When should we use this vs. a full contractor agreement?

Freelance contract = single project, defined deliverable, ends when shipped. Contractor agreement = ongoing relationship, multiple engagements, longer-term IP and confidentiality concerns. If you'll work with the person for more than ~3 months, the contractor agreement is the better foundation.

How do we structure milestone payments?

Common patterns: 30/30/40 (deposit / midpoint / completion), 50/50 (deposit / completion), or weekly invoicing for hourly engagements. Tie milestones to objective deliverables ("design system handed off", "feature deployed to staging") rather than calendar dates.

Does this cover NDA-level confidentiality?

Yes — the freelance contract includes confidentiality language sufficient for most engagements. For especially sensitive projects (unreleased product, M&A advisory), pair with a separate mutual NDA before sharing materials.

Freelance Contract for Startups

Onboard freelance talent without slowing the sprint.

A short-form freelance contract for startups bringing on designers, writers, and developers for project-based work — fast to send, easy to sign.

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Sometimes you don't need a long-term contractor — you need a designer for two weeks, a writer for a launch, a developer for one feature. This freelance contract is built for that: project-scoped, milestone-paid, with the IP assignment a startup needs but without the friction of a full master services agreement.

Why startups need a freelance contract

Project-scoped (vs. ongoing contractor) means you're not committed beyond the deliverable.
Milestone payments tie cash to delivery instead of upfront risk.
Full IP assignment matches what an MSA-grade engagement would require, in shorter form.
Faster signing cycle than a full contractor agreement when speed matters.

Common scenarios

Launch sprint hires

Bringing on a designer or writer for a specific launch window with a fixed budget and a hard deadline.

One-off feature builds

A developer engaged to ship one feature or component, with milestone payments tied to staging and production deploys.

Pre-funding bridge talent

Project-based freelance work in the gap before you can afford full-time hires — keep cash exposure tight.

Clauses to pay attention to

Scope of work and deliverables

Milestone schedule and payments

IP assignment on payment

Confidentiality

Acceptance criteria

Termination and kill fees

Common questions

When should we use this vs. a full contractor agreement?: Freelance contract = single project, defined deliverable, ends when shipped. Contractor agreement = ongoing relationship, multiple engagements, longer-term IP and confidentiality concerns. If you'll work with the person for more than ~3 months, the contractor agreement is the better foundation.
How do we structure milestone payments?: Common patterns: 30/30/40 (deposit / midpoint / completion), 50/50 (deposit / completion), or weekly invoicing for hourly engagements. Tie milestones to objective deliverables ("design system handed off", "feature deployed to staging") rather than calendar dates.
Does this cover NDA-level confidentiality?: Yes — the freelance contract includes confidentiality language sufficient for most engagements. For especially sensitive projects (unreleased product, M&A advisory), pair with a separate mutual NDA before sharing materials.

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