Changelog: the structured record
A changelog is a chronological, scannable history of product changes, often in Keep a Changelog style (Added, Changed, Fixed). It is the source of truth for what shipped and when. See changelog software for the commercial changelog angle.
Keep reading in this cluster: Release Notes Best Practices for Engineer…, What Is a SaaS Changelog? Definition and…, How to Write a Changelog Customers Will R…, and Release notes software.
Release notes: the customer narrative
Release notes often use the same facts with more narrative for a launch (“Here is why CSV export matters”). They may appear in email, in-app banners, or a “What's new” page. Release notes software should still distribute updates where users already are.
Do you need both?
Most teams can maintain one structured feed and expand narrative for major launches. The failure mode is neither: shipping silently while customers keep asking for features you already built.
Tie announcements to feedback
Whether you call it release notes or changelog, link entries to the requests that drove the work. That closed loop connects release notes software to feature request software. For writing habits, read release notes best practices.