Product development in 2026 moves quickly. Teams ship updates weekly, sometimes daily, and users expect to be kept in the loop. To keep the customer communication running for the same, companies use Release notes and changelog to communicate the same. As they build trust, close the feedback loop, and help customers feel like they’re growing with the product instead of being surprised by it.

But while every team needs to communicate updates, not every startup has the budget for expensive changelog software. Many rely on Google Docs, Notion pages, or messy internal templates. Others publish sporadically because their tools don’t make release communication easy.

In this guide, we explore the best free changelog software, who they’re built for, and how they compare across real features like email notifications, widgets, templates, custom domains, and multilingual support. The right free platform helps you create polished release notes, publish updates consistently, notify users instantly, and maintain a professional product history, without spending a dollar.

1. FeatureOS

FeatureOS offers one of the strongest free changelog modules on the market. Unlike most tools that limit email notifications, block analytics, or restrict custom domains, FeatureOS gives startups a complete product update system on the free tier.

What You Get

• Unlimited Changelog Posts - Publish as often as needed without hitting caps.
• 1,000 Email Notifications per Month - Notify users each time you ship improvements or bug fixes — far more generous than typical free plans.
• Changelog Widgets - Display release notes directly inside your product.
• Scheduled Publishing - Perfect for coordinating releases across product, marketing, and engineering.
• Basic Analytics - Understand which updates your users engage with most.
• Custom Domain - Host your changelog on your own branded URL for a professional experience.
• Multilingual Release Notes - Support global customers without duplicating platforms.
• Unlimited Subscribers - Grow your update audience without limits.
• Integration With Feedback & Roadmap - Link shipped updates back to feedback posts to close the loop.

Why It Stands Out

FeatureOS brings together everything startups need to write, publish, and distribute professional release notes, offering far more than typical free “release notes generators.” Instead of a static page, teams get a complete product update system, complete with scheduling, email, analytics, and deep integration with roadmaps and feedback boards. This makes FeatureOS one of the best free changelog tools available today.

Who It Works Best For

• SaaS companies shipping weekly updates
• Startups closing the loop with users
• Products with active roadmaps and feedback channels
• Teams wanting a free alternative to tools like Beamer, Headway, or ReleaseNotes.io

Related : Get to know more about Changelog by FeatureOS

2. Canny

Canny includes a basic changelog module on its free plan, primarily designed to complement its feedback system. The interface is polished and easy to use, which makes it appealing for small teams already using Canny’s board. However, Canny’s changelog capabilities are less flexible than full changelog platforms and limited by the free plan’s tracked-user restriction.

What You Get

• Changelog Publishing - Create clean, simple release posts.
• Basic Notifications - Keep users informed about product improvements.
• Private Boards & Posts - Helpful if you want to restrict visibility.
• Unlimited Posts - Publish as many updates as you want.

Where It Falls Short

• No custom domain
• No scheduling
• No analytics
• No advanced branding
• Free plan capped at 25 tracked users

Canny’s changelog is best for very small audiences or internal teams but teams with real user volume will quickly outgrow the free tier.

Who It Works Best For

• Early teams with fewer than 25 users
• Products already using Canny for feedback
• Teams wanting simplicity over depth

Related : Compare and get a full breakdown of FeatureOS vs Canny

3. Featurebase

Featurebase includes a simple changelog feature in its free plan, though with tight limitations that make it better suited for early prototypes rather than growing SaaS companies.

What You Get

• Changelog Page - A basic space to publish updates.
• 100 Email Notifications per Month - Enough for tiny teams or alpha testers.
• Unlimited Changelog Posts - No restrictions on update volume.

Where It Falls Short

Featurebase’s free changelog is one of the most limited on this list:

• Only 100 emails per month
• No scheduling
• No custom domain
• No analytics
• No multilingual releases
• No widget support

For active products, these limits make the free plan impractical.

Who It Works Best For

• Early prototypes
• Small internal tools
• Projects with low user activity

Related : Compare and get a full breakdown of FeatureOS vs Featurebase

4. Headway

Its free plan is surprisingly capable for straightforward public changelogs — offering unlimited posts and a customizable public page — but it stops short of more advanced release communication features, which remain locked behind the Pro plan.

What You Get

• Unlimited Changelogs - Publish as many product updates as you want without hitting volume limits.
• Public Page Customization - Customize the look and feel of your changelog to better match your product’s branding.
• Widget Customization - A small in-app widget you can embed in your product to display recent updates.
• Custom Categories - Organize release notes by category (e.g., Improvements, Bug Fixes, New Features).
• “Eyecatcher” Highlight Feature - Feature new updates more prominently to draw user attention.

Where It Falls Short

The Headway free plan is generous for basic publishing, but several essentials are restricted to the paid tier:

• No custom domain (changelog is hosted on a Headway URL)
• No scheduled publishing (can’t plan releases in advance)
• No private changelog (everything is public)
• No integrations (e.g., Slack, webhooks, etc.)
• No whitelabeling
• No team management
• No search engine privacy (you can’t opt-out of indexing)

For teams with growing user bases or those needing structured release workflows — like scheduling, email notifications, internal updates, or automation — the free plan will feel limited.

Who It Works Best For

Headway’s free plan is ideal for:

• Early-stage startups wanting a clean public changelog
• Indie builders who want fast, beautiful update pages
• Products that don’t need email notifications or internal/private updates
• Teams that care more about simplicity than automation

5. Sleekplan

Sleekplan is best known as a lean, all-in-one customer engagement platform that bundles feedback boards, roadmaps, NPS, surveys, and changelog. While the platform’s depth grows significantly on paid plans, the Indie free plan offers a surprisingly capable changelog module that’s useful for founders who want something more structured than a manual page, without needing all the bells and whistles of premium tools.

What You Get (Indie Free Plan)

• Changelog Publishing - Create and publish release notes in a Markdown editor with clean formatting.
• Email Notifications - Notify subscribers when updates go live.
• Embeddable Changelog Widget - Show updates directly inside your product or app via a widget or iframe.
• Sync With Feedback - For teams using Sleekplan’s feedback board, changelog items can link back to suggestions.
• Standalone Changelog Page - A public page where users can browse all product updates in one place.
• **Unlimited Subscribers -**Collect and notify as many users as needed, regardless of product size.

Where It Falls Short

While Sleekplan offers more than most free changelog tools, the Indie plan remains limited in a few important areas:

• No Scheduled Publishing You must publish updates manually; timed releases require an upgrade.
• No Custom Domain Your changelog is hosted under Sleekplan branding.
• No Advanced Roadmap or Detailed Analytics You’ll need a paid plan for customer insights, roadmap views, and usage reporting.
• Limited Customization White-labeling or branding control is part of paid plans.
• No Team Management The free plan includes one seat, which restricts collaboration.

For solo founders or early teams, these constraints may be acceptable — but scaling products with multiple contributors will hit limits fast.

Who It Works Best For

Sleekplan’s Indie plan is best suited for:

• Solo builders and indie founders
• MVPs and early SaaS products
• Teams wanting both changelog + basic feedback sync
• Products needing email notifications in a free tier
• Anyone who wants a clean, functional, no-cost changelog page

Free Changelog Tools Comparison Table

Feature / Capability	FeatureOS	Canny	Featurebase	Headway	Sleekplan (Indie)
Changelog Posts	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited	Unlimited
Email Notifications	1,000 emails/month	Limited (depends on tracked users)	100 emails/month	Not included	Included
In-App Changelog Widget	Yes	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Custom Domain	Included	Not available	Not available	Not available	Not included
Scheduled Publishing	Yes	Not available	Not available	Not available (Pro only)	Not included
Analytics	Basic analytics	No	No	No	No
Multilingual Support	Yes	Basic translations	No	No	No
Standalone Changelog Page	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Subscriber Management	Unlimited subscribers	Limited by tracked users	Limited	Not included	Unlimited
Feedback → Changelog Linking	Yes (full integration)	Yes (limited)	No	No	Yes
Branding / Whitelabeling	Basic branding	Basic	Basic	No (Pro only)	Limited
Team Collaboration	2 admin seats	5 managers	1 admin	No team features	1 seat
Integrations	Deep ecosystem (feedback, KB, roadmaps, forms)	Limited	None	None	Limited
Other Modules Included	Feedback boards, roadmaps, KB, forms	Feedback boards	Feedback boards	Changelog only	Feedback, roadmap, surveys (Indie limitations)

How to Choose the Best Free Changelog Tool?

The right tool depends on how deeply your product communicates updates.

1. Choose FeatureOS if you want the most complete, modern changelog system on a free plan like scheduling, widgets, email notifications, multilingual support, analytics, and custom domain.
2. Choose Canny if you already use its feedback boards and have fewer than 25 users.
3. Choose Featurebase if you just need a simple update log and only send a few emails.
4. Choose UserJot if you want an uncomplicated update list without notifications or branding.
5. Choose Sleekplan if you’re a solo founder looking for the simplest possible update history.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

1. What is a changelog, and why do startups need one?

A changelog is a public record of product updates, improvements, bug fixes, and new features. Startups use changelogs to maintain transparency, build trust, reduce support tickets, and keep users engaged with ongoing progress.

2. What is the best free changelog software for startups?

FeatureOS offers the most complete free changelog module, including scheduling, widgets, analytics, multilingual support, and 1,000 email notifications per month.

3. Can I send release notes by email for free?

Most free tools have strict limits. FeatureOS is one of the few that offers meaningful email capacity — up to 1,000 emails per month on the free plan.

4. Do any free tools support custom domains for changelogs?

FeatureOS is the only major tool in this list that includes custom domains on the free plan.

5. How do I choose between these changelog tools?

Pick based on your needs: FeatureOS for complete workflows, Canny for small teams, Featurebase for simple logs, UserJot or Sleekplan for minimal use cases.