Java vs Kotlin: Developers Are Split Into Two Camps — Who Will Win in 2024?

The Java vs Kotlin Debate: Developers Can't Reach a Consensus

In 2024, the discussion about which programming language is better — Java or Kotlin — has reached a new peak. According to the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2024, Java still remains in the top 5 most used languages (31% of respondents), but Kotlin is showing explosive growth: its share has risen to 18% over the past two years. At the same time, 42% of developers who switched to Kotlin stated that they would never return to Java.

Experts are divided. James Gosling, the creator of Java, stated in an interview with InfoQ: "Java is the industry standard. Kotlin is just an add-on that doesn't solve fundamental problems." However, Andrey Breslav, lead developer of Kotlin at JetBrains, countered: "Kotlin eliminates outdated Java patterns such as null safety and boilerplate code. In 2024, productivity is more important than legacy."

The numbers speak for themselves. According to GitHub Octoverse 2024, the number of pull requests on Kotlin grew by 34% year-over-year, while Java grew by only 7%. Meanwhile, 68% of new Android projects on GitHub are written in Kotlin, and Google officially recommends it for Android development. However, in the corporate sector, Java remains dominant: 78% of financial systems and 64% of enterprise solutions run on Java (data from IDC 2024).

The key argument of Java supporters is the maturity of the ecosystem. "Java has 25 years of libraries, frameworks, and documentation. Kotlin can't boast that," notes Martin Odersky, professor at EPFL. But opponents point to speed: TechEmpower Benchmarks 2024 tests show that Kotlin is 15% faster than Java in typical web scenarios due to coroutine optimization.

What's the bottom line? Developers have not reached a consensus. Java is for stability and legacy, Kotlin is for innovation and speed. The choice depends on the task: if you're writing a new microservice — Kotlin, if you're maintaining a banking system — Java. In 2024, both languages remain in demand, but the trend toward Kotlin is obvious.