diff --git a/.gitmodules b/.gitmodules
index 5427cc30..a6936c8c 100644
--- a/.gitmodules
+++ b/.gitmodules
@@ -4,3 +4,6 @@
 [submodule "deps/Catch2"]
 	path = deps/Catch2
 	url = https://github.com/catchorg/Catch2.git
+[submodule "deps/cpptoml"]
+	path = deps/cpptoml
+	url = https://github.com/skystrife/cpptoml.git
diff --git a/.travis.yml b/.travis.yml
index 1ca64923..0ba4cac6 100644
--- a/.travis.yml
+++ b/.travis.yml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ matrix:
             - ubuntu-toolchain-r-test
 
     # ubuntu 14.04, gcc-6
-    - env: ["VER=6"]
+    - env: ["VER=6", "EXT=YES"]
       compiler: gcc
       os: linux
       dist: trusty
@@ -231,6 +231,11 @@ script:
                 -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=install        \
                 -DSPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS=ON       \
                 -DSPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_TEST_COVERAGE=ON ..
+        elif [ "${EXT}" = "YES" ] && [ "${BUILD}" = "Debug" ]; then
+          cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="${BUILD}"              \
+                -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=install        \
+                -DSPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS=ON       \
+                -DSPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL=ON ..
         else
           cmake -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE="${BUILD}"              \
                 -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=install        \
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index d4c0584a..cd6482bd 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.3)
 # project variables
 project(spdlog_setup VERSION 0.3.0 LANGUAGES CXX)
 set(SPDLOG_MIN_VERSION "1.0.0")
+set(CPPTOML_MIN_VERSION "0.1.0")
 
 # general fixed compiler settings
 if(${MSVC})
@@ -17,6 +18,13 @@ else()
   set(DEBUG_FLAGS -Wall)
 endif()
 
+option(SPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS "Build with unittests" OFF)
+
+option(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL "Use external CPPTOML library instead of bundled" OFF)
+if(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL)
+  configure_file(cmake/cpptoml_config.h.in "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/include/spdlog_setup/details/third_party/cpptoml.h" @ONLY)
+endif()
+
 # allow thread library to be used for linking
 set(THREADS_PREFER_PTHREAD_FLAG ON)
 set(THREADS_PTHREAD_ARG "0" CACHE STRING "Result from TRY_RUN" FORCE)
@@ -30,7 +38,17 @@ if (EXISTS ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/spdlog/CMakeLists.txt)
 else()
   # allow usage of installed dependency
   find_package(spdlog ${SPDLOG_MIN_VERSION} REQUIRED)
-  add_library(spdlog INTERFACE IMPORTED)
+  add_library(${PROJECT_NAME}_spdlog INTERFACE IMPORTED)
+endif()
+
+if(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL)
+if (EXISTS ${CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/cpptoml/CMakeLists.txt)
+  add_subdirectory(deps/cpptoml)
+else()
+  # allow usage of installed dependency
+  find_package(cpptoml ${CPPTOML_MIN_VERSION} REQUIRED)
+  add_library(${PROJECT_NAME}_cpptoml INTERFACE IMPORTED)
+endif()
 endif()
 
 # spdlog_setup
@@ -73,6 +91,13 @@ install(
   "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/cmake/spdlog_setup-config-version.cmake"
   DESTINATION lib/cmake/spdlog_setup)
 
+if(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL)
+install(
+  FILES
+  "${CMAKE_CURRENT_BINARY_DIR}/include/spdlog_setup/details/third_party/cpptoml.h"
+  DESTINATION include/spdlog_setup/details/third_party)
+endif()
+  
 # spdlog_setup_unit_test
 if(SPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS)
   add_executable(spdlog_setup_unit_test
@@ -88,6 +113,12 @@ if(SPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS)
     PRIVATE
       $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/Catch2/single_include>)
 
+  if(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL)
+    target_include_directories(spdlog_setup_unit_test
+      PRIVATE
+        $<BUILD_INTERFACE:${CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR}/deps/cpptoml/include>)
+  endif()
+
   target_link_libraries(spdlog_setup_unit_test
     PRIVATE
       spdlog_setup
diff --git a/appveyor.yml b/appveyor.yml
index 32118442..f72992da 100644
--- a/appveyor.yml
+++ b/appveyor.yml
@@ -38,3 +38,6 @@ build_script:
   - cmake .. -G "%CMAKE_GENERATOR_NAME%" -DSPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS=ON -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=install
   - cmake --build . --config %CONFIGURATION% --target install
   - ctest -R spdlog_setup_unit_test -V
+  - cmake .. -G "%CMAKE_GENERATOR_NAME%" -DSPDLOG_SETUP_INCLUDE_UNIT_TESTS=ON -DSPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL=ON -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX:PATH=install
+  - cmake --build . --config %CONFIGURATION% --target install
+  - ctest -R spdlog_setup_unit_test -V
diff --git a/cmake/cpptoml_config.h.in b/cmake/cpptoml_config.h.in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..277636ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/cmake/cpptoml_config.h.in
@@ -0,0 +1,4 @@
+#pragma once
+
+// define to 1 if you use external cpptoml library
+#cmakedefine SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL 1
diff --git a/deps/cpptoml b/deps/cpptoml
new file mode 160000
index 00000000..fededad7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/deps/cpptoml
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Subproject commit fededad7169e538ca47e11a9ee9251bc361a9a65
diff --git a/include/spdlog_setup/details/conf_impl.h b/include/spdlog_setup/details/conf_impl.h
index cd7cbe59..2bd4533a 100644
--- a/include/spdlog_setup/details/conf_impl.h
+++ b/include/spdlog_setup/details/conf_impl.h
@@ -10,9 +10,11 @@
 #define FMT_HEADER_ONLY
 #endif
 
-#include "setup_error.h"
-
 #include "third_party/cpptoml.h"
+#if defined(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL)
+#include "cpptoml.h"
+#endif
+#include "setup_error.h"
 
 // Just so that it works for v1.3.0
 #include "spdlog/spdlog.h"
diff --git a/src/unit_test/unit_test.cpp b/src/unit_test/unit_test.cpp
index ed9cb697..571619f0 100644
--- a/src/unit_test/unit_test.cpp
+++ b/src/unit_test/unit_test.cpp
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@
 
 #include "spdlog_setup/conf.h"
 #include "spdlog_setup/details/third_party/cpptoml.h"
+#if defined(SPDLOG_SETUP_CPPTOML_EXTERNAL)
+#include "cpptoml.h"
+#endif
 
 #include <fstream>
 #include <iostream>