Is Kotlin Multiplatform production-ready in 2025?

For years, the promise of cross-platform development has been deceptively simple: write code once, run it everywhere. But this vision often comes at a cost—compromises in performance, UI quality, and long-term maintainability.

Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) offers a flexible approach to cross-platform development. Instead of enforcing a one-size-fits-all model, it lets teams share as much or as little code as needed—business logic, networking, even UI with tools like Compose Multiplatform. In 2025, it’s no longer experimental. 

Backed by JetBrains and Google, KMP now has stable tooling and proven real-world adoption. Whether it’s the right choice depends on your product’s complexity, team expertise, and UI requirements.

But as always, whether it’s the right choice depends on the nature of your product.

Regularly ranked among the top custom software development companies on Clutch, our team at Volpis has spent years providing Kotlin development services to businesses across diverse industries. Drawing from our hands-on experience, we want to share our perspective on Kotlin Multiplatform in 2025: its current state and whether it can be successfully used in real production apps, not just for testing or learning.

And if you have any questions about Kotlin Multiplatform, we would be happy to give honest advice to help you decide if it is the right choice for your project. You can always reach out to our team via info@volpis.com 

What Kotlin Multiplatform actually is

Kotlin Multiplatform is not another full-stack framework. It doesn’t aim to replace your UI layer or eliminate native developers. Instead, it allows teams to write platform-agnostic business logic – covering everything from API integrations to caching, background tasks, and domain-specific rules.

Here’s how it works:

• A shared Kotlin module handles logic and compiles to JVM for Android and native binaries for iOS.
• Separate native UI modules (Jetpack Compose, SwiftUI, UIKit) deliver platform-specific experiences.
• Kotlin’s expect/actual mechanism bridges platform APIs like file storage, sensors, or encryption.

Alternatively, teams can use Compose Multiplatform for shared UI across Android and iOS—though this comes with design and UX trade-offs, especially on iOS.

This layered architecture offers a simple but powerful promise: shared brains, native looks.

Misconceptions still holding teams back

Despite growing maturity, many product leaders and developers still misunderstand what Kotlin Multiplatform offers—and what it doesn’t:

• It won’t eliminate your iOS or Android team  – It complements them by removing logic duplication.
• It’s not just for greenfield projects  – It can be adopted incrementally, starting with core logic layers.
• You don’t need to be a Kotlin shop – Even Swift-centric teams can benefit from consistent cross-platform behavior.

And while Kotlin Multiplatform doesn’t unify the UI layer by default, tools like Compose Multiplatform now offer a real alternative for teams looking to share UI code. However, this shared UI approach may feel more Android-like on iOS and may require a custom design language if native parity is important.

If your goal is truly native UI on both platforms, you’re looking at writing platform-specific UI code-like SwiftUI or UIKit on iOS and Compose on Android.

What is still challenging in Kotlin Multiplatform in 2025

Kotlin Multiplatform has made major strides in 2024–2025, but it’s still not without real-world friction points. Below is a breakdown of the key technical, tooling, ecosystem, and team-related challenges that CTOs, tech leads, and mobile architects should consider before large-scale adoption.

1) Kotlin/Native & iOS integration: still a learning curve

KMP’s Kotlin/Native layer allows you to compile shared code for iOS  – but that doesn’t mean smooth sailing.

• Memory management is still tricky, especially with large iOS objects like UIImage or real-time camera frames. However, recent improvements in the memory model and tooling have addressed many of these pain points, and we hope this issue will be fully resolved in future updates.
• The new memory model helps with coroutine usage and multithreading, but edge cases remain  – particularly on background threads.
• Interop is limited to Objective-C. You can’t call Swift-only APIs (like SwiftUI views, native closures, or protocol extensions) directly from Kotlin.
• You’re limited to a single Kotlin/Native framework per iOS app, which forces monolithic packaging and can complicate modular iOS architectures.

You’ll need someone on the team who understands iOS internals  – not just Kotlin.

2) Build tooling & debugging: fragmented & slower

Despite tooling improvements, Kotlin Multiplatform development still feels like managing two ecosystems  – and two build systems.

• iOS targets must be compiled on macOS, adding complexity to CI/CD pipelines and requiring dedicated Mac runners.
• Gradle configurations for multiple platforms are non-trivial, especially when integrating platform-specific dependencies.
• CocoaPods and Swift Package Manager support exists, but can be brittle  – external pods may unexpectedly break builds or require manual intervention.
• Build performance still lags, particularly for iOS targets. Shared code compilation takes longer than equivalent JVM builds, and incremental improvements are ongoing.

Debugging is possible, but uneven:

1. Android Studio handles Android targets well.
2. Shared code debugging on iOS works  – but only with proper Xcode or SPM setup.
3. UI testing with Compose on iOS is still weak  – Compose views are opaque to XCTest and inaccessible to Apple’s test tools.

3) Compose multiplatform for iOS: promising, not polished

JetBrains officially stabilized Compose Multiplatform for iOS in 2025  – and it opens doors for shared UI. But it’s still not ready for every production scenario. Key problems include:

• Performance overhead  – layout jank, high CPU usage, and memory leaks (e.g., lingering bottom sheets).
• Accessibility limitations  – Compose views aren’t properly exposed to accessibility tools or XCTest.
• UI consistency issues  – no native-feeling iOS components (no Cupertino kit); everything defaults to Material design.
• Poor SwiftUI/UKit integration  – workarounds exist, but not first-class.
• Visual debugging on iOS is difficult  – Xcode tools can’t inspect Compose-based views.

Unless your team is fully bought into Compose across platforms, shared UI still requires effort and compromise.

4) Ecosystem & library support: better, but still patchy

There’s strong core support:

• ktor, kotlinx.serialization, SQLDelight, coroutines  – widely adopted and production-ready.

But the ecosystem isn’t Flutter-level yet:

• Missing libraries for Bluetooth / BLE, Camera / AR / Sensors, payments and native media
• Version mismatches between Kotlin and third-party KMP libraries are common  – breaking builds during upgrades.
• No centralized plugin system  – unlike Flutter’s pub.dev or RN’s npm. That means:
  • More expect/actual boilerplate
  • Manual SDK bridging
  • Dependency on small or one-person community projects

You can always drop to native  – but that flexibility comes at the cost of complexity and dev hours.

When Kotlin Multiplatform development delivers a strategic advantage

Kotlin Multiplatform is not a shortcut. But when applied to the right kind of product, it provides long-term leverage. The key is complexity—not in UI, but in the logic layer.

Choose KMP if:

• Your app has complex business logic that must behave identically across platforms: rules engines, syncing layers, geofencing, data transformations, or real-time updates.
• Consistency matters more than cosmetics  – Think finance, logistics, or collaboration tools, where even small desyncs can create major UX or security issues.
• You need native UI quality but want to avoid logic duplication.
• Your team has stronger Kotlin resources than iOS  – Or you want Android engineers to contribute more across the stack.
• Your product is built to scale and evolve over time, not just get to market quickly.

We’ve worked on a logistics platform with a significant amount of business logic—covering pricing rules, multi-zone routing, syncing behavior, and offline handling. By consolidating core functionality with KMP, we reduced logic duplication and saved approximately 30% in overall development time across Android and iOS.

When you should avoid or delay KMP

There are also clear signals that KMP may be the wrong fit:

• You’re building a short-term MVP and speed matters more than architecture.
• Your app is 90% UI-focused, with minimal logic to share.
• Your teams are siloed, and collaboration between iOS and Android is weak.
• You rely heavily on native SDKs or low-level platform integrations (ARKit, HealthKit, GPS, etc.).
• You lack the time or appetite to troubleshoot edge-case build or CI issues.

In those cases, simpler is better. A well-executed native build or Flutter prototype may serve you better—for now.

Popular apps built with KMP 

Over the past few years, Kotlin Multiplatform has evolved from a promising experimental tool into a viable solution for building production-grade, cross-platform apps. Major tech companies and startups alike have adopted KMP to streamline development across Android, iOS, and other platforms, all while maintaining native performance and code quality.

Here are some well-known apps and companies that have successfully integrated Kotlin Multiplatform into their production workflows:

Forbes

Forbes uses Kotlin Multiplatform to share more than 80% of their business logic between Android and iOS apps. This approach allows their teams to deliver updates faster and maintain consistent functionality across platforms, significantly reducing duplicated efforts and streamlining the development process.

Netflix

Netflix applies Kotlin Multiplatform in their Netflix Studio apps to share core business logic, such as media processing and user workflows, across platforms. This results in a more efficient development cycle and a unified experience for their internal users, improving productivity and reliability.

McDonald’s

McDonald’s utilizes Kotlin Multiplatform to build parts of their global mobile app, particularly focusing on complex features like in-app payments and promotions. This shared codebase supports millions of transactions monthly, ensuring performance and consistency across Android and iOS platforms.

How we use Kotlin Multiplatform to create custom apps 

The Volpis team has been leveraging the power of Kotlin Multiplatform to build robust applications and assist business owners in achieving unparalleled milestones. One recent example is TransFollow Drive, a mobile app designed to streamline transport operations. 

Image source: App Store 

TransFollow Drive helps drivers track milestones, manage transport documents, and stay connected with dispatch in real time. 

Built with Kotlin Multiplatform, the app shares core business logic across iOS and Android while maintaining native UI performance. Over a 7-month collaboration, we designed and delivered the MVP for both platforms.

You can check out the app on the App Store and Google Play, as well as read customer’s review on Clutch about our work.

The right tool for the right product

Kotlin Multiplatform in 2025 is no longer experimental. It’s stable, backed, and increasingly used in production. But it’s also not universal.

Think of it not as a silver bullet, but as a scalable architecture for logic-heavy products that demand consistency across platforms. It won’t replace your native teams. But it will help them move faster, reduce duplication, and ship cleaner code—when the app demands it.

The decision to adopt KMP isn’t just technical, it’s strategic. And like all strategic bets, it depends on where you want to go next.

Kotlin Multiplatform developers trusted by enterprises and startups

Consistently recognized as one of the top custom software development companies on Clutch and acknowledged among the top 10 Kotlin development companies in 2025 by AppDevelopmentCompanies, our team at Volpis has rich experience designing and developing applications with Kotlin Multiplatform. 

Read more reviews from our valuable customers on Clutch

We invite you to explore our portfolio for a detailed look at the innovative applications we have developed for our clients.

If you need to hire Kotlin developers, you can reach out to us via info@volpis.com with any questions or to explore how we can be part of your journey.

FAQs

Kostya Khuta( Chief executive officer at Volpis )

Kostya Khuta, the CEO of Volpis, is an expert in crafting custom software solutions for the Fleet Management, Logistics, and Transportation industry. With over 8 years of experience, he leads the way in delivering innovative and tailored solutions to meet industry-specific needs.