A good proposal tells the client what they will get, when and for how much, in a few clear pages. Enter your details, the client, a summary, a list of deliverables with prices, the timeline and your payment terms, and the tool lays it out in the usual order, adds up the total and works out the deposit. Print it, save it as a PDF or copy the text into an email.
Clients read a proposal to answer four questions: do you understand what I need, what exactly will I get, when will I get it and what will it cost. A layout that answers those in order lets them reach a decision quickly. Anything that does not help answer them can go in a later document.
Plain language wins. Describe deliverables as results, such as 'a five-page website that works on phones', rather than as technical tasks. If the client can repeat your scope to a colleague without help, the proposal has done its job.
The scope is where most disagreements start. List the pages, features and rounds of revisions you are including, and say what happens if the client wants more. A sentence such as 'extra work is quoted separately' protects both sides without sounding harsh.
A timeline should show milestones, not just an end date. Include points where you need something from the client, such as approving a design or sending content, because late feedback is the most common reason projects slip. Tie the deposit and balance to clear events.
Keep terms short and fair: a deposit to start, a balance when the work is finished, a set number of revision rounds and an expiry date for the offer. These four cover most of what goes wrong between a freelancer and a client.
Ask for a written yes. A reply of 'Approved' by email, or a signed copy of the page, gives you a record of what was agreed. Then send the first invoice and book the kickoff while the client is still keen.
The tool adds up the price on each deliverable line to get the total. The deposit is the total times your deposit percentage, and the balance is the total minus the deposit. For example, $1,500 + $3,000 + $500 is $5,000, and a 30 percent deposit is $1,500, leaving $3,500.
Type the item, then a vertical bar, then the price, as in 'Homepage design | 1500'. Dollar signs and commas are fine. A line with no price is listed without an amount and adds nothing to the total.
Usually not by itself. A proposal sets out an offer, and many freelancers follow it with a signed agreement or a written acceptance. The acceptance block here is a simple sign-off. This tool is not legal advice, so ask a professional if you need a binding contract.
For most small projects, one to three pages is enough. Include a summary, the scope, the timeline, the price and the terms. Longer is not better if the client has to hunt for the price.
The totals are shown with a dollar sign. If you work in another currency, change the symbol when you paste the text into your own document, or state the currency in the payment terms.
Related: Estimate generator, Invoice generator, Website cost calculator.
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