Free tool
Freelance contract generator
Fill in the project, how you charge and who owns the work. You get a plain-language services agreement or retainer you can copy, print to PDF, or send for e-signature. No signup.
Freelance services agreement
1. The parties
This agreement is between [Your name or business] ("the Freelancer") and [Client name] ("the Client") for [Project name]. It starts on the date both parties sign it.
2. Services
The Freelancer will provide the following ("the Services"): • [Deliverable one] • [Deliverable two] Anything not listed above is outside this agreement and is quoted separately.
3. Fees and payment
The Client will pay the Freelancer [total fee] for the Services. A deposit of 50% is due on signing and confirms the start date. The balance is due on delivery. Invoices are due within 14 days of the invoice date. If an invoice is unpaid when due, the Freelancer may pause work until it is paid and move any affected dates accordingly.
4. Revisions and changes
The fee includes two rounds of revisions. Further revisions, or changes to the Services, are agreed in writing (email is enough) with any change to the fee or dates before the work starts.
5. The Client's part
The Client will provide content, access, feedback and approvals in reasonable time. If they arrive late, delivery dates move by at least the same amount of time.
6. Ownership
Once all invoices are paid in full, the Freelancer transfers ownership of the final delivered work to the Client. Until then it stays with the Freelancer. The Freelancer's pre-existing tools, code, templates and know-how stay the Freelancer's, and the Client has a licence to use any that are part of the final work.
7. Portfolio
The Freelancer may show the finished work in a portfolio once it is public, unless the Client asks in writing for it to stay private.
8. Confidentiality
Both parties will keep the other's non-public business information confidential and use it only for this work. This continues after the agreement ends.
9. Ending the agreement
Either party may end this agreement with 14 days' written notice. If it ends early, the Client pays for work done up to the end date and any agreed costs already committed. Any deposit already paid is set against that amount first.
10. Independent contractor
The Freelancer is an independent business, not an employee, and is responsible for their own taxes, equipment and working hours. (Whether someone counts as a contractor depends on how the work is actually done, not only on this clause.)
11. Liability
Each party's total liability under this agreement is limited to the fees paid or payable under it, except where the law does not allow liability to be limited. Neither party is liable for indirect losses such as lost profits.
12. Governing law
This agreement is governed by the laws of [your country or state].
13. Entire agreement
This is the whole agreement between the parties for this work. Changes are only valid if both parties agree to them in writing.
What a freelance contract needs to cover.
A good contract is short and specific. Each clause answers a question that otherwise gets argued about halfway through the project.
Scope, and what isn't in it
Most disputes start with “I thought that was included.” A list of deliverables plus a short “not included” list settles that before work starts.
Deposit and payment terms
A deposit confirms the start date and filters out clients who aren't committed. A due date on every invoice, and the right to pause if one goes unpaid, keeps cash flow predictable.
Revisions and changes
Name the number of revision rounds. Anything beyond them, or any change to the scope, is agreed in writing with its price before you do it.
Ownership
Decide whether the client owns the work once paid or gets a licence while you keep it. Either way, your own tools, code and templates stay yours.
Ending early
A notice period, and a rule that work done so far is paid for, means neither side is trapped and nobody works for free.
Liability
Capping liability at the fee keeps one bad project from costing more than it paid. Some losses can't be limited by law, so the clause says so.
Get it signed instead of printed.
Open this agreement in ApeiroCraft as a draft. Edit it, send it as a link, see when the client opens it, and have it e-signed in the browser. The signed fee can become an invoice in one click.
Free plan: 3 proposals and 3 invoices sent a month, no credit card. Solo is $19/mo for up to 3 people.
Freelance contracts, answered.
Is this contract legally binding?
A contract is generally binding when both sides agree to clear terms and sign, but the rules differ by country and by type of work. Treat this as a well-organised first draft, not legal advice, and have it checked if the project is large or the stakes are high.
Do I need a contract if I already sent a proposal?
A signed proposal with clear terms already does much of the job. A separate agreement is worth it when you need clauses a proposal doesn't usually cover: ownership, confidentiality, how either side can end the work, and limits on liability.
Does a proposal need to be signed? →Can the client sign it online?
Yes. Copy it into any e-signature tool, or use “Send it for e-signature” below: ApeiroCraft opens it as a draft you can edit, send as a link, and have signed in the browser. Electronic signatures are recognised for most commercial contracts in many countries, including under the US ESIGN Act and the EU's eIDAS regulation. Some documents, such as wills and certain family-law or consumer notices, are excluded or need a particular form.
Are e-signatures legally binding? →What's the difference between a fixed-fee contract and a retainer?
A fixed fee covers a defined project with a start and an end. A retainer is a monthly amount for an agreed amount of ongoing work, invoiced in advance. The generator changes the payment, revision and scope clauses when you switch between them.
How to price a retainer →Is anything I type saved?
No. The contract is assembled in your browser as you type. Nothing is sent to a server, and closing the tab clears it.
Keep reading
Guide
Are e-signatures on proposals legally binding?
ESIGN, UETA, eIDAS — what actually makes a signature hold up, and what to capture.
Guide
Does a proposal need to be signed?
Proposal vs contract, and the ten things a signed proposal needs to work as one.
Free template
Retainer agreement template
Monthly scope, rollover, invoicing in advance and notice, in plain language. Free PDF.