Java and Kotlin are the most-widely used development languages when it comes to Android App development. Professionals from any Android App Development Company, who have been making use of Java since very long, have another option now in Kotlin. Having been announced by Google as the second official language for developing Android Apps at the I/O conference, Kotlin has now emerged as one stellar programming language. No wonder, Kotlin offers to be compiled successfully and run effectively on the Java Virtual Machine. Java, having reigned as the most preferred language for developing Android apps, has found its match in Kotlin.

The Open-Source Programming Language of the Recent Times – Kotlin

While it is not compatible with Java, Kotlin, the powerful statically-typed programming language, runs on Java Virtual Machine. Code written using Kotlin works fine with Java as well as it natively does. Using aggressive inference for determination of the types of expressions and values – when they have not been stated clearly – Kotlin, as a programming language, is more distinctive than Java that at times may require repetitious type specifications.

After having been announced officially as a first-class Android Development language, Kotlin certainly has grabbed the attention of global Android App Development Companies and developers.

Java or Kotlin – Making the Choice Becomes Tough

Regardless of whether you are a beginner or expert, you are faced with the dilemma of deciding between Java and Kotlin today. With the additional choice, it is common that programmers and business owners alike find it a difficult task picking the right one for developing their Android Apps. It is by going through the various pros and cons related to both the programming languages that one will be able to arrive at the right decision in this connection.

Pro-Java Factors – What Goes in Support of Java

Android itself having been written in Java, there’s no wonder that Java has been many developers’ favorite with regard to Android App Development. This object-oriented programming language claims the title of the second most active language on GitHub. It has been around for nearly 20 years with its popularity only appearing to grow.

Java proves easy to understand and learn
Android App Development using Java is swift
It offers great flexibility – allows reuse of code and regular updating of software
Cross-platform apps can be conveniently developed using Java
It has a large open source ecosystem
Java apps tend to be compact and lighter; complex computing that is faced in Kotlin is avoided
Java is highly adaptable with virtual machine or browser window, rendering itself to be smooth during updates and code reuse
The app building process is considerably faster in Java than Kotlin
Large projects can be easily handled with Java, thanks to Accelerated assembly with Gradle

Glitches in Using Java for Android App Development

Limitations in Java may sometimes cause issues with Android API design
Java, when compared with certain other programming languages, is slower
It requires more memory
More coding needed in Java renders it prone to bugs and errors
Java faces certain issues such as endless try-catch blocks and Null Pointer Exception
Null safety concerns and not being extendable are certain other issues
Being an old version is a snag with Java

What Makes Kotlin Gain Momentum in Contemporary

Being positioned as the first-class language for developing Android apps, Kotlin is considered to be the ‘enhanced Java’ by programmers across the globe. Kotlin provides several improvements over Java, its 2-decade old predecessor. Not without reason, Kotlin, the modern programming language offers a number of advantages, especially for building Android apps.

Complete Java interoperability and compatibility with existing code is one major strong point of Kotlin
Being clear, compact, and efficient, Kotlin has an intuitive and concise syntax – this leads to increased productivity
Allowing for more stable code and reduced errors in production, Kotlin involves fewer bugs and requires reduced QA efforts and time
Java to Kotlin switching is easy- it requires just installing Kotlin plugin and adding it to Gradle for conversion
Smart extension functions available in Kotlin enable Android App Developers to build clean APIs
Access to Anko Library is a major advantage offered by Kotlin
It is easy to learn even if you have no prior mobile app development knowledge
Kotlin is fully supported by Android Studio
Reliable and precise codes enhance the security
Kotlin excels over Java in regard to data classes

There are Some Limitations as well, with Kotlin

As with any programming language, there are certain catches in using Kotlin also.

Compilation speed of Kotlin is slower than Java
One drawback is the extra runtime size involved with Kotlin
In contrast to the verbose but clearly spelled out Java coding, Kotlin involves concise syntax that might prove difficult to decipher initially
Being a relatively new language, the community of Kotlin is smaller presently, making only less help available
A few of the Android Studio features such as auto-complete and compilation are found to be slower in Kotlin than in Java
Kotlin developers are not so freely available as Java developers as of now—experienced Kotlin developers are few
Official support is not as great as in the case of Java

Which one is Better – the Inference

Although Kotlin proves to be far better than Java in certain aspects, it has not reached being the perfect language yet. It is in a way in an experimental stage, although it appears close to outshining Java. Kotlin is about to be adopted on a wide level in future, no doubt. Java, with its years of use and reputation, will take a long time to be replaced, but Kotlin is fast becoming the choice of startups and those seeking innovative technologies.

Android App Development Companies had better experiment with Kotlin slowly and get to know how their team fares with it and whether they are able to reap the intended benefits.