Java has always been he go to language till the past many years. However, with new languages popping up, the dominance of Java is decreasing with time. After Google announced Kotlin as the official programming language, Java has got a hit and for Kotlin comes humongous popularity. Android developers are in a serious dilemma which one to pick when you are developing your next Android app. Here is a comparison of Java and Kotlin with a conclusion of which should you prefer for the next project.

Java Vs Kotlin for Android Project

Java Programming Language

It is developers favorite when it comes to development and of the strong reasons behind that is Android itself is written in Java. It is an Object-oriented programming language which has received the title of second most active language on GitHub. Java is used for Android development for the last 20 years and it has grown a lot in the past few years.

Pros of Java

=> Learning and working is easy
=> Flexible working with the option to run on a web browser or the virtual machine. This will be of great use while reusing the code and updating software.
=> Android SDK has several Java libraries which makes Android bit dependent on Java.
=> Allows quick assembly within Gradle which comes in handy while assembling huge projects.
=> Large open-source ecosystem.
=> Apps developed with Java are highly compact and are easy to optimize for better performance is required.

Cons of Java

=> It needs lots of memory and is slow compared to some other programming languages.
=> It needs to write more code keeping a room open for errors and bugs.
=> It has certain restrictions which cause trouble for Android API design.

Kotlin Language

Designed by JetBrains to add modern touch and features to Java. The language was working well but gained another level of popularity after being announced as the official programming language in Google I/O in 2018. Google has already switched to Kotlin, Have you? It is an open-source language typed statistically based on JVM. You just need to install the Kotlin plugin and allow it to configure to your project.

Pros of Kotlin

=> Speeds up the development and can also be used in the backend project like Spring 5.
=> Because of the scripting ability, it can be easily used in the Gradle build scripts.
=> Shifting from Java to Kotlin is easy, just install Kotlin plugin, add the same to Gradle build files and press Convert.
=> Support several modern programming functions.
=> Needs lesser coding and more expressive than Java which leaves lesser room for errors and bugs.
=> Compatible with all the frameworks and libraries and can be integrated with the Gradle and Maven build systems.
=> Adoption of Kotlin is easy and can be done by taking training from any Android Training Classes.

Cons of Kotlin

=> Steep learning curve which is both a pro and con when shifting the entire team to Kotlin.
=> Compared to Java, it has slower compilation.
=> Smaller developers community which makes getting answers and resources to learn a bit difficult.
=> Most of the Kotlin developers would still be in the learning phase and finding an expert would be difficult.
=> It’s a highly declarative language and hence tend to create a huge amount of boilerplate in corresponding JVM bytecode.

Conclusion :

Kotlin has more advantages than Java but, has certain shortcomings as well. If you are a newbie, it’s advisable to learn Kotlin as it is modern, in trend and highly demanded. Also, if you are an expert you can’t afford to be the left out one for the advanced programming language. So, it’s a clear answer, choose Kotlin for your next Android app.