Compose Material Catalog

Review by eFreeware

Compose Material Catalog is a free reference app published by Google LLC under the Libraries & Demo category. Its purpose is narrow and clear: it collects Material Design components, theming and dark theme in one place and shows how each of those pieces is implemented in Jetpack Compose. If you build Android interfaces with Compose, this is the kind of companion you keep nearby while working.

What appeals to me here is the focus. Rather than a broad tutorial or a course, the app is a catalog in the literal sense, a place to look things up. It has drawn over 100,000 installs and holds a 4.0 average from 925 ratings, which suggests a steady audience of developers rather than a casual crowd.

The app is free, carries no ads and offers no in-app purchases, so there is nothing to weigh beyond whether it matches how you work. For anyone who wants a visual reference for Material components while writing Compose code, that combination is easy to justify.

Checking components before you commit to them

The core of the app is its component screen, where the Material Design elements are laid out for inspection. This is the part I would expect to use most, because seeing a component in context answers questions that documentation alone often leaves open. You can look at how a piece is meant to appear before deciding whether it belongs in your own layout.

The example screen sits alongside it, giving a fuller setting in which those components appear together. That separation is useful: the component screen is for a single element, the example screen for seeing how it behaves as part of a larger arrangement. The developer describes the app as a reference for implementing these features in Compose, and the structure supports that reading.

For a developer weighing two ways of presenting the same control, this is a quick way to compare against the canonical version rather than guessing. It is a place to look, then go back to your project.

Theming and dark theme as first-class parts

Theming gets its own attention here, which matters because color and typography decisions ripple through everything else. The app includes a theme picker that you can launch from the top app bar at any point, so you can change the look without losing your place. That is a small convenience that makes a real difference when you are comparing options side by side.

Dark theme is supported as well, and it is treated as part of the catalog rather than an afterthought. Since the app is about how Material Design behaves across light and dark presentations, having both available in the same reference is the sensible arrangement. A developer checking contrast or choosing colors can see how the same components read under either setting.

The top app bar also holds a more menu, which sits alongside the theme picker as the second control available from that bar. Between the two, most of what you need to move around the catalog stays within reach. Nothing about this is elaborate, and that restraint suits the app's purpose.

What you need before opening it

There is very little to set up. The catalog is built around three screens, and you move between them as you would in any straightforward reference app.

The one requirement worth stating plainly is context: this is a reference for people working with Jetpack Compose and Material Design. If those terms mean nothing to you, the app may not be for you. It assumes you already know what you are looking for and simply want to see it.

That assumption is reasonable for the audience it serves, but it does define the app's edges. It is a catalog, and it behaves like one from the first screen.

A reference for Compose developers who know the ground

The people who will get the most from this are Android developers already writing interfaces in Jetpack Compose who want a canonical visual reference close at hand. Designers working alongside them may also find it useful when discussing how a component should look, since it shows the Material intent rather than one team's interpretation of it.

It is free, ad-free and without purchases, which removes the usual reasons to hesitate before installing. The 4.0 average across 925 ratings points to a tool that does its job without inspiring strong feelings either way, which is about right for a reference. The app was released in August 2021 and last updated in September 2025, so it has been kept current alongside the framework it documents.

If you are learning Compose from scratch, this presumes familiarity. For a working developer who wants to check a component, compare a theme or confirm how dark theme is meant to look, it is a sensible thing to have installed. That is a narrow brief, and the app fills it well.

What's new in version 2.5.0

A canonical reference of Material Design components, theming, dark theme, and how to implement these features in Jetpack Compose: the Compose Material Catalog.