrid. However, until it gets a stable release, giants of the industry will not be completely comfortable in adopting it.

3. Dependency on Native Components

   The Multiplatform uses a lot of native components with which the developers are supposed to be familiar while using Kotlin Multiplatform. Thus one cross-platform team may not be able to work on the same project. To use native components, the company may require iOS developers.

Still, have some queries regarding Flutter and Kotlin? Then, read our next section of FAQs.

Want to Start with Flutter and Kotlin Cross-Platform Mobile App Development?

In this blog, you will get comprehensive information on developing mobile apps with Kotlin and Flutter. In addition, you have learned about the differences between Flutter and Kotlin and even get to know the information about choosing one as per the requirements. However, selecting the best framework depends on your project scale, features, complexity, and budget.

Suppose you want to kick-start with app development. In that case, you can hire a freelancer or the mobile app developers, or an experienced mobile app development team from a leading company like Space-O who has expertise in developing feature-rich apps.

We have delivered more than 300 app and web solutions across the globe for different industry verticals. Get in touch with us through the contact us form, and one of our Flutter of Kotlin consultants will get back to you shortly.