GitHub release notes: the best options and tools

The best options for GitHub release notes are GitHub's built-in auto-generated release notes, open source tools such as Release Drafter, release-please, semantic-release, Changesets and git-cliff, and AI tools that write the notes for you, such as Engammo, ReleasePad and ReleaseRay. The built-in notes and open source tools are free and list changes for developers. Engammo turns every merged GitHub pull request into a plain-language release note and publishes it to a changelog page, widget and RSS feed, with no workflow file to maintain.

What GitHub release notes are

GitHub release notes live on GitHub Releases. Each release is tied to a Git tag, and when you draft a release GitHub can fill in its notes from the pull requests merged since the previous release, highlight new contributors and link to the full comparison. A .github/release.yml file groups pull requests into categories by label and excludes labels or bot authors.

That covers the writing for developers. Someone still has to create each release, the notes are a list of PR titles, and they stay on GitHub, where customers, support and sales rarely look. Every tool below automates one or more of those remaining steps.

Which companies offer GitHub release notes?

GitHub offers release notes on GitHub Releases, with auto-generated notes built in. Google maintains release-please. Release Drafter, semantic-release, Changesets and git-cliff are open source projects. Hosted tools that generate release notes from GitHub include Engammo, built by Gorilli, ReleasePad, ReleaseRay and release-notes.dev.

GitHub release notes tools compared

Vendors change plans and features regularly, so check each product's current pricing before you decide.

Free release notes automation on GitHub

GitHub auto-generated release notes cost nothing and need no setup, which makes them the right starting point for most repositories.

Release Drafter is a GitHub Action that keeps a draft release updated as each pull request merges, so the notes are ready when you publish. Categories, the entry template and version suggestions live in a YAML config. See our guide to the best alternatives to Release Drafter.

release-please reads Conventional Commits and keeps a release pull request open with the version bump and an updated CHANGELOG.md. Merging it creates the tag and GitHub release. semantic-release releases on every qualifying merge instead, picking the next version from commit messages and publishing through plugins such as npm and GitHub Releases.

Changesets asks contributors to add a short markdown file to each pull request, which becomes the changelog entry at release time. git-cliff turns your Git history into a changelog through a customizable template.

Tools that run as GitHub Actions use Actions minutes. Public repositories run them for free, while private repositories draw from the minutes included in your GitHub plan. For a longer walkthrough, read the best tools to generate release notes from GitHub pull requests.

AI tools for release notes on GitHub

The free tools are excellent at developer changelogs. AI tools write the notes in plain language, for readers who do not read PR titles.

ReleasePad is a changelog with a GitHub App. On the Pro plan each merge becomes an AI draft that you approve before it is published. ReleaseRay works per release: you pick a range by tags, dates or PR numbers and it writes drafts for engineers, internal teams and customers with your own OpenAI or AWS Bedrock keys. release-notes.dev describes itself as an AI-assisted tool that turns a repository's commits, pull requests and tags into grouped release notes. GitHub Copilot can also summarize changes on request. Our AI release notes generator comparison goes deeper.

Engammo: GitHub release notes from every merged PR

Engammo is a GitHub App. When a pull request merges, GitHub sends Engammo a webhook. Engammo reads the PR title, description, labels and a trimmed summary of the changed files, writes a short note with AI, tags it from your labels (features, fixes, breaking changes, security, docs and more) and publishes it within seconds. There is no workflow file, template or commit convention to adopt.

• A hosted public or internal updates page that updates itself after every merge
• An embeddable widget added with one script tag, showing release notes and FAQs
• An RSS feed and read-only public JSON endpoints for your docs or app
• One versioned note for each new Git tag or published GitHub release
• Italian and Spanish translations on Team, and FAQ sync to a Kommander assistant

Every note can be edited, regenerated or hidden. Engammo does not store your source code, only the generated note and PR metadata. Starter is $29/month with a 14-day free trial, for up to 3 repositories with unlimited notes. Team, at $79/month, adds up to 10 repositories, translations, no Engammo branding and Kommander sync. See pricing and how it works.

Proof: Engammo's own release notes

We use Engammo on our own product. Our release notes are generated by Engammo from our own merged pull requests, so you can see the output before you install it.

How to choose

• You only need a list of changes on GitHub: GitHub auto-generated release notes, or Release Drafter for a draft that updates on every merge.
• You publish packages and want versions bumped automatically: release-please or semantic-release.
• You want a polished CHANGELOG.md: git-cliff or Changesets.
• You want plain-language release notes customers and teammates can read, without writing them: Engammo.

The tools are not mutually exclusive. A common setup keeps release-please or semantic-release for versioning and adds Engammo for the customer-facing changelog. Comparing announcement tools instead? See the best changelog tools for SaaS teams.