Release Notes vs Changelog: What's the Difference?

If you've ever wondered whether you should be writing "release notes" or maintaining a "changelog," you're not alone. While these terms are often used interchangeably, they serve slightly different purposes.

Quick Definition

Release Notes are customer-facing announcements about what changed in a specific release.

Changelogs are comprehensive, chronological records of all changes to your product.

Think of it this way: release notes are the highlights reel, while changelogs are the full game footage.

Key Differences

Audience

Release Notes:

• Written for end users
• Non-technical language
• Focused on user benefits
• Example: "You can now export your data to CSV with one click"

Changelogs:

• Often more technical
• Include implementation details
• May target developers or technical users
• Example: "Added CSV export endpoint to /api/v2/exports"

Detail Level

Release Notes:

🎨 New Features
Dark mode now available across the entire dashboard

⚡ Improvements
Dashboard loads 40% faster

🐛 Bug Fixes
Resolved login issues during peak hours

Changelogs:

## [2.1.0] - 2024-12-15

### Added
- Dark mode support with theme persistence in localStorage
- Lazy loading for dashboard components
- Redux query optimization for user preferences

### Fixed
- Authentication token refresh race condition
- Session timeout handling on concurrent requests
- Memory leak in websocket connection manager

Format

Release Notes:

• Conversational tone
• Grouped by category
• Highlights what users care about
• Often includes visuals/screenshots

Changelogs:

• Follows conventions (like Keep a Changelog)
• Chronological structure
• Every change documented
• Links to commits/pull requests

When to Use Each

Use Release Notes When:

✅ Announcing a new version to users ✅ Communicating major features ✅ Building excitement around updates ✅ Reducing support tickets ✅ Marketing your progress

Use Changelogs When:

✅ Maintaining a technical record ✅ Documenting API changes ✅ Tracking breaking changes ✅ Supporting developer integrations ✅ Complying with versioning standards

Can You Have Both?

Absolutely! Many products maintain both:

Public-facing release notes on your marketing site or in-app notifications, focused on user benefits.

Technical changelog on GitHub, docs site, or developer portal, with full implementation details.

Best of Both Worlds

Some teams create tiered communication:

1. Short announcement (email, Slack, in-app)
2. Detailed release notes (blog post, release page)
3. Full changelog (GitHub, docs)

This ensures everyone gets the information they need at the right level of detail.

Real-World Examples

Stripe (Both)

• Release notes: User-friendly updates on stripe.com/blog
• Changelog: Technical API changes at stripe.com/docs/upgrades

Linear (Release Notes)

• Beautiful, visual release notes
• Focused entirely on user value
• Minimal technical detail

Supabase (Changelog)

• Comprehensive changelog on GitHub
• Every commit documented
• Developer-focused

Our Recommendation

For most SaaS products:

Start with release notes focused on user value. Write them in Slack, publish them consistently, and keep them simple.

As you grow, add a technical changelog for:

• API versioning
• Breaking changes
• Developer documentation
• Compliance requirements

Making It Easy

The biggest challenge? Maintaining consistency. Most teams struggle because:

• Writing takes time
• Gathering updates is tedious
• Formatting is manual
• Publishing requires multiple steps

That's exactly why we built ReleaseNotes.pm—to turn your weekly Slack updates into polished release notes automatically.

Join the waitlist

Conclusion

Release notes communicate value to users. Changelogs document changes for developers.

Both have their place. Start with what your audience needs most, then expand as you grow.

---

How do you handle release communication? We'd love to hear your approach.