What are the Different Types of Application Software in 2023

Last updated on August 24th, 2023

Look closer and you will know that there is not a single nanosecond of your life where technology has not crept into. The most ubiquitous form of the technology is none other than …(drumrolls)… application software. 

Every day, the whole day, you are surrounded by all types of application software. No, we are not exaggerating at all. We can easily prove –

• You wake up on time in the morning, all because of your mobile alarm which is a simple application software
• You check your emails or What’re App texts, both of which are application software
• You want to make your mother’s favorite dish. So you watch a video on Youtube, which is also an application software
• If you are single, you might look for a date on a dating app, also an application software
• You can easily keep a tab on your kid’s daily activities in the school via the school’s ERP app, which is again an application software

Simply, application software is omnipresent and extraordinarily rewarding. When they can do wonders for your personal life, they will prove to be terrific for your business. 

If your business has a huge potential to grow, all you must do is make the best use of diverse types of application software that are a natural fit for your business. 

Choosing the right application software for your business from loads of them is not as easy as it looks. Therefore, it will be prudent for you to first have a thorough knowledge of application software before going for the one. 

What is Application Software?

The idea of the software is simply brilliant. Software is plainly a set of instructions that are given to the hardware to perform functions. Over the ages, the software has substantially evolved. 

If the primary motive of software is to perform very specific applications, the software is said to be application software. With the aid of application software, you will be able to simplify umpteen tasks of your business in the blink of an eye. When we say ‘in the blink of an eye’, we literally mean it.  

When we say that application software is omnipresent, we were not just talking about its general application. It has a vast prevalence in businesses too. We are utterly positive that you will be using more than one application software already to improve the efficiency of your business. 

• Your business, or for that sake, any business can not exist without the mighty internet browsers such as Apple’s Safari, Firefox, Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, etc
• No business can not get enough of the database management systems (DBMS) such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle
• The websites and the social media pages of your business are works of art of design software such as Adobe Illustrator, Eagle, CorelDRAW Graphics, and many more

As you can see, there is not a single aspect of your business that application software cannot transform with its Midas touch. 

Which tasks does Application Software do for your business?

The answer without an ounce of doubt should be – everything. For every task you want to efficiently perform, there will be an application software for it. Therefore, when we say it can do everything, we mean it. We have listed below the wide range of tasks that application software do –

• Seamless Business Communication
• Systematic Data Management 
• Detailed Data Analysis
• Dynamic Website Designing
• Project Management
• Accurate Payroll Calculation
• Effective Training of Human Resources

The list is not exhaustive and should have included a myriad of tasks if not for the lack of space. 

Difference Between System Software and Application Software

When we talk of software, we are not talking only about types of application software. There are other types of software too, system software is one of them. 

For the sake of a simpler explanation, we have tabled below the differences between system software and application software. 

We are certain that you have gained a certain clarity about application software and how they are different from system software. Let us now explore the diverse varieties of application software. 

Different Types of Application Software

1. General Application Software
2. Business Application Software
3. Custom Developed Application Software

When we categorize application software, we entirely focus on its usability. Let us discuss them in thorough detail. 

1. General Application Software

In the simple choice of words, general application software is all-encompassing. It is software that is designed to perform a broad horizon of activities and does not curtail itself to a user with very specific needs. Anyone and everyone can use it in a way that fulfills their needs. 

Allow us to discuss a wide variety of general application software that have been serving people for a long time now –

• Word Processors 

Using word processors might be child’s play. However, its dynamic features are not just useful to a child. 

Word processors are the type of application software that allows you to create and edit text. You can use sizzling font styles and exciting color palettes to write interesting text or use simple font styles to create manuals and reports. Word processor software allows you to add a figurative element (such as tables and charts) to your files to accentuate the text and increase its readability. 

The most common types of word processors are MS Word and Google Docs. 

• Presentation Software

Pictures talk louder than words. However, with the right balance, pictures and words can be the most persuasive form of communication.

Presentation software runs along the lines of the above philosophy and allows its users to unravel their ideas in the form of slides. The slides accommodate pictures, graphs, text, tables, videos, or a combination of at least two of these. The software can be learned easily and is used by students, teachers, corporate employees, etc. 

An example of presentation software is Microsoft Powerpoint.

• Graphic Design Software 

When graphics are concerned, graphic design software is indispensable. 

Graphic design software is used to edit and manipulate images in the digital space. You can create images, edit them, add text to them, or resize them to accomplish your vision. It makes use of illustration and editing software for images. 

Adobe Illustrator and Adobe Photoshop are graphic designing software. 

• Web Browsers

You can explore the whole world on the World Wide Web, all because of the brilliant web browsers. 

Yes, web browsers are software that helps you to search and extract information from the vast digital space. You are also able to watch amazing videos or download them or images from the internet, all thanks to web browsers. 

The world-famous web browsers are Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox.

• Spreadsheet Software

If you are scared to perform complex calculations on a huge pile of data, then spreadsheet software is for you. 

A spreadsheet software helps to create and store data in the form of cells, rows, and columns in order to simplify it. With the help of easy-peasy formulas and shortcuts, you can perform sophisticated calculations without any difficulty. 

The widely used spreadsheet software is Microsoft Excel. 

You must have observed by now that you have already used many if not all, types of general application software. You must have also observed that the general application software is easy to learn and is used by everyone for one purpose or the other for simplification of tasks. 

2. Business Application Software

When you use application software to fulfill particular business needs, then you can say that the application software is a business application software. The ultimate purpose of the existence of business application software is to make business operations super-duper productive.  

Like general application software, we have a whole range of business application software which are elucidated below –

• Enterprise Resource Planning Software

Without Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software, a business might just be a hodgepodge of a variety of activities that constitute it. 

Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software helps to manage the daily activities of the business that constitute its core. With ERP software, you can manage data from the diverse departments of the business such as accounting, supply, procurement, human resources, etc. When all the data of a business is secured in one place, it can be easily analyzed, and insightful decisions can be taken on the basis of the analysis. 

For seamless planning and execution of work, ERP software is a must. You can use the Oracle e-business suite as an ERP software for your business.

• Database Software

Data holds immense power in current times. It is vital not just for an organization- private or public – but can be hugely beneficial for anybody. 

Database software helps its users to organize and store data in a structured manner and allows them to extract it when needed. Far more efficient and faster than manual data keeping, the software is also known by the name, Database Management System (DBMS). It has countless features that can be used to deal with data with different levels of complexity. 

An example of a Database Management System (DBMS) is Oracle. 

• Education Software

It holds the utmost truth when we say that education is no longer confined to classrooms, especially when education software is trending. 

With smart education software, learning has been streamlined so that education is delivered in an effortless manner. Animated videos and stimulating games are used to offer a whole learning experience to the students. Not just this, online discussion forums are created so that the students engage in meaningful discussion over subjects. 

Examples of popular educational software are Google Classrooms, TalentLMS, etc. 

• Project Management Software 

There is nothing that can go wrong with any project of your business when you are using project management software for it. 

Project management software is a one-stop destination for all the details of any project of your business. As all the details are available at a single destination, planning, and budgeting the project is an easy process. You can keep an eye on the progress of the project and take timely measures if things are off-track and delayed. 

Famous project management software is Basecamp and Trello.  

• Time Management Software

Time adorns a critical role when business is concerned. Using time management software, you can make sure that it is always in the favor of your business. 

Time management software is a time tracking software that helps you to record the time spent by the employees on a diverse range of activities and projects. Using the insights from the analysis of such data, you can spot the weakness of a particular employee and take measures to help him/her/them overcome it. Also, such analysis helps to allocate employees from one project to another depending on their performance. 

• Customer Relationship Management Software

Customers are God and will remain so forever. Therefore, managing customers became a top priority for a business. 

With the help of customer relationship management software, you can keep a tab on the sentiments and feedback of your customers. By doing so, you get meaningful information for the future decision-making of the business. Not just that, you get valuable leads for potential customers if you use the customer information effectively. 

Zoho CRM and Salesforce are a few big names in the market of customer relationship management software. 

(Please note that this list is not all-inclusive and excludes many other types of business application software.)

3. Custom-Developed Application Software

Not all types of application software is available in the market serve your business. Sometimes, you have to create your own type of application software or get it developed by a dedicated developer to suit the specific needs of your business. Such application software is none other than custom-developed application software. 

Your business can grow exponentially with custom-developed application software as it will have all the functionalities your business needs to grow. Not just that, you can always tweak its features whenever required for the development of your business. 

What are the benefits of Application Software?

• Productivity at its best
• Effortless Management
• Data Fully Sealed
• Happy Customer, Happy Business
• Better Decisions

As we have already observed, various types of application software are ingrained into the working of every business world around. No business can overlook the extensive benefits that application software holds for a business, especially one that is tailor-made. 

We have created a list of advantages that a custom software application offers to a business –

1. Productivity at its best

When you have application software at your service, why do the routine, dull tasks on your own? With the assistance of application software, you can focus on the core activities of your business along with the simultaneous and effective execution of routine tasks. 

2. Effortless Management

Management is no longer a tedious task when application software is ruling the world. With all the information on a single software, data can be easily stored and transferred within the departments. Planning, budgeting, allocation, execution – all can be painlessly done with custom-developed application software. 

3. Data Fully Sealed 

Data leakage is not your headache with custom-developed application software. When you get tailor-made application software, you make certain that you have complete authority over the data of the software. This helps to store heaps of data without the fear of losing it to hackers. 

4. Happy Customer, Happy Business

With the aid of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) application software, you keep a close eye on the feedback of your customers. Using the feedback, you can make changes to the working of your business and ensure that the customer remains loyal to your business. 

5. Better Decisions

When you have humongous data and crisp analysis to make decisions, then your decisions can never go wrong. Be it decision-making for human resources, or production and procurement, your decisions will always hold a solid ground on the basis of detailed analysis supporting it. 

Choose the right application software for your business

We understand that you can no longer resist the idea of deploying different types of application software for your business. However, wait a moment before you squander your money into the wrong application software. 

Application software can be tricky. Choosing the one that can fully accomplish your business needs is trickier. Just take care of the following features before you dive into making a major application software investment decision –

• The performance of your application software should be elegant and effective
• Make sure that there are no data leakage loopholes in your application software
• The user interface should be responsive and seamless
• The application software must hold the capability to handle the business operations as your business grows
• The application software must be independent of the operating system it runs on

Take into account the aforementioned points to make an educated decision with regard to the type of application software for your business. 

Looking for Application Software development assistance From iTechnolabs?

iTechnolabs have been in the picture for quite a long time now. With a rich clientele from a diverse assortment of industries, iTechnolabs have been offering strategic IT solutions to the myriad digital problems of its clients. We have a dedicated digital squad of developers who have a wide experience in the field of web, software, and application development. 

We can deliver you the proficient application software you need for your business. Our skilled team of consultants will listen to you and your vision of your application software and deliver exactly what you have demanded. Dissatisfaction no longer holds a place in your life when iTechnolabs is working for you.