Is aggregateRating actually required for this type?

It isn't required by schema.org itself, but Google's SoftwareApplication rich result guidelines specifically require aggregateRating (with both ratingValue and reviewCount) alongside offers or price for a listing to be eligible; a SoftwareApplication with only a name and category is valid JSON-LD but won't produce the star-rating rich result.

What values should I use for applicationCategory?

schema.org defines a fixed set of category values like BusinessApplication, DeveloperApplication, GameApplication, MultimediaApplication, MobileApplication, and UtilitiesApplication; pick the one closest to what the app actually does, since Google uses this to classify the listing rather than accepting arbitrary free text.

Can operatingSystem list more than one platform?

Yes, it's a free-text field, so a value like "Windows, macOS, Linux" or "Android, iOS" is valid and commonly used for cross-platform apps; there's no fixed enumeration the way there is for applicationCategory.

What happens if I only fill in price but not a rating, or vice versa?

The tool generates whichever nested objects have complete data, offers needs only a price, aggregateRating needs both a rating value and a review count together, and simply omits the other if its fields are missing rather than emitting an incomplete object. You'll still get valid SoftwareApplication markup either way; it just won't be eligible for Google's full rich result until both are present.

Software Application Schema Generator - SoftwareApplication JSON-LD

Overview

Introduction

Software app rich results, the search listings that show a star rating and price right beneath an app's title, are built from SoftwareApplication JSON-LD, and Google is stricter about this type than most: it specifically requires both aggregateRating and offers/price together, not just one or the other.

This generator builds that combination from plain form fields, including the category enumeration Google expects rather than an arbitrary free-text label.

What Is Software Application Schema Generator?

A form-driven generator for SoftwareApplication JSON-LD: name, applicationCategory, and operatingSystem are the core fields, with optional description, URL, image, author, a nested Offer (price), and a nested AggregateRating.

It covers desktop, mobile, and web applications alike; operatingSystem is free text specifically so it can describe any combination of platforms.

How Software Application Schema Generator Works

Name, applicationCategory, and operatingSystem map directly to their SoftwareApplication properties, with applicationCategory constrained to schema.org's documented enumeration via quick-select buttons rather than free text.

Price and currency build a nested Offer object only when a price is entered, and rating value/count build a nested AggregateRating object only when both are present together, mirroring the pattern used by the Product Schema Generator elsewhere in this category.

When To Use Software Application Schema Generator

Publishing a new app's marketing or download landing page and wanting it eligible for a star-rating rich result.

Retrofitting structured data onto an existing app listing page that never had it.

Adding pricing and rating data to a SaaS product page that's already marked up as an Organization or WebSite but lacks app-specific schema.

Often used alongside Structured Data Validator, Product Schema Generator and Website Schema Generator.

Features

Advantages

Constrains applicationCategory to schema.org's real enumeration instead of letting a typo silently produce an unrecognized category value.
Builds the Offer and AggregateRating objects only when their required fields are complete, avoiding half-populated nested objects that fail Google's eligibility check.
Produces valid minimal SoftwareApplication markup from just name, category, and operating system, for pages still gathering pricing or review data.

Limitations

Doesn't verify that the rating and review count entered match what's actually displayed and sourced on the page, which Google's policies require.
Covers a single flat price via Offer; apps with tiered pricing (free/pro/enterprise) need multiple Offer objects added manually after export.
Doesn't distinguish MobileApplication sub-properties like countriesSupported or permissions that app-store-specific rich results sometimes use.

Examples

A cross-platform utility app with pricing and a rating

Input

Name: Acme Batch Renamer
Category: UtilitiesApplication
OS: Windows, macOS, Linux
Price: 19.99, USD
Rating: 4.7 average, 342 reviews

Output

<script type="application/ld+json">
{
  "@context": "https://schema.org",
  "@type": "SoftwareApplication",
  "name": "Acme Batch Renamer",
  "applicationCategory": "UtilitiesApplication",
  "operatingSystem": "Windows, macOS, Linux",
  "offers": {
    "@type": "Offer",
    "price": "19.99",
    "priceCurrency": "USD"
  },
  "aggregateRating": {
    "@type": "AggregateRating",
    "ratingValue": "4.7",
    "reviewCount": "342"
  }
}
</script>

Both offers and aggregateRating are present together, the combination Google's software app guidelines require for rich-result eligibility.

Best Practices & Notes

Best Practices

Include both aggregateRating and offers/price together whenever possible; Google's guidelines treat this pair as required for the rich result, not just recommended.
Only publish a rating that's genuinely sourced from visible reviews on the page, matching the same policy Google applies to Product and Course ratings.
Pick the applicationCategory value that most specifically matches the app, since an overly generic category weakens how Google classifies the listing.
Keep price and priceCurrency in sync with what's actually charged at checkout or in the app store listing.

Developer Notes

author is emitted as an Organization object rather than a Person, since most SoftwareApplication listings are published by a company; schema.org technically allows either type for author, so hand-edit the @type to Person after export if the app is credited to an individual developer.

Software Application Schema Generator Use Cases

Publishing a new app's download or marketing landing page with rich-result-eligible markup
Adding pricing and review data to an existing SaaS product page
Auditing an app listing that has a rating in its visible UI but was never given matching structured data

Common Mistakes

Adding aggregateRating without offers (or vice versa), which produces valid but rich-result-ineligible markup since Google requires both together for this type.
Using a free-text applicationCategory value that isn't part of schema.org's documented enumeration, which some parsers accept but Google may not classify correctly.

Tips

Run the output through the Structured Data Validator tool in this category and confirm both offers and aggregateRating show up as recognized, complete objects.
If the app is free, still fill in price as 0 with a priceCurrency rather than leaving price blank, so the Offer object (and thus rich-result eligibility) still gets generated.

Software Application Schema Generator