Generate your freelance contract
AI creates a complete, ready-to-send contract with scope, payment terms, timeline, and legal protections.
Generate your freelance contract
River's Freelance Contract Template Generator creates complete, ready-to-send service agreements. You provide the services, payment terms, and timeline, and the AI generates a full contract covering scope, payment schedule, timeline, deliverables, revisions, ownership rights, liability limits, termination, and all essential legal protections. Whether you're signing your first client or your hundredth, you get professional contracts that protect both parties and prevent common disputes.
Unlike bare-bones templates that leave critical sections blank, we create complete contracts with all key clauses populated based on your inputs. The AI understands freelance contract essentials (clear scope preventing endless work, payment terms protecting you from non-payment, IP clauses clarifying ownership, liability limits capping your risk, termination terms allowing clean exits), writes in clear professional language, and includes protections you need without being overly complex. You get contracts that look professional and actually protect your interests.
This tool is perfect for every freelancer who needs contracts (writers, designers, developers, consultants, marketers), new freelancers who have never written contracts, experienced freelancers wanting to improve their agreements, and anyone who has been burned by working without contracts. If you've done work without contracts and regretted it, or if you use inadequate contracts that don't protect you, this tool helps. Use it for every new client before starting work. Never work without a signed contract again.
What Makes Freelance Contracts Essential
Freelance contracts protect both you and the client by documenting exactly what's agreed upon before work begins. Without contracts, disputes come down to he-said-she-said. With contracts, terms are clear and enforceable. Weak freelancers skip contracts or use vague agreements, then face endless revision requests, payment disputes, scope creep, or clients claiming they own work you want in your portfolio. Strong freelancers use solid contracts that define scope precisely, establish payment terms clearly, specify revision limits, clarify ownership, and protect both parties.
The best freelance contracts include these essential sections: parties (who's involved), scope (exactly what you'll deliver with quantities and specs), timeline (when work happens and when deliverables are due), payment terms (how much, when, and how paid), revisions (how many rounds included), ownership and IP rights (who owns the final work and whether you can use it in portfolio), confidentiality (if needed), liability limits (capping your financial risk), termination (how either party can end the agreement), and signatures (making it legally binding). Each section prevents specific problems freelancers commonly face.
To protect yourself, always use written contracts, never start work before contracts are signed, keep contracts specific not vague (5 blog posts at 1,500 words beats some content), limit revisions explicitly (2 rounds, additional revisions billed separately), get partial payment upfront (30% to 50%), include kill fee terms (you get paid for work completed even if project cancelled), clarify IP ownership (client gets final work, you retain portfolio rights), and cap liability (your total liability shall not exceed fees paid). These protections prevent 90% of common freelancer problems. The 10 minutes to sign a contract saves hours of disputes later.
What You Get
Complete freelance service agreement ready to send
All essential sections covering scope, payment, timeline, and rights
Legal protections including liability limits and termination terms
Clear, professional language both parties can understand
Customizable template you can adjust for specific situations
How It Works
- 1Enter project detailsProvide services, payment terms, and timeline
- 2AI generates contractOur AI creates a complete service agreement in 2 to 3 minutes
- 3Review and customizeRead through the contract and adjust any terms as needed
- 4Send for signatureSend to your client for review and signature before starting work
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this contract legally binding and will it hold up?
This generates a solid freelance service agreement with standard protections, but it's not legal advice and may need customization for your situation. For high-value contracts (over $10,000), complex services, or situations with significant risk, have a lawyer review. For typical freelance projects, this provides strong protection and is far better than no contract or a vague email agreement. Most contracts never go to court. They prevent disputes by documenting clear terms.
Can I customize this or should I use it exactly as generated?
Customize it for your specific situation. The AI provides a solid foundation with all key sections, but you should adjust specifics (add confidentiality clauses if needed, modify payment schedule, adjust revision limits, clarify IP terms for your work type). Treat this as a strong template that saves you from starting from scratch, not a rigid document you can't change. Every project is slightly different.
Do I need to use electronic signature services or can clients just email acceptance?
For best protection, use electronic signature services (DocuSign, HelloSign, PandaDoc) that timestamp and verify signatures. For lower-value projects, email acceptance (client replies (I agree to these terms) with full contract attached) can work, but it's less secure. Never start work based on verbal agreement alone. Get written agreement in some form. The more valuable the project, the more formal your signature process should be.
What if the client wants to change terms in the contract?
That's normal and expected. Clients often want to adjust payment schedule, timeline, or specific terms. Negotiate professionally. Some changes are reasonable (adjust timeline to fit their needs). Some changes are red flags (remove all liability limits, demand unlimited revisions). Be flexible on logistics but firm on protections (scope definition, payment terms, liability limits, IP clarity). If they want to remove all your protections, reconsider the engagement.
Should I send the contract before or after they agree to work with me?
After they agree to the project and pricing but before you start any work. The sequence is: pitch/proposal → client accepts and agrees to terms → send contract for signature → receive signed contract and deposit → start work. Never do work before a signed contract and upfront payment. (Let's just start and do the paperwork later) leads to problems. Professional clients expect contracts and sign without issues. Clients who resist signing contracts often become problem clients.
What is River?
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