For freelancers & contractors
Contract review for freelancers
Freelance work lives or dies on the contract. It decides who owns what you make, when you get paid, and what happens if a client walks away halfway through. Most of it is signed in a hurry to get started.
ClauseShift reads the client agreement and quotes the exact clause behind every risk, so you know what you are agreeing to before you commit your time.
What to watch for
Scope creep with no cap
Vague deliverables and open-ended revision clauses let a project balloon well past what you priced. Watch for undefined scope and unlimited rounds of changes.
Who owns the work
Broad IP-assignment language can hand over more than the specific deliverable, including your tools and pre-existing work. Make sure the transfer is limited to what you were paid for.
Payment terms and kill fees
Net-60 terms, milestone traps, and no kill fee mean you carry the risk if a client stalls or cancels. Check when payment is actually due and what you keep if the job ends early.
Liability and NDAs
Uncapped liability and sweeping confidentiality clauses can outlast the project. Know what you are on the hook for and for how long.
Guides for you
Protect your payment and your rights: scope creep, slow payment, IP that transfers before you are paid, uncapped liability, and kill fees, explained in plain English with the fix for each.
Client NDAs hit freelancers differently: a broad definition can lock up your portfolio, a hidden non-solicit can cost you future clients, and residuals language can restrict the skills you sell. The NDA red flags freelancers should check, in plain English, with the fix for each.
Protect your fees and your independence: vague scope, payment and expenses, IP ownership, non-compete and exclusivity, liability, and termination, in plain English with the fix for each.
What a non-compete really restricts and whether it can hold up: scope, duration, geography, non-solicit and garden-leave traps, and the change to ask for on each before you sign.
Frequently asked questions
What should a freelancer check before signing a client contract?
Scope and revisions, who owns the intellectual property, when and how you get paid, whether there is a kill fee if the project is cancelled, your liability cap, and the term of any confidentiality or non-compete clause. ClauseShift flags each of these and quotes the clause it came from.
Can ClauseShift review a short one-page agreement?
Yes. Whether it is a one-page letter of engagement or a long master services agreement, you get a risk score and clause-by-clause findings. You can upload a PDF or DOCX, paste the text, or email it in.
Is it free?
You get three reviews a month free with no card, and your first review is upgraded to the full two-model cross-check. Pro and pay-as-you-go credits are there when you need more.
ClauseShift provides informational risk summaries and is not a substitute for legal advice. Review important agreements with a qualified professional before acting.