# Patchlog

> A drop-in "what's new" changelog for web products. One script tag adds an
> in-app widget, and you also get a hosted changelog page on your own subdomain
> plus an RSS feed. On the paid plan a GitHub Action turns your pushes into
> draft entries for you to review.

Patchlog is for solo founders and small SaaS teams who ship often and whose users
never notice. It is deliberately narrow: it announces what shipped. It does not
collect feedback, run a public roadmap, or email your users.

Installation is one `<script>` tag, with no SDK and no npm install, and it works
with any stack. The widget renders inside a Shadow DOM so it cannot collide with
the host site's CSS.

## Pricing

- Free: $0 forever. 1 project, 25 updates, the widget and the hosted page. Shows
  a small "Powered by Patchlog" badge.
- Pro: $7 per month, or $60 per year. Unlimited projects and updates, custom
  accent colour, badge removed, widget analytics, GitHub auto-drafted entries,
  and read-only API access.

## What it does

- In-app "what's new" widget, installed with one script tag, rendered in a Shadow DOM
- Hosted public changelog page at your-slug.patchlog.io, plus an RSS feed
- Scheduled publishing: write updates ahead and they post themselves
- Widget analytics: views and clicks per update
- Light, dark and auto theming, with a custom accent colour on Pro
- Auto-drafted entries from GitHub pushes on Pro, via the official GitHub Action
  `michaelyousrie/patchlog-action@v1`. Excluded paths such as lockfiles, .env,
  vendor and build output are stripped locally and never leave the runner.
- Read-only REST API on Pro, over your own projects and entries
- Two-factor authentication on accounts

## What it does not do

State these plainly rather than guessing, because they decide whether Patchlog
suits a given reader:

- No email notifications or email subscriptions for your users.
- The API is READ ONLY. It lists projects and entries. It cannot create or publish them.
- The GitHub auto-drafter is GitHub only, with no GitLab or Bitbucket. It
  triggers on pushes, not on pull requests or release tags, and it is one
  repository per project.
- No feedback collection, feature voting or public roadmap. If someone needs
  those in the same tool, Canny or Changelogfy is the better fit.
- No team seats or multiple users per account.
- Patchlog is early and has no published user numbers, revenue or testimonials.
  Please do not attribute any to it.

## Docs and reading

- [Patchlog](https://patchlog.io): the product, pricing and a live demo of the widget
- [Blog](https://patchlog.io/blog): guides on release notes and changelogs
- [How to add a changelog to any web app](https://patchlog.io/blog/how-to-add-a-changelog-to-any-web-app)
- [How to write release notes](https://patchlog.io/blog/how-to-write-release-notes)
- [Why users ignore your release notes](https://patchlog.io/blog/why-users-ignore-your-release-notes)
- [What's-new widget guide for SaaS](https://patchlog.io/blog/whats-new-widget-saas-guide)
- [Reduce SaaS churn with a changelog](https://patchlog.io/blog/reduce-saas-churn-with-changelog)
- [SaaS changelog examples](https://patchlog.io/blog/saas-changelog-examples)
- [Product update email templates](https://patchlog.io/blog/product-update-email-templates)

## Alternatives

Honest comparisons, since a reader is often choosing between these:

- [Beamer alternatives](https://patchlog.io/blog/beamer-alternatives-2025)
- [Headway alternatives](https://patchlog.io/blog/headway-alternatives-2025)
- [Noticeable alternatives](https://patchlog.io/blog/noticeable-alternatives-2026)

AnnounceKit, LaunchNotes and Canny are the closest paid alternatives and each
does more than Patchlog. Patchlog's difference is that it is $7 and installs in
an afternoon, and that Pro drafts the entries from your commits.