Application software is any program a person uses directly to do a task, as opposed to the system software that runs the computer underneath it. It comes in seven types: productivity, business, enterprise, custom, educational, multimedia and creative, and web and mobile. Microsoft Word, Excel, Google Chrome, Salesforce, SAP S/4HANA and Adobe Photoshop are all application software examples, and each sits in a different type.
Last reviewed: September 16, 2026. Definitions checked against Wikipedia's application software and system software entries.
What is application software?
Application software is software intended for end-user use, not for operating, administering or programming a computer. That covers word processors, CRM systems, design tools, web browsers and mobile apps. The job of application software is the task in front of the user: writing a contract, logging a sale, editing a photo, joining a call.
Application software vs system software vs programming software
Software is commonly split into three families by purpose. Application software is what you open to do a job, system software runs the machine and gives other programs a platform, and programming software is used to build other software. Chrome, Excel and Salesforce are application software. Windows, macOS and Android are system software. Visual Studio Code and Git are programming software.
The three-way split is a convention, not a standard. Wikipedia's system software entry counts compilers as system software, while its programming tool entry treats development tools as a category of their own.
Application software and system software are the two families people confuse most often. The table compares them.
| Application software | System software | |
|---|---|---|
| Who it serves | The person doing the work | The machine and the other software |
| Examples | Excel, Salesforce, Chrome, Photoshop | Windows, macOS, Linux, device drivers, BIOS |
| Can the computer run without it | Yes, the computer still runs | No, nothing else runs |
| Who usually buys it | A team or a department | It ships with the hardware or the platform |
A quick test: if a program would be pointless without a person choosing to open it, it is application software. If it runs whether or not anyone is looking, it is system software. The operating system lets applications run, and the applications do the work people bought the computer for.
What are the 7 types of application software?
The seven types of application software are productivity, business, enterprise, custom, educational, multimedia and creative, and web and mobile. There is no official count, and other sources split these further. The table shows what each type does, with real examples of each.
| Type | What it does for you | Real examples |
|---|---|---|
| Productivity software | Creating and editing documents, numbers, and slides | Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Google Docs, Notion, Apple Pages |
| Business application software | Running one business function end to end | QuickBooks, Xero, Mailchimp, Asana, Shopify, HubSpot |
| Enterprise application software | Running processes across the whole organization | Salesforce, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite, Workday, ServiceNow |
| Custom application software | Doing something no packaged product does | An internal claims portal, a broker pricing engine, a Salesforce managed package built for one product |
| Educational software | Teaching, testing, and tracking learning | Duolingo, Khan Academy, Moodle, Blackboard, Anki |
| Multimedia and creative software | Making and editing images, audio, and video | Adobe Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Figma, Canva, Audacity, Blender |
| Web and mobile application software | Delivering all of the above through a browser or phone | Google Chrome, Gmail, WhatsApp, Spotify, Slack, Zoom |
1. Productivity software examples: Word, Excel, Google Docs
Productivity software creates and edits documents, spreadsheets, slides and notes, for one person or for a team working on the same file.
- Word processing: Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Apple Pages
- Spreadsheets: Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Apple Numbers
- Presentations: Microsoft PowerPoint, Google Slides, Keynote, Prezi
- Notes and documents: Notion, Evernote, Obsidian, Microsoft OneNote
Typical uses are writing reports, contracts and proposals, modelling numbers and building forecasts, and sharing and co-editing work across a team.
2. Business application software examples: QuickBooks, HubSpot, Zoho CRM
Business application software runs one business function, such as sales, finance or human resources, and holds the data that function depends on.
- CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Microsoft Dynamics 365
- ERP: SAP S/4HANA, Oracle NetSuite, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central
- Accounting: QuickBooks, Xero, FreshBooks, Sage
- HR and payroll: Workday, BambooHR, Gusto, Rippling
Businesses rely on this software to automate processes, manage data, and scale operations. Salesforce, SAP S/4HANA and Workday appear here and in the enterprise type, because the same product counts as enterprise software when a large organization runs it across every department.
3. Enterprise application software examples: Salesforce, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Fusion Cloud
Enterprise application software runs processes across a whole organization, built for companies with complex workflows and high data volumes.
- Enterprise CRM and ERP: Salesforce Enterprise, SAP S/4HANA, Oracle Fusion Cloud
- Procurement and supply chain: SAP Ariba, Oracle SCM Cloud, Blue Yonder
- Data and integration: MuleSoft, Boomi, Snowflake, Informatica
Enterprise applications prioritize scalability, security, and integration with other systems. Connecting a CRM to an ERP is a typical enterprise project, walked through in how to integrate Salesforce with ERP systems, and Boomi vs MuleSoft compares two of the integration platforms listed above.
4. Custom application software examples: internal portals and managed packages
Custom application software is built around one organization's process instead of a general market, and the organization that commissioned it owns it.
- Functionality shaped around one company's process rather than a general market
- Owned by the organisation that commissioned it, not licensed from a vendor
- Wired directly into the systems already in place
Examples of custom application software:
- Internal dashboards and reporting tools built on company data
- Managed packages and apps built on a platform such as Salesforce
- Proprietary tools that encode a process no off the shelf product covers
Custom software costs more up front than a licence, and the trade is control. You get exactly the process you want and you carry the maintenance. For Salesforce specifically, the trade-off is laid out in custom Salesforce app development: benefits, costs, and when to build vs buy.
5. Educational software examples: Duolingo, Moodle, Khan Academy
Educational software teaches, tests and tracks learning, and schools, universities and corporate training teams all use it.
- Learning platforms: Coursera, Moodle, Canvas, Blackboard
- Virtual classrooms: Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams for Education, and Zoom when it is used for lessons
- Practice and assessment: Duolingo, Khan Academy, Quizlet, Anki
6. Multimedia and creative software examples: Photoshop, Premiere Pro, Canva
Multimedia and creative software makes and edits images, video, audio and 3D content.
- Video: Adobe Premiere Pro, Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, CapCut
- Design and images: Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Figma, Canva
- Audio: Audacity, Logic Pro, Ableton Live, GarageBand
- 3D: Blender
These tools are essential for marketing teams, designers, and content creators.
7. Web and mobile application software examples: Chrome, Gmail, WhatsApp
Web and mobile application software runs in a browser or on a mobile device, so it is reachable from anywhere with a connection.
- Web browsers: Google Chrome, Safari, Microsoft Edge, Firefox
- Social and messaging: Instagram, WhatsApp, LinkedIn, Slack
- Collaboration: Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Notion, Trello
- Browser based SaaS: Salesforce, Shopify, Asana, Zendesk
Web and mobile is defined by how software is delivered, not by what it does, so a web app usually belongs to one of the other six types as well.
Application software examples by program: which type is each one?
This table reads the other way. Find the program, and it tells you which type of application software it is.
| Software | Category | Type of application software |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Word | Word processing | Productivity |
| Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheet | Productivity |
| Google Chrome | Web browser | Web and mobile |
| Zoom | Video conferencing | Web and mobile, also educational |
| Slack | Team messaging | Productivity and web |
| Salesforce | CRM | Business and enterprise |
| SAP S/4HANA | ERP | Enterprise |
| QuickBooks | Accounting | Business |
| Workday | HR and payroll | Business and enterprise |
| Adobe Photoshop | Image editing | Multimedia and creative |
| Adobe Premiere Pro | Video editing | Multimedia and creative |
| Canva | Design | Multimedia and web |
| Coursera | Online courses | Educational |
| Duolingo | Language learning | Educational and mobile |
| Shopify | Ecommerce platform | Business and web |
| Oracle Database | Database management | Enterprise |
| An internal claims portal | Bespoke line of business tool | Custom |
Most programs sit in more than one type. Salesforce is business software by function, enterprise software by scale, and web application software by delivery. The types describe what a program is for, so one program can fit several of them.
Why the type of application software matters when buying
Knowing which type a tool belongs to helps a business:
- Buy the right category instead of the loudest brand
- Avoid paying twice for overlapping tools
- Match the tool to the job people actually do
- Anticipate which systems will need to talk to each other
It also helps developers and architects plan how new tools will connect to the systems already running.
How businesses choose application software
Businesses choosing application software weigh four things:
- What the business is actually trying to achieve
- What it has to connect to, and how deeply
- How much it has to grow before it is replaced
- Which regulations and security reviews apply
Businesses often run several types of application software at once and connect them, using one of the main types of software integration.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are 10 examples of application software?
Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Google Chrome, Zoom, Slack, Salesforce, QuickBooks, Adobe Photoshop, Shopify and Duolingo. Each one is a program a person opens deliberately to do a specific job, which is what separates application software from the operating system running underneath it.
How many types of application software are there?
There is no single official count, because the categories describe purpose rather than a fixed standard. Seven covers the ground: productivity, business, enterprise, custom, educational, multimedia and creative, and web and mobile. Other sources split these further, listing word processing, spreadsheet, presentation and database software as separate types.
What is the most common type of application software?
No published study ranks the types by how many people use them, so no single type can be named the most common with evidence. Productivity software such as Word and Excel and web software such as Chrome are the examples most people recognize from their own computer.
Is Salesforce application software?
Yes. Salesforce is customer relationship management (CRM) software, which makes it business application software by function, enterprise application software by scale, and web application software by delivery.
Is Microsoft Word application software or system software?
Application software. Word is a word processor, which sits in the productivity type. Windows, the operating system it runs on, is system software. Word serves the person typing, and Windows serves the machine and the programs on it.
Is a web browser application software?
Yes. Chrome, Safari, Edge and Firefox are application software in the web type. They ship with many operating systems, which makes people assume they are part of the system, but a browser is a program you open to do a task and the machine runs without it.
What is the difference between application software and an app?
Mostly convention. App is the shorter word, and it became popular for phone and tablet software with Apple's iOS App Store in 2008. Application software is the formal term covering desktop, web and mobile alike, so a mobile app is application software.
What is the difference between custom and packaged software?
Packaged software is built for a general market and licensed from a vendor, while custom software is built for one organization's process and owned by that organization. Custom software costs more up front and gives more control, and the owner carries the maintenance.
