Third Party

Example: "Several third party disk utilities are available for both Mac and Windows computers."

Third party software refers to software programs developed by companies other than the operating system developer. It may also refer to third party plug-ins, which are developed by other companies besides the original application developer.

Third party hardware refers to computer equipment manufactured by companies other than the original manufacturer. Examples of third party components include hard drives, video cards, memory modules, and peripheral devices.

First Published: 2009
Last Updated: June 27, 2009