Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) software refers to software products that are commercially ready-made and available for sale, lease, or license to the general public. COTS software is designed to be ready-to-use upon installation and is intended to easily integrate with an existing system. COTS software is typically mass-produced for a vast consumer base, making it relatively inexpensive compared to custom-built software. COTS software can be purchased, leased, or licensed to the general public.
COTS software is different from other types of software, such as modified, modifiable, or military off-the-shelf software (MOTS), government off-the-shelf software (GOTS), and niche or NATO off-the-shelf software (NOTS) .
Some examples of COTS software include productivity applications such as Microsoft Office, LibreOffice, Google Workspace, Zoho Office, and email programs. COTS software can be obtained and operated at a lower cost over in-house development, and provide increased reliability and quality over custom-built software as these are developed by specialists within the industry and are validated by various independent organizations.
In summary, COTS software is commercially ready-made software that is available for sale, lease, or license to the general public. It is designed to be ready-to-use upon installation and is intended to easily integrate with an existing system. COTS software is typically mass-produced for a vast consumer base, making it relatively inexpensive compared to custom-built software.
