React Native or Kotlin Multiplatform?
React Native shares essentially the whole app, both logic and interface, between iOS and Android. Kotlin Multiplatform only shares the business logic, while the interface is built natively per platform. React Native has a more mature app ecosystem, while KMP appeals to existing native teams. The choice mostly comes down to your team and your starting point.
Kotlin Multiplatform has gone from curiosity to a real option in a short time, and in 2026 more and more native teams are weighing it against the established React Native. The two solve the same underlying problem, avoiding building everything twice, but with different philosophies. Here’s the difference from the client’s perspective.
Two models for sharing code
The decisive difference lies in how much is shared between iOS and Android.
React Native shares essentially everything. Both the app’s logic and its interface are written once, in JavaScript, and run on both platforms. That gives maximum reuse: one codebase, one team, two apps.
Kotlin Multiplatform, KMP, only shares the common logic – calculations, rules, how the app talks to the server. The interface itself is built natively for each platform, meaning separately for iOS and Android. You share the brain but build the face twice.
That sounds like more work with KMP, and in the interface part, it is. The payoff is that the interface becomes fully native, with each platform’s exact feel, while you avoid writing the logic twice.
Maturity in ecosystem and tooling
The ecosystem matters for how smoothly the build goes, since it determines how much is already available, ready to reuse.
| Factor | Short picture |
|---|---|
| Age as an app solution | React Native has a longer track record as a complete framework; KMP is younger but maturing fast |
| Ready-made libraries | React Native has a wider selection for common app needs; KMP has fewer, but growing |
| Shared UI | React Native shares the interface; KMP builds it natively per platform |
| Skill base | React Native leans toward JavaScript developers; KMP toward Kotlin and native teams |
React Native, then, has a lead in the breadth of ready-made components, which can make common app needs faster to solve. KMP is stable and used in production products, but has a narrower selection of ready-made parts. The gap shrinks year by year, but it’s there.
Which team chooses what
The most practical way to choose is to look at the team you have or want.
KMP often fits existing native teams. A team that already builds natively, especially with Kotlin on the Android side, can adopt KMP to share the logic without leaving its native world. They keep the native feel in the interface while avoiding duplicate work in the logic.
React Native often fits web-leaning teams. Developers with a background in JavaScript and the web get up to speed in React Native quickly. If you want to maximize shared code and reach both platforms fast with one team, it’s a natural path.
A concrete example: if you already have a native Android app and a Kotlin-savvy team, and want to add iOS without rewriting the logic, KMP is an elegant way to do it. If you’re starting from scratch with web developers on the team, on the other hand, it leans toward React Native.
What the difference means for time and cost
Since React Native also shares the interface, there’s usually less to build to cover both platforms, which can be faster when you’re starting from scratch. KMP’s native interface per platform means more work on the UI side, but in return gives a fully native feel and fits especially well when you already have native code to build on.
The point is that neither model is “cheapest” on its own. Which one ends up most efficient depends on where you start. If you already have native code and skills, KMP saves you from throwing that away. If you’re starting on new ground with web-leaning developers, React Native lets more be shared right away.
Avoid choosing based on trend
The most common pitfall is choosing a framework based on what’s most talked about right now instead of your own situation. KMP gets a lot of attention as the challenger, but attention isn’t the same as fitting your situation. The same goes the other way.
A safer way to think about it: start from the team and codebase you have or want to build, and let that decide. Choose based on existing skills and starting point, and the build goes more smoothly, lowering the risk of ever having to make a costly technology switch down the line.
How we think about the choice
Just as with other framework choices, our position is that the team and starting point outweigh the trend. We start from where the app needs to begin, what skills are available, and how native the feel needs to be, and recommend technology based on that rather than what’s most talked about. If you want to talk through which approach fits your situation, you’re welcome to get in touch.
Frequently asked questions
What's the basic difference between React Native and KMP?
React Native shares both logic and interface between the platforms from a single JavaScript codebase. Kotlin Multiplatform, on the other hand, only shares the common logic, while each platform's interface is built natively. React Native, then, shares more overall, while KMP keeps a native interface layer per platform.
Which of the two is more mature?
React Native has existed longer as a complete app framework and has a wider ecosystem of ready-made libraries and tools. Kotlin Multiplatform has matured quickly but is younger as a complete solution for apps. The gap is narrowing, but React Native still has a lead in the breadth of ready-made components.
Which teams choose Kotlin Multiplatform?
Often teams that already build natively, especially those with Android and Kotlin skills. They can share the business logic without giving up the native feel in the interface. KMP then becomes a way to cut duplicate work in the logic without leaving the native world they already know.
Which teams choose React Native?
Often teams with a web-leaning background, since it's built on JavaScript, which many already know. React Native fits when you want to maximize shared code and get onto both platforms fast. If you have developers from the web world, the barrier into React Native is often low.
Can you switch between them later?
A switch amounts, in practice, to a rebuild, since they construct the app in different ways. That's why the choice is worth basing on the team and starting point you have. Choose based on existing skills and you lower the risk of facing a costly technology change later.