Suggestions appear as you type. Use the up and down arrows to choose one and Enter to open it.

This page's audience real numbers from our own analytics — open to see them
–Visitors
–Page views
–Clicks to vendors
–Time on page
–Reading now
Clicks to vendors, by tool
  • –
Top countries
  • –
Devices
  • –

– · counted by iTechGuides's own first-party analytics, bots removed, every figure rounded down · how we count

Kotlin Multiplatform review

Free#5 of 62 in Cross-Platform App Development Frameworks

An open-source Kotlin toolchain for selective code sharing, with optional shared UI.

9.0/10Editor score
Visit JetBrains
Kotlin Multiplatform9.0 Visit JetBrains

Reviewed by iTechGuides Editors · Editorial team · Updated Oct 2026

Kotlin Multiplatform is JetBrains’ open-source technology for sharing Kotlin code across Android, iOS, desktop, web, and server projects. It is aimed at teams that want to reuse selected modules or business logic while retaining platform-specific user interfaces and native development. A Kotlin team can introduce shared code incrementally into existing applications rather than replacing them with a single cross-platform UI approach.

The framework’s central strength is selective sharing through source sets: teams can share code across some or all targets and use expected and actual declarations to access platform-specific APIs. Kotlin/Native compiles native binaries. For teams seeking shared interfaces as well as shared logic, Compose Multiplatform offers an optional route to share UI code. That flexibility makes the framework suitable for projects with different degrees of reuse, but it also means it is not a default choice for teams whose primary goal is one shared UI across platforms.

Kotlin Multiplatform is open source and has a free plan. Its supported IDEs include IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio, with tooling such as previews, hot reload, navigation, refactoring, and debugging. Deployment is self-hosted, and support channels are community and documentation. Choose it if Kotlin is already central to the team’s work and selective sharing fits the app architecture; consider another framework if a unified shared interface is the main requirement or the team does not want Kotlin-based development.

Kotlin Multiplatform pros and cons

  • Where it wins
    • Share selected code across Android, iOS, desktop, web, and server targets
    • Access platform-specific APIs and integrate modules into existing apps gradually
    • Optional Compose Multiplatform UI sharing, with IntelliJ IDEA and Android Studio support
  • Where it doesn't
    • Shared UI is optional, not the framework’s default focus
    • Requires Kotlin development and platform-specific work where code is not shared
    • Support channels are community and documentation

Kotlin Multiplatform fact sheet, pricing and score →

Advertiser disclosure: iTechGuides is reader-supported. We may earn a commission when you click some links. How we rank.

Last updated · How we research and update