FFreelanceGuide

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Send a clean proposal today

A good proposal is what turns a "let me think about it" into a signed project. Fill in the work on the left; a polished, sectioned proposal builds itself on the right. When it looks right, Download / Print PDF and send it.

Build your proposal
The summary a busy client reads first. Lead with the result they get, not your process.
List exactly what you'll hand over — one per line. Specific scope is what protects you from scope creep later.
Use a dash or colon to separate the milestone from its timing — e.g. Design — Weeks 2–3.
$
One number for the whole engagement. Tip: price the outcome, not the hours.
Your honest estimate, shown as an estimate and not a cap. On a fixed bid it’s optional — it lets the proposal back-calculate your effective hourly rate.
%
Standard is 50% up front, balance on completion. Set to 0 to bill the full amount on completion.
The boring lines that save you later: when payment is due, what's out of scope, IP/ownership, and your kill fee.
An expiry date creates gentle urgency and keeps an old quote from binding you months later.

Project Proposal

Project title

Overview

Scope & Deliverables

Timeline

Investment

Terms

Acceptance

Signature & date
Client name
Signature & date
Your name / business

Nothing you type leaves your browser — the proposal is built locally and the share link only carries the text you entered. This isn't legal advice; have a professional review your contract terms.

How to write a freelance project proposal

A proposal isn't a price list — it's the document that makes a prospective client feel safe handing you their project and their money. The fastest way to lose a deal is a vague, one-line "I'll do the website for $5,000" email. The fastest way to win one is a clear, sectioned proposal that shows you understood the problem, scoped the work, and put a fence around what's included. This tool lays out the six sections every strong freelance proposal needs and assembles them as you type.

The structure it follows, top to bottom:

Overview — the problem and the outcome, in the client's words
Scope & Deliverables — exactly what you'll hand over
Timeline — phases and dates, so expectations are set
Investment — the price, plus deposit and balance
Terms — payment schedule, out-of-scope, IP, kill fee
Acceptance — a signature block and an expiry date

Two sections do the heavy lifting. Scope & Deliverables is your defense against scope creep: a client can't claim "I thought the logo was included" when the proposal lists every deliverable in black and white. And Terms is where the money actually gets protected — the deposit that filters out tire-kickers, the Net-15 line that gets you paid on time, the clause that bills anything outside the listed scope, and the cancellation fee that compensates you if a project dies after kickoff.

Fixed price or hourly?

For most freelance projects, a fixed price reads better in a proposal: the client sees one number and knows their exposure, and you're rewarded for working efficiently instead of penalized for it. Bill hourly when the scope genuinely can't be pinned down — ongoing retainers, open-ended consulting, or a discovery phase before the real work is defined. Either way, this tool shows a deposit and remaining balance so the payment schedule is unambiguous, and on a fixed bid it back-calculates your effective hourly rate so you can sanity-check that the number isn't quietly underpaying you. If you're not sure what to charge in the first place, run your number through the freelance rate calculator before you write the proposal.

Sending it

When the preview looks right, click Download / Print PDF — your browser's print dialog opens with just the proposal document (no website chrome), and choosing "Save as PDF" gives you a clean file to attach to an email. Want to revisit a draft later or work on it from another device? Click Copy share link: the entire proposal is encoded into the page's address, so bookmarking that link reopens the exact same draft. The text lives only in that link — there's no account and no server copy.

Frequently asked questions

Is the proposal saved anywhere or sent to a server?

No. Everything runs in your browser — the proposal is assembled locally as you type, and nothing is uploaded or stored on a server. The "Copy share link" button encodes your draft into the page URL itself, so the only copy of your text is the link you choose to save or share.

How do I turn the proposal into a PDF?

Click "Download / Print PDF." That opens your browser's print dialog showing only the proposal document — the form, navigation, and footer are hidden. Choose "Save as PDF" as the destination and you'll get a clean, single-document file ready to email to your client. It works the same in Chrome, Safari, Edge, and Firefox.

Should I take a deposit, and how much?

Almost always, yes — a deposit confirms the client is serious and protects you for work done before the final invoice. Fifty percent up front with the balance on completion is the common standard for project work; larger or longer engagements are often split into milestone payments. Set the deposit field to 0 if you'd rather bill the full amount on completion.

Does this count as a contract?

A signed proposal with clear scope, price, and terms can function as a simple agreement, and the Acceptance section gives both sides a place to sign. But it's not a substitute for legal review — for higher-value work or anything with real risk, have a professional check your terms. This tool is a drafting aid, not legal advice.

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