Kotlin Multiplatform Development

The KMP Experts Who Build the Tools Other Developers Use

Kotlin Multiplatform is a technology from JetBrains that lets development teams share code across iOS, Android, web, and server from a single Kotlin codebase. Unlike hybrid frameworks that run inside web views or rely on JavaScript bridges, KMP compiles to truly native code on each target platform. The result is native performance, full access to platform APIs, and a user experience indistinguishable from a traditionally built native app — without the cost of maintaining entirely separate codebases for each platform.

Lightning Kite does not just build with Kotlin Multiplatform — we build the frameworks that power KMP development. We maintain two major open-source KMP projects: KiteUI, a Kotlin Multiplatform UI framework, and Lightning Server, a typed backend framework. These frameworks are used across dozens of production projects, and they represent years of deep investment in the Kotlin Multiplatform ecosystem. When you hire Lightning Kite, you are working with the people who understand KMP at the framework level — not just the application level.

What makes our approach unique is KiteUI's capability as the only KMP UI framework that delivers both native mobile apps and beautiful web applications. Most cross-platform frameworks force you to choose between mobile and web, or sacrifice search engine visibility for code sharing. KiteUI eliminates that trade-off entirely, giving you three platforms — iOS, Android, and web — from one codebase, with the SEO benefits your business needs to be found online. The numbers bear this out: when we migrated Vanden Bussche Irrigation from three separate codebases (custom PHP, Laravel, React Native) to a single KMP application, we were able to support web, iOS and Android — with 34% less total code.

What You Get with Kotlin Multiplatform

One Codebase, Fewer Headaches

Write your business logic, data handling, and networking once and ship it to iOS, Android, and web. In practice that means a single place to fix bugs, one set of tests for the core of your app, and one team making changes that reach every platform. You spend less on development and maintenance and avoid the drift that happens when three codebases slowly diverge.

Native Feel on Every Platform

Your users get an app that behaves the way they expect on each device — iOS users see an iOS experience, Android users an Android one, and web visitors get a fast, crawlable site. There are no web views or generic “cross-platform” UI that feels slightly off. We use KiteUI so the same product can ship as native mobile and as a web app that search engines can index, without maintaining separate frontends.

Backend and Clients That Stay in Sync

When your API changes, your mobile and web clients are updated to match. We use Lightning Server so the backend and every client share a single definition of your API. That means fewer integration bugs, less time chasing “works on iOS but not Android,” and faster iteration because you are not manually keeping docs and clients in sync.

Realtime That Works

We have shipped chat, live dashboards, emergency alerts, and live auctions in production. If your app needs instant updates — messaging, collaboration, or live data — we have the experience and the tooling to make it reliable and responsive for every user, on every platform.

When Multiplatform Is the Right Fit

Kotlin Multiplatform is a strong fit when you need native performance and a real web presence (including SEO) from one codebase, without the trade-offs of hybrid or bridge-based frameworks. We work across many technologies and will tell you honestly if KMP is not the best choice for your project — but for most apps that need to reach iOS, Android, and the web, it is what we recommend and what we know best.