# Killer app: what it is and how it works · Zorraquino
> A killer app is a program or service so useful that it single-handedly drives mass adoption of a technology, platform or device.
URL: https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/killer-app.html

# Killer app

A killer app is a program or service so useful or appealing that it single-handedly drives mass adoption of a technology, platform or device

What it means, how it is used and where it comes up, with its related concepts.

[The whole glossary](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary)

## What it is and how it works

The classic example is the VisiCalc spreadsheet, which in the late 1970s led many businesses to buy personal computers just to use it. Email, web browsing and instant messaging on mobile phones are also often cited. The Spanish term aplicación asesina is a literal translation.

By extension, it is used for any product or feature that changes the rules of a sector and becomes the main reason to adopt something new. The label is usually applied with hindsight: predicting what will become a killer app is far harder.

Also known as

killer application

Topics

[Technology and data](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/category/tecnologia-y-datos)

## Related concepts

- [App](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/internet/app.html)
- [Early adopter](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/lean/early-adopter.html)
- [Tipping point](https://www.zorraquino.com/en/dictionary/digital-marketing/tipping-point.html)