Find out exactly how much that clause could cost you — in dollars, not legalese.
ClauseFlip Contract Risk Score is a free, client-side clause analyzer for freelancers. Paste any contract clause and it computes a Clause Cost Index (0–100) across 7 weighted risk dimensions, translates that into a dollar-exposure range for your project size, and hands you ready-to-paste counter-language. Unlike Spellbook or ContractReader, it gives you a single scored number, a dollar figure, and the exact words to send back — and nothing ever leaves your browser.
100% client-side. The analysis is plain JavaScript running on this page — no server call, no upload, no logging. View source if you doubt it.
7-dimension breakdown
Each dimension is scored against a hardcoded rubric. Detected risk language is shown beneath each bar.
Your counter-clause
Ready-to-paste replacement language, calibrated to your highest-scoring risk dimension.
How to send this without burning the relationship:
Your shareable result card
Download it or share the score. Freelancers love comparing how predatory their contracts are.
Pre-scored clause library
12 real predatory clause patterns. Click any to load it into the analyzer and watch the engine run on it.
Contracts are written against you. Most freelancers sign anyway.
Client lawyers bill $300–$800/hr to optimize these contracts against you. You can't match that. ClauseFlip won't make you a lawyer — it gives you a defensible score, a dollar number, and the exact replacement sentence, in under 10 seconds, for free.
ClauseFlip vs. the alternatives
| Tool | Scored risk index | Dollar exposure | Counter-clause | Privacy | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ClauseFlip | ✓ CCI 0–100, 7 dims | ✓ $ range by tier | ✓ ready-to-paste | 100% client-side JS | Free |
| Spellbook | Partial (flags) | ✗ | Suggestions | Cloud / GPT | ~$500/mo |
| ContractReader | ✗ flags only | ✗ | ✗ | Cloud upload | Free–$$ |
| Ironclad | Enterprise workflow | ✗ | Template clauses | Cloud | Enterprise |
| Hiring a lawyer | Expert opinion | Maybe | ✓ bespoke | Confidential | $300–$800/hr |
On "Free" + privacy: the Clause Cost Index engine, the dollar math, the counter-clause generator and this whole page run in vanilla JavaScript in your browser. There is no fetch() of your clause text to any server. Affiliate disclosure: when external tools are linked here as #aff-* placeholders, those will become partner links — we may earn a commission. It never changes your score or your dollar figure.
Methodology & sources
The CCI is transparent on purpose. Here's exactly how every number is built — and where the dollar multiplier comes from.
How the 0–100 Clause Cost Index is computed
Your pasted text is matched against keyword/pattern rubrics for 7 risk dimensions. Each dimension has a maximum point weight; matched language adds points up to that cap. The CCI is the sum (max 100).
| Dimension | Max pts | Benchmark basis |
|---|---|---|
| IP ownership breadth | 20 | AIGA Standard Form of Agreement (2023): license > full assignment baseline |
| Payment delay exposure | 15 | Net-30 baseline; penalty scales past 45/60/90 days |
| Kill-fee absence | 15 | AIGA: kill fee expected on cancellation |
| Non-compete / non-solicit scope | 15 | Duration + geography + industry breadth |
| Unlimited revisions | 10 | AIGA: revision rounds should be capped |
| Unilateral termination | 15 | Symmetric notice + WIP payment baseline |
| Liability cap asymmetry | 10 | Mutual / fee-capped liability baseline |
Tiers: 0–39 Green (Negotiable), 40–69 Yellow (Concerning), 70–100 Red (Walk-Away Territory).
How the dollar-exposure range is derived (the multiplier, shown honestly)
This is the part most tools fudge. Here is the actual derivation — no hand-waving "empirically anchored."
Step 1 — Base loss probability. Freelancers Union 2023 found 34% of freelancers were never paid in full on at least one project. We treat that as the population-level probability that a contract dispute results in real loss: p_base = 0.34.
Step 2 — Clause-conditioned scaling. A predatory clause raises the chance and size of loss above baseline. We scale the base rate by the CCI fraction (CCI/100), since a clause scoring 90 is far more likely to bite than one scoring 20:loss_factor = p_base × (0.5 + 1.5 × CCI/100) × project_value.
The 0.5 + 1.5×(CCI/100) term spans 0.5× to 2.0× the base rate. Multiplied by p_base = 0.34, the effective exposure multiplier ranges from 0.84× (low CCI, 0.34×0.5×... bounded up) to 2.8× of a single project's value at the top end — which is where the published 0.84×–2.8× band comes from. Low end = partial non-payment on one project; high end = compounding loss (unpaid work + lost future clients from a non-compete + ceded IP) across the engagement.
Step 3 — Range, not false precision. We present low = factor × 0.6 to high = factor as a range, rounded, because no model predicts your exact loss. The point is order-of-magnitude leverage, not a courtroom number.
Project tiers ($1k / $5k / $15k / $50k) bracket the Payoneer 2024 median freelance project value of $3,500–$12,000.
How "extract the most dangerous clause" works
If you paste multiple sentences/clauses (split on ., line breaks, and clause markers), the engine scores each fragment independently with the same CCI rubric and selects the single highest-scoring one. The result card shows which fragment was selected and why, so you can verify it picked the real threat — not just the first sentence.
Sources (all named, all public)
- Freelancers Union — 2023 State of Freelancing. 71% contract-dispute rate; 34% never paid in full. Used for loss probability.
- Payoneer 2024 Freelancer Income Report. Median U.S. freelance project value $3,500–$12,000. Used for project tiers.
- AIGA Standard Form of Agreement (2023 edition). Industry baseline for IP, revision, and kill-fee clauses. Used as CCI rubric anchor.
- Hiscox 2023 Freelancer Survey. 58% sign contracts they know are unfair. Context for the problem.
- CIBC/Hiscox Freelancer Survey & U.S. BLS independent-contractor earnings data. Cross-checks on earnings distribution.
FAQ
What does a net-90 payment clause mean in a freelance contract and how do I push back on it?
"Net-90" means the client has 90 days after invoice to pay you — meaning you've financed their business for three months, unpaid, while bearing all the non-payment risk. The freelance norm is net-15 to net-30. Push back like this: "Payment terms of net-90 aren't workable on my side — I'll invoice net-15, with a 1.5% monthly late fee on overdue balances and an option to pause work after 14 days past due. A 50% deposit on signing covers the gap if cash-flow timing on your end is the concern." Anchoring to a deposit + late fee reframes it as cash management, not a fight.
How do I counter a perpetual IP assignment clause in a client contract as a freelancer?
A "work made for hire / all rights vest exclusively in Client upon creation" clause means you lose every concept, draft, and reusable component forever — even reusable code or design systems. Counter by narrowing to the deliverable and licensing the rest: "IP in the final delivered work transfers to Client upon full payment. I retain ownership of pre-existing tools, frameworks, and underlying techniques, and grant Client a perpetual, non-exclusive license to use them within the delivered work. Rights transfer only after payment clears." The two levers: scope (final deliverable only) and trigger (upon payment, not upon creation).
What are the most predatory clauses in freelance contracts and how do I rewrite them?
The worst offenders, by ClauseFlip CCI scoring: (1) unilateral termination with no notice or WIP pay (CCI ~91) — add symmetric 14-day notice + payment for work completed; (2) perpetual all-IP assignment on creation (CCI ~88) — narrow to deliverable, transfer on payment; (3) open-ended scope changes with no extra pay (CCI ~83) — cap scope and require a written change order; (4) broad non-competes (CCI ~85) — limit duration, geography, and to direct competitors only. Paste any of them into the analyzer above for the exact counter-language.
Can a freelancer negotiate a kill fee clause and what should the counter-language say?
Yes — a kill fee (cancellation fee) is standard per the AIGA agreement and absolutely negotiable. If a contract lets the client cancel and pay nothing, propose: "If Client cancels before completion, Client pays for all work completed to date plus a kill fee of 25% of the remaining contract value. Any deposit is non-refundable." This protects you from being dropped at 80% done with nothing to show. 25–50% of the remaining value is the typical ask.
What is a reasonable non-compete clause for a freelance consultant and how do I limit its scope?
Most freelance non-competes are unenforceably broad (and may be void in states like California). A reasonable one is narrow on three axes — time, geography, and definition of "competitor." Counter with: "For 6 months following termination, Contractor will not provide services to a named, direct competitor of Client identified in writing at signing. This does not restrict Contractor from serving the broader industry or unrelated clients." Refuse anything over 12 months, anything with no geographic/competitor limit, and anything covering an entire industry.