20 Types of Software

Applications
Software designed to be used by people. Perhaps the largest category of software that includes countless subcategories, including most business programs.

Apps
Apps designed specifically for mobile devices.

Decision
support Applications that support decision-making processes such as strategic planning. For example, business analytics tools that visualize patterns, correlations, and trends in sales data.

Automation
Software to automate jobs such as business processes or manufacturing tasks.

Databases Data
management and access systems.

Libraries and APIs
Software that acts as a building block for other software.

Drivers
Software to operate a device such as a network card or a sensor.

Controls
Systems that implement controls. For example, safety checks on a high-speed train, such as automatic breaking when an earthquake is detected.

Knowledge and Media
Tools to organize information that is meaningful to people such as documents, photos, sound and video. For example, content management systems, document management, and media publishing tools.

Electronic Commerce
Software designed for commercial transactions, such as a stock exchange or an electronic commerce website.

Software development
Software to develop other software or applications.

Games
Computer generated environments and activities designed to be entertaining and engaging.

Integration
Systems that integrate systems, processes and data.

Artificial intelligence
Software that learns and improves by itself.

Internet Browsers Internet
browsers allow you to view pages on the World Wide Web.

Advertising and Marketing
Software designed for marketing as a digital advertising platform.

Office Productivity
Tools to develop knowledge materials such as a spreadsheet or text document.

Robotics
Software for autonomous machines. Although robots have a physical form, most of the development work for a robot is software.

Systems
Software primarily intended to provide services to other software.

Operating
Systems Systems for managing the resources of a computer and providing a user interface.