Free Web Development Contract Template
A plain-English contract built for freelance web developers and small agencies. Covers source code ownership, hosting handoff, browser support, and payment milestones. Download as PDF or Word.
Your Info
Client Info
Project
Compatibility
Hosting & Handover
Payment
Most freelancers charge 1% to 1.5% per month. Rates above 1.5%/month may be unenforceable in some US states.
Legal
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What this contract covers
- Scope of work for the website or web application, with explicit out-of-scope items
- Browser, device, and accessibility support targets so the deliverable is testable
- Source code ownership and the moment ownership transfers (typically after final payment)
- Hosting, domain, and third-party services handoff
- Milestone-based payment schedule appropriate for multi-stage development projects
- Change order process for new features added mid-project
- Confidentiality, security obligations, and post-launch support window
- Termination, force majeure, and dispute resolution clauses
Why you need this contract
Web development projects fail more often than they ship. The most common cause is not technical, it is scope ambiguity: the client expected one feature, the developer built another, and there is no written reference to point at when the disagreement starts.
A contract that names the deliverable in concrete terms — what pages, what features, what browsers, what acceptance criteria — protects both the developer and the client. It also gives the developer a documented basis to bill for change orders instead of absorbing scope creep silently.
Source code and hosting handoff is the other common dispute point. This template is explicit about what the client owns, what the developer retains the right to reuse (libraries, common components), and what happens to hosting credentials at the end of the engagement.
When to use this template
- ·Marketing site, landing page, or brochure site builds for clients
- ·Custom web applications built with React, Next.js, Vue, Laravel, Rails, Django, or any other stack
- ·WordPress, Webflow, or Shopify builds, including custom theme and plugin work
- ·Maintenance retainers and post-launch support engagements (use the renewable terms section)
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Beyond the template
A signed contract is necessary but not sufficient. When a client disputes a $5,000 invoice three months after launch, what wins the dispute is the audit trail: timestamped acceptance of each milestone, IP address records, and a tamper-proof archived contract.
Pactful sends this contract through a real e-signature flow, captures the signer's IP address and timestamp, archives a tamper-proof copy in a public vault, and when a PayPal dispute comes in, compiles a one-click evidence package and drafts the response for you.
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