Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile (KMM) and Flutter are two popular cross-platform mobile development frameworks that enable developers to build native mobile apps for iOS and Android platforms. Both frameworks aim to solve the same problem – reducing the time and effort required to build mobile apps for multiple platforms. However, they differ in several ways, from their programming languages to their toolsets and community support. In this blog, we’ll compare Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile and Flutter to help you choose the right framework for your mobile app development needs.

Programming Language:

The biggest difference between KMM and Flutter is the programming language used. KMM uses Kotlin, which is a modern programming language developed by JetBrains. Kotlin is a statically typed language that runs on the Java Virtual Machine (JVM). Kotlin is known for its conciseness, type safety, and interoperability with Java. On the other hand, Flutter uses Dart, a client-optimized language for building fast, interactive apps for the web, mobile, and desktop. Dart is known for its simplicity, speed, and asynchronous programming model.

Toolset:

Both KMM and Flutter come with their own set of tools and libraries to help developers build mobile apps. KMM provides access to the full range of Kotlin libraries, as well as several mobile-specific libraries, such as Ktor for network connectivity and SQLDelight for database management. KMM also comes with a plugin for Android Studio, making it easy for developers to integrate KMM into their existing Android projects.

Flutter, on the other hand, comes with the Flutter SDK, which includes everything you need to build Flutter apps, including the Flutter framework, a set of pre-designed widgets, and the Dart SDK. Flutter also comes with its own development environment called Flutter IDE, which is built on top of Android Studio and provides additional tools for building Flutter apps.

Community Support:

Both KMM and Flutter have active and growing communities that provide support, resources, and plugins to help developers build mobile apps. However, Flutter has a larger community, which means it has more resources and plugins available than KMM. Flutter also has a dedicated team at Google that maintains the framework and provides regular updates and support.

Conclusion:

Kotlin Multiplatform Mobile and Flutter are both excellent options for building cross-platform mobile apps. KMM is a good choice if you are already familiar with Kotlin and want to reuse your existing Kotlin codebase. KMM is also a good choice if you want to integrate your mobile app with an existing Kotlin backend or need access to Kotlin-specific libraries. On the other hand, Flutter is a good choice if you are starting from scratch and want a simple, fast, and powerful framework with a large and active community. Ultimately, the choice between KMM and Flutter depends on your specific mobile app development needs and preferences.