# Compose Multiplatform

15 Hacker News commenters recommended Compose Multiplatform and 5 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 10 of 13 months. It meets the Hacker Approved badge rule.

**Verdict:** Kotlin framework for sharing UI across Android, iOS, desktop and web with a modern API and good developer experience. Web builds draw on a canvas and can feel off.

## Why people recommend it

- Modern API and good developer experience (3 comments): "Currently my favourite way to build applications (desktop or mobile) is Kotlin and Compose." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45895776)) "Compiles to wasm, modern api, great developer experience." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46189974)) "Compose is my favourite way of doing UI" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50038365))
- Shares UI across mobile, desktop and web (6 comments): "Jetbrain's compose multiplatform is has native Android/IOS supported now with a canvas rendered web frontend supported in Beta currently." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46551434)) "You could just use Kotlin Multiplatform and Multiplatform Compose instead." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45855315)) "I should be fine with Compose Multiplatform and Kotlin Multiplatform" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49148145))
- Fewer pitfalls and bugs than alternatives (2 comments): "Eventually dumped it and moved to Kotlin Compose/Multiplatform, which is just so much better at achieving a similar goal" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45895856)) "Even the same APIs, on the Compose Multiplatform side tend to have fewer pitfalls and bugs" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49928276))
- Native Android and iOS support (2 comments): "Jetbrain's compose multiplatform is has native Android/IOS supported now with a canvas rendered web frontend supported in Beta currently." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46551434)) "cmp has gone stable on ios" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46789470))

## What people warn about

- Web canvas rendering feels off (4 comments): "Jetbrain's compose multiplatform is has native Android/IOS supported now with a canvas rendered web frontend supported in Beta currently." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46551434)) "If you create a Flutter or Kotlin Compose Multiplatform or AvaloniaUI app and put it on the web, it's not going to feel right" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48141861)) "an uncanny valley UI that doesn't feel _quite_ right, and that struggles to keep up with the platform conventions" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46710519))
- Immature and unstable outside Android (3 comments): "it's quite immature compared to Flutter and they'll spend a lot of time fixing the same bugs with rendering" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49284419)) "it's still quite early, I know they say it's "stable" but when I used it, it really didn't seem so" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484749)) "You can also share UI with Compose Multiplatform (less mature)" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46489070))
- Unwieldy outside standard problems (2 comments): "At times, I feel it is quite unwieldy when not solving standard problems." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49924814)) "I ultimately gave up because it was not straightforward at all" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46484868))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Qt](https://hackerapproved.com/p/qt.md): 191 recommend
- [GTK](https://hackerapproved.com/p/gtk.md): 85 recommend
- [Windows Forms](https://hackerapproved.com/p/winforms.md): 76 recommend
- [SwiftUI](https://hackerapproved.com/p/swiftui.md): 75 recommend
- [Tcl/Tk](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tcl-tk.md): 61 recommend

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Compose Multiplatform", https://hackerapproved.com/p/compose-multiplatform/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).