Are you looking for a tool to track changes in your site, app or project? It’s a must-have for any tech company. We’ll take a look at the reasons and then share some of our favorite changelog tools to help you get up and running quickly.
Let’s get started!
What is a Changelog?
A changelog simply records all changes and updates made to a project. A project can be a website, software tool or app.
It is a record of all changes, such as bug fixes, new features or updates. Changelogs used to be files. However, they can differ depending on the type of project.
Why would you need a Changelog
Changelogs are a must-have. They allow users, contributors, and stakeholders to easily see which important changes were made to each version.
People who contribute to and use projects care about the status of it. They want to know the reasons for changes, who made them, how they were done and what it means for them. Transparency is a best practice that demonstrates professionalism and openness.
The 7 Best Changelog Tools for 2022
Changelogs used to look something like this.
It is not the most beautiful, but it is more suitable for developers than users.
Depending on the project, users may not have the technical skills or knowledge to navigate to your Github changelog.
We recommend that everyone has a changelog, which can be located on their own domain. This will make it easier for everyone to view the project’s history in a glance.
There are several tools that will help you manage your changelog. Let’s look at each one individually so that you can choose the best changelog tool for you.
1. Saasfe
Saasfe is a 3-in-1 tool that allows you to create a complete “feedback loop”.
The feedback board is a place where stakeholders and users can post ideas and request. You can have them vote and comment on the ideas, which can spark lively discussion and lead to interesting ideas.
Saasfe second part is a Roadmap. You can vote and comment on the roadmap.
Saasfe finally closes the loop by issuing a Changelog.
The final part of the feedback loop is the changelog. It allows you to announce bug fixes, new features, and updates with text, images, and rich media. Saasfe is a powerful, versatile and simple tool for changelogs. If you are looking to build a complete feedback system Saasfe can be beat!
The tool is well-known to us, since we use it every day and are part of the team that develops Saasfe.
Pricing: $24/m all features and unlimited boards and users
2. GitHub Changelog Tool
GitHub is a simple tool that needs little introduction. It hosts the changelog for projects and has a user base exceedingly large at 50 million developers.
It is very easy to create a changelog in GitHub. One can be automatically generated from Git commits.
It can be a great solution, depending on the nature of the project. This is useful for internal changelogs in dev teams and open source projects.
From the perspective of an average user, it’s not very useful as a changelog tool. It won’t contain images and won’t have a format that’s easy to understand for non-technical users.
To make the site more appealing, you will need to do some manual work. You also need to ensure that updates are clear and understandable so users don’t get confused.
You can use Saasfe to create a public changelog. Once you have created a changelog, make sure it is well-designed and easy to find. Then use Github for the “dev” changelog. You get the best of both the worlds as users may need additional details.
Prices: Free with basic plans
3. Releasenotes Changelog Tool
ReleaseNotes is a great tool to present a visually appealing and detailed changelog. A changelog can be created and managed, as well as made easier to access by a widget on a website.
This site widget is very useful for accessibility and can be used with Saasfe or other tools.
ReleaseNotes offers an “unread” badge which shows users how many releases they haven’t seen yet. A second feature that is interesting is the ability to automatically open new releases upon launch. This is useful for making sure everyone sees them, although it is not clear if this is a good idea from an UX perspective.
ReleaseNotes overall is a great changelog tool. However, it lacks functionality for feedback gathering and roadmapping as other tools on the list.
Pricing Basic plan starting at $19/m
4. Beamer changelog tool
Beamer is a popular tool for indie builders and personal projects. However, it is also used by large companies at the top tiers.
This is a great, free way to create a changelog page for your website and embed a widget into your app. This is a very simple tool, but it will do the job if you only need a simple changelog tool.
Beamer is available for free if you have less than 1000 users or don’t wish to use their feedback features. It’s great for side projects and hobbies.
Pricing can be a bit high if you need more features, but it offers many solid options and possibilities.
Pricing: Free or $49-$249/m for the full feature set
5. Headway Changelog Tool
Headway is an excellent choice for a changelog software. You get an in-product widget, a public changelog page and whitelabel at a custom domain.
It can be connected to Slack or Twitter, you can create custom categories and your changelog can be set to public or private.
Saasfe is better if you need a roadmap and feedback board. But if you only want a changelog, it’s a good choice.
Pricing: $29/m or free for all features.
6. Notable changelog tool
Notable is an HTML tool that combines elements from a feedback board with a changelog through a “Newspages” feature.
It supports a variety of widgets and integrates with many tools such as Trello, Slack and Twitter (through Zapier Zaps). It is a solid tool overall.
A very limited, free plan is available. You can use the powerful features to get feedback from users. To make your team more involved, you will need to sign up for the $99/month business plan. This is twice the cost of Saasfe.
Pricing: Free up to $399 per month
7. AnnounceKit Changelog Tool
AnnounceKit is an online product communication tool. It creates a newsfeed page that can be used to publish a changelog and release notes.
You can use the features to boost specific notifications, segment users, and integrate with Slack or email. A user feedback tool is also available, but it’s integrated into the changelog. Users can only give feedback on announcements and updates that have been made.
Although it’s not intended to be used as a feedback tool, it is one the most useful changelogs from an design perspective.
Pricing: $49/m up to $249/m
Are you ready to make a decision?
We have seen many good options in the space of changelogs.
Choosing between changelog tools? We compiled 7 of the best to make it easier for you. Check them out in this short article.
Saasfe might not be the best choice if you only need a changelog. But, is this all you need? An individual changelog is not enough to communicate what you did to users. It is important, but it is not as important as having a feedback system.
- Collect ideas and suggestions from users
- Establish a dialogue between yourself and your users
- Transform feedback into an action plan that is transparent and public with a roadmap
- Nextclose the loop using a changelog
This is all while including users at every stage.
While there are many other tools that can accomplish this, they all come at a higher cost. Saasfe is our favorite tool because it offers the best combination of functionality and value. It costs $24/m for all features and unlimited boards and can be used by unlimited users.
Whatever your choice, we wish you the best of luck in finding the right changelog to fit your business.
