Compose Multiplatform template in 2026: why basic starters fail and what you actually need

The archived template problem

You've decided to build a cross-platform app with Compose Multiplatform. Smart choice. You search for a template to get started quickly, and you find JetBrains' official compose-multiplatform-template on GitHub.

Then you see the notice: "This template has been archived."

You try the Kotlin Multiplatform Wizard instead. It generates a basic project with a shared UI and... that's it. No authentication. No payments. No navigation setup. No CI/CD. Just a "Hello World" screen that runs on Android and iOS.

Now what?

You're facing the same problem thousands of developers hit every year: the gap between a basic Compose Multiplatform template and a production-ready app is massive. And that gap costs weeks of your time.

What basic templates give you

Most Compose Multiplatform templates provide the bare minimum:

A shared module structure
Basic Gradle configuration
A simple UI that displays text
Maybe some platform-specific expect/actual examples

That's useful for learning, but it's not useful for shipping. Here's what's missing:

No authentication

Every real app needs user authentication. That means:

Sign in with Apple (required for iOS App Store if you offer any social login)
Sign in with Google
Email/password fallback
Token management and refresh logic
Secure credential storage on both platforms

Setting this up from scratch takes 15-20 hours, and that's if you've done it before.

No payment infrastructure

Planning to monetize? You'll need:

In-app purchases for iOS and Android
Subscription management
Paywall UI
Receipt validation
Handling edge cases (restore purchases, family sharing, grace periods)

A basic template gives you none of this. Add another 10-15 hours.

No CI/CD pipeline

You want to ship updates without manual builds. That requires:

GitHub Actions or similar workflow
Code signing for both platforms
Fastlane integration
TestFlight and Play Store deployment
Environment variable management

Most templates assume you'll figure this out yourself. Another 15-20 hours.

No production architecture

A "Hello World" template doesn't show you:

How to structure navigation for a real app
Where to put your business logic
How to handle dependency injection
How to manage state across platforms
How to write tests that run on both platforms

You'll spend hours researching best practices and refactoring your code as you learn.

The real cost of starting from scratch

Let's add it up:

Task	Hours
Authentication setup	16h
Payment integration	12h
CI/CD pipelines	18h
Navigation architecture	8h
Dependency injection setup	4h
Analytics integration	4h
Push notifications	6h
Design system basics	8h
Testing infrastructure	6h
Total	82+ hours

That's over two weeks of full-time work before you write a single line of your actual app logic.

And this assumes everything goes smoothly. In reality, you'll hit undocumented edge cases, version conflicts, and platform-specific bugs that add even more time.

What a production-ready template should include

If you're serious about shipping an app, you need a template that includes:

Production-ready template checklist

Authentication - Pre-configured sign-in with Apple, Google, and email. Token management handled. Secure storage implemented.
Payments - RevenueCat or similar integration. Paywall UI ready. Subscription logic working.
CI/CD - GitHub Actions configured. Code signing set up. One push to deploy to TestFlight and Play Store.
Navigation - Type-safe navigation architecture. Deep linking support. Back stack management.
Architecture - Clean separation of concerns. Dependency injection configured. Repository pattern implemented.
UI Components - Design system with buttons, inputs, cards. Dark mode support. Responsive layouts.
Testing - Unit test setup for shared code. UI test infrastructure. Mock implementations ready.
Analytics - Event tracking integrated. User properties configured. Privacy-compliant.
Notifications - Push notification setup for both platforms. Local notification support.

How KMPShip solves this

KMPShip is a production-ready Compose Multiplatform template built specifically to solve the problems above.

Instead of starting with an empty "Hello World" project, you start with:

Authentication ready

Firebase Auth with Sign in with Apple, Google, and email. Works out of the box:

kotlin
// Complete authentication flow (already implemented)
class AuthRepository(
    private val authService: AuthService,
    private val tokenStorage: TokenStorage
) {
    suspend fun signInWithGoogle(): Result<User> {
        return try {
            val credential = authService.getGoogleCredential()
            val response = authService.signInWithCredential(credential)
            tokenStorage.saveAuthToken(response.token)
            Result.success(response.user)
        } catch (e: Exception) {
            Result.failure(e)
        }
    }

    suspend fun signInWithApple(): Result<User> {
        // Apple Sign In already implemented
    }

    suspend fun signInWithEmail(
        email: String,
        password: String
    ): Result<User> {
        // Email/password auth already implemented
    }
}

Payments configured

RevenueCat integration with paywall UI. Subscriptions and one-time purchases supported:

kotlin
// Payment handling (pre-configured)
class PaymentManager(
    private val revenueCat: RevenueCat
) {
    suspend fun purchaseSubscription(
        packageId: String
    ): Result<PurchaseResult> {
        return try {
            val purchase = revenueCat.purchase(packageId)
            Result.success(purchase)
        } catch (e: Exception) {
            Result.failure(e)
        }
    }

    suspend fun getActiveSubscription(): Subscription? {
        val customerInfo = revenueCat.getCustomerInfo()
        return customerInfo.activeSubscriptions.firstOrNull()
    }

    suspend fun restorePurchases(): Result<CustomerInfo> {
        return try {
            val restored = revenueCat.restorePurchases()
            Result.success(restored)
        } catch (e: Exception) {
            Result.failure(e)
        }
    }
}

CI/CD done

GitHub Actions workflows for both platforms. Fastlane configured. Push to main, deploy to stores:

Automated workflows included

Pull Request checks - Lint, test, and build verification
Automated beta deployments - Push to TestFlight and Play Store Beta
Production releases - One command to ship to both app stores
Version management - Automated versioning and changelog generation
Signing & certificates - All the painful configuration done for you

Navigation architected

Type-safe navigation using best practices. Deep linking ready:

kotlin
// Shared navigation graph across Android and iOS
@Composable
fun AppNavigation() {
    NavHost(startDestination = Screen.Home) {
        composable<Screen.Home> {
            HomeScreen(
                onNavigateToProfile = { navController.navigate(Screen.Profile) }
            )
        }

        composable<Screen.Profile> {
            ProfileScreen(
                onNavigateBack = { navController.popBackStack() }
            )
        }

        composable<Screen.Settings> {
            SettingsScreen(
                onNavigateBack = { navController.popBackStack() }
            )
        }
    }
}

Clean architecture

MVVM with proper separation. Koin for dependency injection. Repository pattern:

kotlin
// Dependency injection with Koin
val appModule = module {
    single { UserRepository(get()) }
    single { SettingsManager(get()) }
    viewModel { HomeViewModel(get()) }
    viewModel { ProfileViewModel(get()) }
}

Additional features included

UI components - Design system with common components. Theming configured. Dark mode works.
Testing setup - Kotest configured for shared code. UI testing infrastructure in place.
Notifications working - Push notifications via Firebase. Local notifications via Alarmee.

The setup time? About 2 hours to clone, configure your credentials, and start building your actual app.

Who is this for?

KMPShip is built for:

Solo developers who want to validate an idea quickly without spending weeks on infrastructure.

Small teams who need to ship a production app without hiring a DevOps engineer.

Agencies who build multiple apps and want a consistent, proven starting point.

Android developers who want to add iOS without learning an entirely new stack.

It's not for everyone. If you're building a learning project or just want to experiment with Compose Multiplatform, the free JetBrains Wizard is fine. But if you're building something you plan to ship and monetize, starting with production-ready infrastructure saves significant time.

The template landscape in 2026

Here's how the options compare:

Template	Auth	Payments	CI/CD	Production-Ready
JetBrains Wizard	No	No	No	No
compose-multiplatform-template (archived)	No	No	No	No
KaMPKit	Basic	No	No	Partial
KMPShip	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes

The official templates are great for learning. KMPShip is for shipping.

Getting started

If you want to stop rebuilding the same infrastructure for every app:

Get access to KMPShip at kmpship.app
Clone the repository
Follow the setup guide (about 2 hours)
Start building your actual features

You'll skip 80+ hours of boilerplate work and start with a codebase that's already production-tested.

Conclusion

A Compose Multiplatform template should do more than compile. It should give you a foundation you can actually ship on.

Basic templates leave you with weeks of infrastructure work before you can focus on your app. Production-ready templates like KMPShip let you start building features on day one.

Your time is better spent on what makes your app unique, not on setting up authentication for the tenth time.

Continue your KMPShip journey

Want to learn more about shipping faster with Kotlin Multiplatform?

Quick questions about Compose Multiplatform templates

Still have questions about getting started?

What kind of support do I get? - Support details by tier
How long does setup take? - Get started in minutes, not weeks
Can I use this for client work? - Licensing for agencies and freelancers

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