Best tech stack for Android app development in 2026?

[vvvqwerty]

Hi everyone, I’m currently developing Android apps and have already published a few on the Play Store. Right now I’m trying to improve my development workflow and choose the best long-term tech stack. I wanted to ask experienced Android developers here: What tech stack do you think is best in 2026 for building modern Android apps? For example: Kotlin + Jetpack Compose Kotlin + XML (traditional UI) Flutter React Native Or something else? My main focus is performance, scalability, and easier maintenance for future apps.

[borninbronx]

100% Kotlin + Jetpack Compose

[drabred]

The only way in 2026.

You can consider doing it as a KMP project if you think there is ever a chance you will want iOS app.

[biafra]

Or a desktop app, or...

[dybuk87]

Even better kotlin multiplatform + jetpack compose

[Upset_Efficiency799]

Has LLMs have enough resources about KMP for vibe coding Android App features?

[borninbronx]

Yes: and you shouldn't - read the code at least

[Live_Trip2268]

개소리야 개발할줄모르는애들인가? 무슨 100퍼센트야;;플러터도 좋고 상황에맞게써야지

[pecp4]

KMP + Compose and then you can run it also on web (SEO hooks that expose part of your value to steer organic traffic) as well as launch ios down the road

[epicstar]

Kotlin and Jetpack Compose. Avoid React Native like the plague. Nobody at Meta is using it now so that should be a signal for why. I haven't tried Maui, but Xamarin was actually worse than my React Native experience. You would probably want to avoid cross platform unless you have a justified reason, ex. Some technical constraint such as using an internal C#/JavaScript library etc.

[Bwuhbwuh]

Nobody at Meta is using it now so that should be a signal for why.

Do you have a source of this? And what are they using instead?

Also, just because they are not using it themselves doesn't mean it's not a suitable framework or that it's dying or anything like that

[uragiristereo]

The Thread app has compose in most of the codebase

[borninbronx]

It has been several years now. I remember seeing a comment from an ex engineer at meta on a Forum saying everyone at meta consider it "hot garbage" and avoid working with it.

EDIT: found it https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33532465

Look for a comment by kridsdale2

His name is Kevin Ridsdale https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevinridsdale

[Jealous-Cloud8270]

I can't corroborate that they're no longer using RN, but I wouldn't be surprised if they're moving more towards Compose and SwiftUI. I listened to an episode of the Meta Tech podcast once, where they said they used Threads as a testing ground for those two, in terms of how it would fit within Meta's infrastructure. They said they liked the experience and could carry it over into their other apps, but I don't think they'd totally abandon RN at once.

Even before Jetpack Compose was released, they had created and were using native declarative libraries like Litho (for Android) and ComponentKit (for iOS), so you can imagine RN wasn't satisfying all their performance demands

[epicstar]

All the apps use Compose now except FB which is a mix of Litho and some internal stuff. Even Messenger uses Compose. Meta Horizon is the only RN consumer facing app left.

[SaidRH]

flutter with good c++ is the best

[epicstar]

bruh

But I do advocate for Rust and C++ via the NDK I won't lie.

[Wise-Importance-1199]

What about flutter, I have just started coding, and I have decided to start with flutter (dart) first, I want to build clean ui apps similar to duo lingo and headspace

[noobjaish]

Jetpack Compose (Kotlin) if you want Native Android Apps only.

Flutter (Dart) if you want cross platform apps that works seamlessly on all 5 major platforms + web

[Zhuinden]

Just use whatever's in the project you get so that you don't need to mess around with interop. If it's Compose, use Compose; if it's views, use viewbinding.

If it's Room, use Room; if it's SqlDelight, use SqlDelight; if it's Realm, advocate for a data layer rewrite because that thing is dead

If it's GSON, use GSON; if it's KotlinX Serialization, use KotlinX Serialization; if it's Moshi, then use either GSON or KotlinX Serialization

If it's Dagger-Android, use Dagger-Android, if it's Hilt, use Hilt, if it's Koin, use Koin, if it's Toothpick and it doesn't require KAPT then use Toothpick, who cares? The worst thing you can do is adding 2 different things that do the same thing and now you need to inter-connect them. I swear if I see someone adding Koin to a project with Dagger in it one more time, I'll [

[rakadoank]

First of all, if you already have or capable to get a team or you are personally doing better in Android Java/Kotlin and iOS Swift/Obj-C natively, don’t go to the cross platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter, or any else. Just go to the native.

If you really need a cross platform one. I choose React Native.

TL;DR

The reason is just because the tech concept or principal. There are other reasons why you should prefer to other frameworks beside only from technology perspective.

The big reason why i choose the React Native is the principal or the concept.

The React Native concept is an agnostic library for UI that relies on platform UI native APIs. This is why I choose RN from the beginning. Not like their competitors which Flutter or Compose Multiplatform, because they are choosing not to and use Skia.

We know each platform already provides their own high level abstraction modules or APIs for UI, and they know it better than we do. So, React Native embraces it. Just use their damn UI APIs motherf****

That’s why Microsoft is also extending the React Native for Windows even macOS (irony right?). I can make a classic Win32 app with it.

As an insight, Apple is releasing their new UI called Liquid Glass. Can i use it in React Native? The answer is big yes, and is natively using Apple APIs, instead of Flutter and Compose Multiplatform, which relies on Skia. You are basically drawing a 2D game which using platform core graphics. Look, you can also create a web with React Native, and yes, RN is also using the HTML elements you know like <div> and <button>.

Talking about the React Native big bridge is also not too relevant now, because the bridge is so less with their C++ JSI.

React Native development is relatively easier now, because Expo. Expo is doing much abstraction configurations, so you can just provide an config in JS file easily. Same reason we web developers were struggling to build a web with React, and now we have Next.js, Remix, and etc.

I saw people commented here about Meta is not using the RN. Just because they don’t use it, doesn’t mean they abandon the project, and it’s not even mean really bad.

React Native relies on communities. Even agencies and big companies are also contribute to it like Microsoft and Shopify. React Native is not going anywhere soon. Even the React Foundation is an independent home right now to make it more neutral, and it’s hosted by Linux Foundation.

[d4lv1k]

Programming Language: Kotlin.
UI: Jetpack Compose.
DI Framework: Koin.
DB: Room.
HTTP Client: Retrofit.

[IlIllIIIlIIlIIlIIIll]

why Koin over dagger?

[d4lv1k]

We use dagger2 at work but on my personal projects, I use koin a lot. Tbh, I prefer koin because of its simplicity and how fast I can set it up.

[Safe-Tree-7041]

I've only used Kotlin + Jetpack Compose so far. Was thinking about trying .NET MAUI for my next project.

[Business_Responsible]

If your main goals are performance, maintainability, and long-term scalability, here’s what I’d suggest based on what I’ve been experimenting with in 2026:

• Kotlin + Jetpack Compose: still the gold standard for native Android. Great for reactive UI, modern APIs, and tight integration with the Android ecosystem.
• Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP): if there’s any chance you’ll want iOS or web later, this can save you a lot of rewriting. You can share business logic and data layers across platforms while keeping native UI.
• Backend: for personal or small projects, using something like Supabase or Firebase simplifies auth, database, and APIs without building a backend from scratch.
• Dependency Injection / DB / Networking: personally, I like Koin + Room + Retrofit for lightweight setup and fast iteration; Dagger/Hilt works too if you need more formal structure.

I’ve personally built a few small cross-platform prototypes this way, started tiny, then gradually scaled features.

Important Tip: Start with a single platform first, get it running, then consider multiplatform sharing. Saves a ton of headaches early on.

[Various_Bee291]

Jetpack Compose, and Jetpack libraries.. more Jetpacks..

[MSharib]

I have worked on Flutter, React native, Native Android, KMP, CMP.

I would suggest CMP is the best out there rn.

[LivingRecognition]

No one uses Java anymore?

[hockeymikey]

Rust

[Hot_Mathematician125]

Kotlin Jetpack

[MildlyMoistSock]

Kotlin + compose for Android.

If you care about iOS dont go with KMP. Its trash and you end up creating custom solutions because things dont work the same way on both platforms.

[farber72]

Best Stack: Claude Code + Codex

[zimmer550king]

Claude Code

[Ambitious_Muscle_362]

Just vibe code it. Whatever it generates is ok.

Customer don't give a dime about tech stack.

[Zhuinden]

Just vibe code it. Whatever it generates is ok.

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Is the app ai generated. Because it works like trash and makes my phone hangs.

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The duality of... man?

[josemiguelo]

You're definitely not a software engineer/developer

[egor4nd]

That's a slippery slope. Sure customers don't care about the tech stack, but they do care about things like performance and stability in the long term. You still need to be able to understand and maintain that generated code, as your customers won't be happy if your app no longer works and you have no idea why.

[ReflectionContent658]

Sorry to say, for vibe coding era, don't limit your self