A vertical application is a piece of software designed to fit the needs of a specific market, industry, or company. Unlike horizontal applications, which cater to a broader field of customers, vertical applications are created according to a specification provided by the end user.
The aim of vertical applications is to provide solutions for multiple aspects of a company’s operation. Different modules of a single vertical application may be used by different departments inside a company: human resources, marketing, business planning, sales, etc.