Which language should I learn first: Kotlin or TypeScript?

TypeScript is significantly easier—it ranks 6th easiest programming language to learn vs. Kotlin's 24th ranking (Slant.co 2026). If you're new to programming, start with TypeScript. If you already know Java or plan to develop Android apps, Kotlin is the logical choice.

What's the job market like for Kotlin vs TypeScript in 2026?

TypeScript has 78% more job postings than Kotlin. TypeScript dominates web development, full-stack roles, and startups. Kotlin grows in enterprise Java shops and Android development, but remains more specialized. TypeScript offers broader career opportunities.

Can Kotlin and TypeScript interoperate with existing code?

TypeScript seamlessly interoperates with JavaScript—you can mix .js and .ts files in the same project. Kotlin has 100% interoperability with Java, accessing 500K+ Maven libraries. Both support gradual migration from legacy codebases.

Which has better performance: Kotlin or TypeScript?

For compiled code, Kotlin wins—Kotlin/Native achieves 40% faster compilation (v2.3.0). However, TypeScript transpiles to JavaScript for web/Node.js. Kotlin's JVM bytecode executes faster than Node.js for CPU-intensive tasks. TypeScript excels in I/O-bound web applications.

Is null safety important? Which language handles it better?

Kotlin has mandatory null safety—the compiler prevents null pointer exceptions. TypeScript has optional null safety (enable with strict mode). Kotlin enforces safety from the start, preventing entire classes of bugs. TypeScript requires developer discipline but offers flexibility for gradual migration.

Kotlin vs TypeScript

Updated May 6, 2026

TypeScript

Microsoft's JavaScript superset adding static typing and modern language features.

Web developers, full-stack engineers, startups building web apps, Node.js backend teams

Kotlin

JVM-based language with null safety and 40% faster native compilation for Android and enterprise.

Android developers, JVM backend engineers, enterprises migrating from Java, teams needing null safety

Short Answer

TypeScript is a JavaScript superset for web and backend development with 78% more job postings, while Kotlin is a JVM-based language primarily for Android development with 40% faster compilation in recent releases. TypeScript dominates web ecosystems; Kotlin excels in mobile and enterprise Java environments.

Our Verdict

Choose TypeScript if you're building web applications, APIs, or full-stack projects—it has superior job market demand, easier learning curve, and the largest package ecosystem. Choose Kotlin if you're developing Android apps or need strict type safety in JVM environments where performance and Java interoperability matter.

TypeScript10

5Kotlin

Choose TypeScript if

Web developers, full-stack engineers, startups building web apps, Node.js backend teams

Key Differences at a Glance

🔹

Primary Use Case: Web, Backend (Node.js, Deno) vs Android, JVM Backend

🔹

Job Market Demand (2026): TypeScript wins (78% more postings than Kotlin vs Growing but niche enterprise/mobile)

🔹

Learning Curve Ranking: TypeScript wins (6th easiest to learn (Slant.co 2026) vs 24th easiest to learn (Slant.co 2026))

See all 7 differences

Key Facts & Figures

Metric	TypeScript	Kotlin	Diff
Professional Developer Adoption Rate(%)	67%	—	—
LLM-Generated Code Error Detection Rate(%)	94%	—	—
Initial Setup Time(minutes)	5-15 (build tools required, or Node 22.6+ for native)	—	—
Optimal Codebase Size(lines of code)	10,000+ LOC (scales to millions)	—	—

Key Differences

TypeScript

Attribute

Kotlin

Web, Backend (Node.js, Deno)

Primary Use Case

Android, JVM Backend

78% more postings than Kotlin🏆

Job Market Demand (2026)

Growing but niche enterprise/mobile

6th easiest to learn (Slant.co 2026)🏆

Learning Curve Ranking

24th easiest to learn (Slant.co 2026)

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Last updated: May 6, 2026AI generated

Primary Use Case

TypeScript

Web, Backend (Node.js, Deno)

Kotlin

Android, JVM Backend

Job Market Demand (2026)

TypeScript

78% more postings than Kotlin🏆

Kotlin

Growing but niche enterprise/mobile

Learning Curve Ranking

TypeScript

6th easiest to learn (Slant.co 2026)🏆

Kotlin

24th easiest to learn (Slant.co 2026)

Compilation Speed (Native)

TypeScript

Not applicable (interpreted)

Kotlin

40% faster in Kotlin/Native 2.3.0🏆

Ecosystem Size

TypeScript

npm: 3M+ packages, largest dev ecosystem🏆

Kotlin

Maven Central: 500K+ packages

Type Safety Implementation

TypeScript

Optional types (gradual typing)

Kotlin

Mandatory types (strict from start)🏆

Cross-Platform Support

TypeScript

Web, Node.js, browsers, desktop (Electron)🏆

Kotlin

Android, JVM, iOS (Kotlin/Native), desktop

Full Comparison

Attribute	TypeScript	Kotlin

Professional Developer Adoption Rate(%)	67%	—
Developers Writing Only This Language Professionally(%)	40-50%	—

LLM-Generated Code Error Detection Rate(%)	94%	—

Initial Setup Time(minutes)	5-15 (build tools required, or Node 22.6+ for native)	—
AI Code Generation Quality	Excellent (native Copilot/ChatGPT support)	—

Optimal Codebase Size(lines of code)	10,000+ LOC (scales to millions)	—

Major Companies Using (2026)(count)	Airbnb, Stripe, Slack, Google, Microsoft	—

IDE Autocompletion Quality(accuracy rating)	Exceptional (full type inference via LSP)	—

Compilation Required (Pre-Node 22.6)(boolean)	Yes (optional on Node 22.6+)	—

Job Market Demand(% difference)	+78% more postings	Growing enterprise/mobile niche

Learning Difficulty Ranking(position (lower is easier))	6th easiest (Slant.co 2026)	24th easiest (Slant.co 2026)

Package Ecosystem Size(packages)	3M+ npm packages	500K+ Maven Central

Null Safety	Optional (gradual typing)	Mandatory (strict null checks)
Type Safety Enforcement	Optional (configurable strictness)	—

Native Compilation Speed Improvement(% faster)	Not applicable (interpreted)	40% faster (Kotlin/Native v2.3.0)
Compilation Speed (5000 modules, 10 packages)(seconds)	6.73s	—
Compilation Speed (2000 modules)(seconds)	3.36s	—
Latest Version Performance Improvement(%)	TypeScript 6.0 — enhanced type inference & compilation speed	—
Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)	94% faster	—

Primary Target Platforms	Web, Node.js, browsers, desktop	Android, JVM, iOS (Native), desktop

Latest Version Release	TypeScript 6.0 (2026) - performance improvements	Kotlin 2.3.0 (Mar 2026) - new language features
Latest Major Release (2026)(version)	5.9 (improved inference, decorators)	—

Weekly Downloads(millions)	6M+ weekly (npm)	1.2M+ weekly (Maven)

Available Packages/Libraries(packages)	2,500,000+	—
Available npm/Package Ecosystem(packages)	2,000,000+ (npm registry)	—
Mobile App Platform Support(platforms)	iOS/Android via React Native or NativeScript (third-party)	—
Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)	11 years (stable KMP 2025)	—

JavaScript Interoperability	Seamless (JavaScript superset)	—

Learning Curve (for JS developers)	Minimal (JavaScript + types)	—

Enterprise Customer Base(customers)	10,038	—
Market Share Ratio(x multiple)	5.7x larger	—

Compilation Target	JavaScript (interpreted at runtime)	—

Typical Build Step Required(seconds)	1-5 seconds (depending on project size)	—

Onboarding Difficulty for JavaScript Devs(difficulty level)	Low (syntax and semantics extend JavaScript)	—

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)	15-20%	—
Android Development Market Share(%)	70%	—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)	$95,000	—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)	Non-nullable by default	—

Virtual Threading Maturity	Coroutines (requires libraries)	—

Multiplatform Support(targets)	iOS, Android, Web, Desktop (KMP stable)	—

TypeScript

Kotlin

Professional Developer Adoption Rate(%)

67%

—

Developers Writing Only This Language Professionally(%)

40-50%

—

LLM-Generated Code Error Detection Rate(%)

94%

—

Initial Setup Time(minutes)

5-15 (build tools required, or Node 22.6+ for native)

—

AI Code Generation Quality

Excellent (native Copilot/ChatGPT support)

—

Optimal Codebase Size(lines of code)

10,000+ LOC (scales to millions)

—

Major Companies Using (2026)(count)

Airbnb, Stripe, Slack, Google, Microsoft

—

IDE Autocompletion Quality(accuracy rating)

Exceptional (full type inference via LSP)

—

Compilation Required (Pre-Node 22.6)(boolean)

Yes (optional on Node 22.6+)

—

Job Market Demand(% difference)

+78% more postings

Growing enterprise/mobile niche

Learning Difficulty Ranking(position (lower is easier))

6th easiest (Slant.co 2026)

24th easiest (Slant.co 2026)

Package Ecosystem Size(packages)

3M+ npm packages

500K+ Maven Central

Null Safety

Optional (gradual typing)

Mandatory (strict null checks)

Type Safety Enforcement

Optional (configurable strictness)

—

Native Compilation Speed Improvement(% faster)

Not applicable (interpreted)

40% faster (Kotlin/Native v2.3.0)

Compilation Speed (5000 modules, 10 packages)(seconds)

6.73s

—

Compilation Speed (2000 modules)(seconds)

3.36s

—

Latest Version Performance Improvement(%)

TypeScript 6.0 — enhanced type inference & compilation speed

—

Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)

94% faster

—

Primary Target Platforms

Web, Node.js, browsers, desktop

Android, JVM, iOS (Native), desktop

Latest Version Release

TypeScript 6.0 (2026) - performance improvements

Kotlin 2.3.0 (Mar 2026) - new language features

Latest Major Release (2026)(version)

5.9 (improved inference, decorators)

—

Weekly Downloads(millions)

6M+ weekly (npm)

1.2M+ weekly (Maven)

Available Packages/Libraries(packages)

2,500,000+

—

Available npm/Package Ecosystem(packages)

2,000,000+ (npm registry)

—

Mobile App Platform Support(platforms)

iOS/Android via React Native or NativeScript (third-party)

—

Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)

11 years (stable KMP 2025)

—

JavaScript Interoperability

Seamless (JavaScript superset)

—

Learning Curve (for JS developers)

Minimal (JavaScript + types)

—

Enterprise Customer Base(customers)

10,038

—

Market Share Ratio(x multiple)

5.7x larger

—

Compilation Target

JavaScript (interpreted at runtime)

—

Typical Build Step Required(seconds)

1-5 seconds (depending on project size)

—

Onboarding Difficulty for JavaScript Devs(difficulty level)

Low (syntax and semantics extend JavaScript)

—

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)

15-20%

—

Android Development Market Share(%)

70%

—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)

$95,000

—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)

Non-nullable by default

—

Virtual Threading Maturity

Coroutines (requires libraries)

—

Multiplatform Support(targets)

iOS, Android, Web, Desktop (KMP stable)

—

Full Comparison

Attribute	TypeScript	Kotlin

Professional Developer Adoption Rate(%)	67%	—
Developers Writing Only This Language Professionally(%)	40-50%	—

LLM-Generated Code Error Detection Rate(%)	94%	—

Initial Setup Time(minutes)	5-15 (build tools required, or Node 22.6+ for native)	—
AI Code Generation Quality	Excellent (native Copilot/ChatGPT support)	—

Optimal Codebase Size(lines of code)	10,000+ LOC (scales to millions)	—

Major Companies Using (2026)(count)	Airbnb, Stripe, Slack, Google, Microsoft	—

IDE Autocompletion Quality(accuracy rating)	Exceptional (full type inference via LSP)	—

Compilation Required (Pre-Node 22.6)(boolean)	Yes (optional on Node 22.6+)	—

Job Market Demand(% difference)	+78% more postings	Growing enterprise/mobile niche

Learning Difficulty Ranking(position (lower is easier))	6th easiest (Slant.co 2026)	24th easiest (Slant.co 2026)

Package Ecosystem Size(packages)	3M+ npm packages	500K+ Maven Central

Null Safety	Optional (gradual typing)	Mandatory (strict null checks)
Type Safety Enforcement	Optional (configurable strictness)	—

Native Compilation Speed Improvement(% faster)	Not applicable (interpreted)	40% faster (Kotlin/Native v2.3.0)
Compilation Speed (5000 modules, 10 packages)(seconds)	6.73s	—
Compilation Speed (2000 modules)(seconds)	3.36s	—
Latest Version Performance Improvement(%)	TypeScript 6.0 — enhanced type inference & compilation speed	—
Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)	94% faster	—

Primary Target Platforms	Web, Node.js, browsers, desktop	Android, JVM, iOS (Native), desktop

Latest Version Release	TypeScript 6.0 (2026) - performance improvements	Kotlin 2.3.0 (Mar 2026) - new language features
Latest Major Release (2026)(version)	5.9 (improved inference, decorators)	—

Weekly Downloads(millions)	6M+ weekly (npm)	1.2M+ weekly (Maven)

Available Packages/Libraries(packages)	2,500,000+	—
Available npm/Package Ecosystem(packages)	2,000,000+ (npm registry)	—
Mobile App Platform Support(platforms)	iOS/Android via React Native or NativeScript (third-party)	—
Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)	11 years (stable KMP 2025)	—

JavaScript Interoperability	Seamless (JavaScript superset)	—

Learning Curve (for JS developers)	Minimal (JavaScript + types)	—

Enterprise Customer Base(customers)	10,038	—
Market Share Ratio(x multiple)	5.7x larger	—

Compilation Target	JavaScript (interpreted at runtime)	—

Typical Build Step Required(seconds)	1-5 seconds (depending on project size)	—

Onboarding Difficulty for JavaScript Devs(difficulty level)	Low (syntax and semantics extend JavaScript)	—

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)	15-20%	—
Android Development Market Share(%)	70%	—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)	$95,000	—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)	Non-nullable by default	—

Virtual Threading Maturity	Coroutines (requires libraries)	—

Multiplatform Support(targets)	iOS, Android, Web, Desktop (KMP stable)	—

TypeScript

Kotlin

Professional Developer Adoption Rate(%)

67%

—

Developers Writing Only This Language Professionally(%)

40-50%

—

LLM-Generated Code Error Detection Rate(%)

94%

—

Initial Setup Time(minutes)

5-15 (build tools required, or Node 22.6+ for native)

—

AI Code Generation Quality

Excellent (native Copilot/ChatGPT support)

—

Optimal Codebase Size(lines of code)

10,000+ LOC (scales to millions)

—

Major Companies Using (2026)(count)

Airbnb, Stripe, Slack, Google, Microsoft

—

IDE Autocompletion Quality(accuracy rating)

Exceptional (full type inference via LSP)

—

Compilation Required (Pre-Node 22.6)(boolean)

Yes (optional on Node 22.6+)

—

Job Market Demand(% difference)

+78% more postings

Growing enterprise/mobile niche

Learning Difficulty Ranking(position (lower is easier))

6th easiest (Slant.co 2026)

24th easiest (Slant.co 2026)

Package Ecosystem Size(packages)

3M+ npm packages

500K+ Maven Central

Null Safety

Optional (gradual typing)

Mandatory (strict null checks)

Type Safety Enforcement

Optional (configurable strictness)

—

Native Compilation Speed Improvement(% faster)

Not applicable (interpreted)

40% faster (Kotlin/Native v2.3.0)

Compilation Speed (5000 modules, 10 packages)(seconds)

6.73s

—

Compilation Speed (2000 modules)(seconds)

3.36s

—

Latest Version Performance Improvement(%)

TypeScript 6.0 — enhanced type inference & compilation speed

—

Clean Build Speed Improvement (K2 Compiler)(%)

94% faster

—

Primary Target Platforms

Web, Node.js, browsers, desktop

Android, JVM, iOS (Native), desktop

Latest Version Release

TypeScript 6.0 (2026) - performance improvements

Kotlin 2.3.0 (Mar 2026) - new language features

Latest Major Release (2026)(version)

5.9 (improved inference, decorators)

—

Weekly Downloads(millions)

6M+ weekly (npm)

1.2M+ weekly (Maven)

Available Packages/Libraries(packages)

2,500,000+

—

Available npm/Package Ecosystem(packages)

2,000,000+ (npm registry)

—

Mobile App Platform Support(platforms)

iOS/Android via React Native or NativeScript (third-party)

—

Framework Ecosystem Maturity (Years)(years)

11 years (stable KMP 2025)

—

JavaScript Interoperability

Seamless (JavaScript superset)

—

Learning Curve (for JS developers)

Minimal (JavaScript + types)

—

Enterprise Customer Base(customers)

10,038

—

Market Share Ratio(x multiple)

5.7x larger

—

Compilation Target

JavaScript (interpreted at runtime)

—

Typical Build Step Required(seconds)

1-5 seconds (depending on project size)

—

Onboarding Difficulty for JavaScript Devs(difficulty level)

Low (syntax and semantics extend JavaScript)

—

Enterprise Backend Market Share(%)

15-20%

—

Android Development Market Share(%)

70%

—

Median Developer Salary (US)(USD)

$95,000

—

Null Safety (Compile-Time Default)

Non-nullable by default

—

Virtual Threading Maturity

Coroutines (requires libraries)

—

Multiplatform Support(targets)

iOS, Android, Web, Desktop (KMP stable)

—

Kotlin vs TypeScript

TypeScript

Kotlin

Short Answer

Our Verdict

Key Differences at a Glance

Key Facts & Figures

Key Differences

Related Comparisons

Related Articles

Explore Entities

More Software

People Also Compare

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison

Pros & Cons

TypeScript

Pros

Cons

Kotlin

Pros

Cons

Frequently Asked Questions

Resources & Learn More

Wikipedia

Videos

Full Comparison

Visual Comparison