Why Startups Are Choosing Kotlin Multiplatform for App Development in 2025

Startups are constantly seeking smarter, leaner, and faster ways to launch mobile and web applications. In 2025, one development trend is catching serious momentum: Kotlin Multiplatform App Development.

Built and maintained by JetBrains—the creators of Kotlin—Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) allows developers to share code across Android, iOS, desktop, web, and backend. For startups, this means faster development, lower costs, and consistent user experiences across platforms—without compromising performance.

In this blog, we’ll explore why more and more startups are embracing Kotlin Multiplatform App Development in 2025, how it compares to other cross-platform technologies, and what benefits it offers for early-stage ventures.

What Is Kotlin Multiplatform?

Kotlin Multiplatform is a framework that allows you to write shared code for multiple platforms—especially business logic, networking, and database layers—while maintaining native UIs for Android and iOS.

Unlike frameworks like Flutter or React Native that offer a “single UI for all,” Kotlin Multiplatform encourages code sharing at the logic layer while respecting native UI best practices.

Why Startups Love Kotlin Multiplatform App Development

1. Faster Time-to-Market

Speed is everything for startups. Whether you're launching an MVP or iterating based on early feedback, Kotlin Multiplatform enables you to develop once and deploy to multiple platforms faster.

Instead of maintaining two separate codebases for iOS and Android, you can share:

• Business logic

• Networking code

• Data models and repositories

• Backend communication

This reduces development time by up to 30–50% and lets startups release sooner, test user feedback, and pivot quickly.

2. Reduced Development Costs

Hiring both Android and iOS developers can be expensive. With Kotlin Multiplatform, startups can build cross-platform apps using a single team of Kotlin developers.

Since much of the codebase is shared, startups save on:

• Hiring separate iOS/Android devs

• Duplicating logic across platforms

• Maintaining two app versions

For budget-conscious startups, Kotlin Multiplatform App Development offers enterprise-level efficiency at startup-level costs.

3. Native Performance with Shared Logic

Unlike other cross-platform frameworks that compromise on performance, Kotlin Multiplatform apps retain native speed.

Why? Because KMP doesn’t abstract the UI — it lets developers write native UIs using SwiftUI for iOS and Jetpack Compose or XML for Android, while sharing logic underneath.

This ensures:

• High responsiveness

• Smooth animations

• Native performance benchmarks

Startups don’t have to choose between performance and speed — they get both.

4. One Codebase for Backend + Mobile

One underrated power of Kotlin Multiplatform is its ability to share code across mobile apps and backend systems (such as Ktor-based servers).

This means:

• API models can be reused

• Data validation can be centralized

• Shared business logic across platforms

For startups building both frontend apps and backend APIs, this leads to better consistency and fewer bugs across the entire stack.

5. Growing Ecosystem & Tooling

The Kotlin ecosystem is thriving in 2025. JetBrains, Google, and a growing open-source community have enriched KMP with:

• Libraries for networking, storage, and DI (like Ktor, SQLDelight, Koin)

• First-class support in Android Studio and IntelliJ

• Support for Jetpack Compose Multiplatform

This makes Kotlin Multiplatform App Development developer-friendly, production-ready, and continuously improving—a major trust factor for startups.

6. Seamless Integration with Existing Projects

Startups often pivot or extend existing apps. Kotlin Multiplatform is incremental by design, meaning you can:

• Introduce shared modules into an existing Android/iOS app

• Migrate small features or logic first

• Scale shared code gradually

This modular flexibility is perfect for startups that evolve their product roadmap frequently.

7. Backed by Industry Leaders

Kotlin is officially supported by Google for Android development and is used by global companies like:

• Netflix

• VMware

• CashApp (Square)

• Philips

• Autodesk

This industry adoption reinforces KMP’s reliability and stability—especially important for startups looking to impress investors and clients with future-proof tech stacks.

Kotlin Multiplatform vs Flutter vs React Native in 2025

Feature	Kotlin Multiplatform	Flutter	React Native
UI Approach	Native	Custom (Skia engine)	JS bridge with native
Performance	Near-native	High (GPU optimized)	Medium
Code Sharing %	60–80%	90%+	90%+
Maturity	High (stable in 2025)	High	Moderate
Community Support	Growing	Very large	Very large
Dev Language	Kotlin	Dart	JavaScript

While Flutter and React Native are excellent options for UI-rich apps, Kotlin Multiplatform offers more flexibility and better integration with native code, which is often what startups need as they scale.

Real-World Startup Use Cases

💡 Case Study 1: MVP in 3 Weeks

A health tech startup wanted to launch a prototype Android and iOS app with appointment booking and video consultations. Using Kotlin Multiplatform, they:

• Shared business logic and networking

• Built native UIs

• Deployed MVPs on both platforms in 3 weeks

Case Study 2: Scaling to Web and Desktop

A fintech startup started with a mobile app and later added a web dashboard and desktop client for agents. Since core logic was in shared KMP modules, they reused:

• Authentication

• Transaction logic

• API models

This saved over 300 development hours.

Kotlin Multiplatform App Development: 2025 Market Trend

According to industry reports:

• Kotlin Multiplatform usage is growing by 30% year-over-year

• More than 60% of Kotlin developers are considering or already using KMP

• Google is investing in Jetpack Compose Multiplatform, making the future brighter for shared UI too

For startups, this means now is the perfect time to adopt Kotlin Multiplatform and get ahead of the curve.

When to Choose Kotlin Multiplatform for Your Startup

You should consider Kotlin Multiplatform App Development if:

• You want to share 50–80% of code across mobile platforms

• Native performance is critical (e.g., health, finance, utility apps)

• You have existing Android or backend Kotlin teams

• You want to scale to other platforms later (web/desktop)

However, if your app is highly UI-intensive and needs uniform look across platforms (e.g., games, heavy animations), Flutter or Unity might be better suited.

Final Thoughts

Kotlin Multiplatform App Development offers a compelling value proposition for startups in 2025:
✅ Faster development
✅ Lower cost
✅ Native performance
✅ Cleaner architecture

With continued support from JetBrains and Google, and a growing developer community, it’s no surprise that startups are betting big on KMP.

Whether you're building your MVP or preparing for scale, Kotlin Multiplatform gives your startup the edge it needs to succeed in a multi-platform world.

Ready to Build with Kotlin Multiplatform?

At IPH Technologies, we specialize in cross-platform app development using Kotlin Multiplatform, Flutter, and native tools.
Our experts can help you turn your app idea into a scalable product—faster and smarter.

👉 Contact us today to start your journey with Kotlin Multiplatform App Development.