Is a changelog the same as release notes?

Not exactly. A changelog is the running list of all changes over time; release notes describe one release. A good changelog is made of release notes.

Do I need both a changelog and release notes?

Most web products need one customer-facing changelog made of release notes. Libraries often keep a complete developer changelog and a shorter human summary per release.

What should a changelog entry look like?

A date, a short title, one sentence of context and grouped lists of what is new, improved, fixed or breaking.

Where should I publish release notes?

On a public changelog page linked from your product, with a feed and email option, and optionally inside the app with a What's New indicator.

Guide

Changelog vs release notes: what is the difference?

Updated 2026-11-02 · 3 min read

Short answerA changelog is the complete, dated list of changes to a product, newest first. Release notes describe a single release for its users. In practice, a good changelog is a collection of release notes, each written for the people who use the product.

The short version#

	Changelog	Release notes
Scope	Every release, over time	One release
Shape	A running, dated list, newest first	A document about one version
Audience	Anyone following the product	People deciding whether to update, or what is new
Where	A page that keeps growing	Often an entry in the changelog, an email or a store listing

How they relate#

Release notes are the content; a changelog is where they live. When you publish notes for a release and keep them in a dated, chronological page, that page is your changelog. Some teams keep both: a terse, complete changelog for developers (every change, linked to commits) and friendlier release notes for customers (the highlights, in plain words).

Which should you write?#

A web product with customers: one customer-facing changelog of release notes, grouped as New, Improved and Fixed. See changelog best practices.
A library or API: a developer changelog that lists every change and flags breaking ones, following a convention such as semantic versioning and keeping a human-written summary at the top of each release.
An app in a store: short release notes per version, plus a fuller changelog on your site.

Writing them#

Whichever you write, write for the reader. How to write release notes has a template.

Where Shipnoted fits#

Shipnoted publishes release notes as entries of a themed, public changelog, with feeds, email and a widget, and can draft them from merged pull requests.

Questions and answers

Is a changelog the same as release notes?: Not exactly. A changelog is the running list of all changes over time; release notes describe one release. A good changelog is made of release notes.
Do I need both a changelog and release notes?: Most web products need one customer-facing changelog made of release notes. Libraries often keep a complete developer changelog and a shorter human summary per release.
What should a changelog entry look like?: A date, a short title, one sentence of context and grouped lists of what is new, improved, fixed or breaking.
Where should I publish release notes?: On a public changelog page linked from your product, with a feed and email option, and optionally inside the app with a What's New indicator.