React Native and Kotlin Multiplatform: Perfect together?

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  • August 04,2025

React Native and Kotlin Multiplatform: Perfect together?

React Native enables building native UIs with JavaScript, while Kotlin Multiplatform shares core logic across platforms using Kotlin. Together, they combine React Native’s UI strengths with Kotlin’s multiplatform code sharing, offering a powerful, efficient approach to cross-platform app development.

React Native and Kotlin Multiplatform: Perfect Together?

1 ) Introduction to React Native and Kotlin Multiplatform

  React Native is a popular open source framework maintained by Meta that enables developers to build native apps for Android, iOS, and more using JavaScript and React.

  Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) is a technology that allows sharing code across multiple platforms such as Android, iOS, JVM, and native environments, using Kotlin.

  Both technologies aim to maximize code sharing for native app development but focus on different programming languages and ecosystems.

2 ) React Native Overview

  Core Features

    Written in JavaScript, React Native renders components with native platform UI elements like View, Text, and Image.

    Runs JavaScript on a separate thread to maintain smooth UI animations without blocking the main thread.

  Developer Experience

    Enables developers familiar with React to build native apps using declarative component based architecture.

    Supports extensive community libraries and native code integration.

  Recommended Usage

    Best used through frameworks like Expo that provide file based routing, universal libraries, and tooling to simplify building production ready apps.

  Platform Support

    Supports Android, iOS, TV, and Web platforms with additional platform extensions like React Native Windows and macOS.

3 ) Kotlin Multiplatform Overview

  Enables code sharing primarily at the business logic and core library level across platforms while allowing platform specific UI implementations.

  Emphasizes pure Kotlin code in the common module without dependencies on platform specific SDKs.

  Target platforms can include JVM, Android, iOS, native, and JavaScript.

  Some challenges exist, such as limited support for JVM common modules in IDEs and interoperability complexities when accessing platform SDKs.

4 ) Complementing Strengths of React Native and Kotlin Multiplatform

  React Native excels at UI development with JavaScript driven declarative UI components and native rendering.

  Kotlin Multiplatform excels at sharing complex business logic and reusable code across native platforms using Kotlin.

  Combining Kotlin Multiplatform for shared logic with React Native for UI can leverage the best of both ecosystems:

    Kotlin Multiplatform handles platform independent core modules.

    React Native provides expressive UI components and smooth user experience.

  This combination can offer maintainability, performance, and efficient native development workflows.

5 ) Community and Ecosystem Considerations

  React Native enjoys robust community support with contributors from Meta and major companies, active projects, and widespread adoption.

  Kotlin Multiplatform is rapidly evolving with contributions from JetBrains and a growing ecosystem focusing on multiplatform shared code.

  Both have tooling support and developer resources, but integrating them requires bridging JavaScript and Kotlin carefully.

6 ) Conclusion

  React Native and Kotlin Multiplatform serve complementary purposes in native app development.

  While React Native makes native UI development accessible with JavaScript, Kotlin Multiplatform enables true code sharing beyond UI for logic heavy applications.

  Together, they can form an effective cross platform development strategy by leveraging Kotlin’s multiplatform codebase and React Native’s UI capabilities.

  Developers should evaluate their project’s needs to decide on adopting one or integrating both for optimal productivity and code reuse.

 

 

https://justacademy.in/news-detail/react-native-vs-flutter:-developer-opinions-from-2025

 

https://justacademy.in/news-detail/react-native-navigation-trends-you-can?t-ignore

 

https://justacademy.in/news-detail/android-input-method-editors-updates

 

https://justacademy.in/news-detail/android-app-monetization-strategies-2025

 

https://justacademy.in/news-detail/flutter-plugin-security-best-practices

 

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