Free Web Developer Contract Template

A web developer contract is the essential legal document for any web development engagement—whether you are a freelance developer building a small business website, an agency delivering a complex e-commerce platform, or a client commissioning a custom web application. This free web developer contract template is designed for US-based developers and clients, covering project scope, development milestones, intellectual property ownership, payment terms, hosting and maintenance, bug fix policies, and post-launch support arrangements.

Web development projects are notoriously prone to scope disputes, timeline overruns, payment conflicts, and confusion about who owns what when the project ends. This is partly because websites are intangible products that evolve continuously during development—clients see intermediate work and request changes, developers discover technical complexities that weren't apparent at the scoping stage, and both parties make assumptions that were never explicitly discussed. A well-written web developer contract anticipates these dynamics and creates clear procedures for handling them, which is why the quality of the contract is often the single most important determinant of whether a development engagement ends well.

This web developer contract template covers: detailed project scope and technical specifications, development milestones and timeline, payment schedules tied to deliverables, intellectual property assignment, hosting and domain arrangements, bug fix policies and warranty periods, maintenance and support terms, change request procedures, confidentiality, and termination provisions. It is free to download and fully customizable for projects of any size and complexity.

What Is a Web Developer Contract?

A web developer contract is a specialized project agreement that defines the technical, commercial, and legal parameters of a website or web application development engagement. Unlike general service contracts, web developer contracts must address the technical complexity and iterative nature of software development—including how bugs are handled, how scope changes are negotiated, how the client provides feedback and approvals at each stage, and how the final product is deployed and handed over.

One of the key challenges in web development contracting is that most clients do not fully understand what they are buying until they see intermediate results—which is exactly when scope disputes begin. A client who approved a homepage design mockup may suddenly decide they want an entirely different visual approach once they see it rendered in a browser. A client who agreed to a "simple" e-commerce checkout may not understand why adding a custom shipping integration mid-development is a significant scope change. The web developer contract must establish procedures for handling these situations without either party feeling blindsided or taken advantage of.

Another fundamental issue is that web development is not a one-time event but an ongoing relationship. Websites require hosting, security updates, plugin updates, SSL certificate renewals, and periodic redesigns. The contract should address not just the initial development project but also the post-launch support landscape—whether the developer offers ongoing maintenance, at what rate, and under what terms.

Key Clauses Every Web Developer Contract Must Include

1. Project Scope and Technical Specifications

The scope section should be as technically specific as possible, listing every page, feature, function, and integration that is included in the project—and explicitly listing what is NOT included. For a business website, scope might include: homepage, about page, services or products page, contact page, blog section (with a specified number of initial posts), contact form integration with a specified email provider, Google Analytics integration, and mobile-responsive design for a specified list of devices and browsers. For a web application, scope would include detailed functional specifications for each feature, API integrations, database schema, user authentication flows, and admin panel requirements. Ambiguity in scope is the root cause of most development disputes; if you can't describe it specifically in the contract, you can't scope it, price it, or hold anyone accountable for delivering it.

2. Development Milestones and Timeline

Break the project into clearly defined milestones with specific deliverables and dates. Common milestones include: discovery and requirements finalization, design mockups and client approval, frontend development completion, backend development completion, testing and quality assurance, client acceptance testing and sign-off, and launch and deployment. For each milestone, specify what the developer delivers, what the client must provide (content, feedback, approvals, third-party credentials), and the consequences of delays caused by either party. Include a provision for reasonable timeline extensions when delays are caused by factors outside the developer's control—such as late client feedback, third-party service delays, or force majeure events.

3. Intellectual Property Assignment

The IP clause should specify that upon receipt of full payment, all custom code, design files, content, and assets created specifically for the project are assigned to the client. The developer retains ownership of pre-existing code libraries, frameworks, tools, and development methodologies. If the developer uses open-source software (which is standard practice), specify that the client will receive the necessary license documentation and that open-source licenses govern those components. Address whether the developer has the right to display the completed website in their portfolio, and whether the client needs to provide written permission before the developer can do so.

4. Acceptance Testing and Warranty Period

Define a clear acceptance testing period—commonly 7 to 14 days after launch—during which the client can identify and report bugs and defects. The contract should define what constitutes a bug (work product that deviates from the agreed specification) versus new feature requests (which are out of scope). Upon expiration of the acceptance period, the project is considered accepted and the developer moves into a warranty period (commonly 30 days post-acceptance) during which critical bugs are fixed at no charge. After the warranty period, all bug fixes and maintenance are billable under a separate support agreement or at an hourly rate.

5. Hosting, Domain, and Ongoing Maintenance

If the developer is managing hosting, specify the hosting environment (shared hosting, VPS, cloud, etc.), the monthly or annual hosting fee, who pays for domain registration, and the backup and security procedures. If the client manages hosting, specify what the developer needs from the hosting environment to do their work, and what the client's technical team is responsible for post-launch. For ongoing maintenance, specify whether a maintenance retainer is included in the project price (common for the first 30 to 90 days) and what maintenance services are covered—plugin updates, security updates, minor content changes—versus what requires a separate work order and additional billing.

How to Write a Web Developer Contract

Writing a web developer contract requires the developer to make explicit things that experienced developers take for granted—but that clients have no way of knowing unless they are told. Many clients come to web development engagements with no understanding of what is involved technically, and they make requests and assumptions that seem reasonable to them but are unrealistic or extremely time-consuming from a development perspective.

Before drafting the contract, conduct a thorough discovery process with the client: understand their business objectives for the website, who the target users are, what devices and browsers they need to support, what third-party integrations are required (email marketing, CRM, payment processors, shipping providers), whether they have existing brand guidelines and design assets, and what their internal technical capabilities are for managing the website post-launch. This discovery process almost always surfaces scope items that the client hadn't thought to include—and prevents the developer from discovering mid-project that a critical integration wasn't in the agreed scope.

When specifying technical requirements, use industry standards and specific technology names rather than vague descriptions. "The website will be built with WordPress 6.x using a PHP 8.1+ compatible theme framework" is far more actionable than "the website will be modern and fast." This specificity protects both parties: the client knows exactly what they are getting, and the developer has a clear specification to build against.

Finally, require that all scope changes be documented in writing—a simple email exchange is sufficient—and that no change work begins until both parties have agreed to the additional cost and timeline impact. This prevents the all-too-common situation where a developer intuitively implements a client's verbal request for a "small change" and then faces a dispute about whether it was included in the original scope.

Sample Web Developer Contract

Consider the following scenario: Riverside Dental Group hires DevWorks Studio to redesign and rebuild their practice website. The project scope includes: custom WordPress theme design (desktop and mobile), homepage, services page (10 service descriptions with imagery), team page (8 provider profiles), new patient page with downloadable forms, appointment request form integrated with their practice management software, blog section with SEO optimization for 5 initial service-area keywords, Google Business integration, and Yoast SEO plugin configuration.

The total project fee is $12,500, structured as: $3,125 at signing, $3,125 upon design approval, $3,125 upon development completion, and $3,125 upon final launch and acceptance. The timeline is 8 weeks from signing: weeks 1-2 for discovery and design, weeks 3-5 for development, week 6 for QA testing, and weeks 7-8 for client acceptance and launch. DevWorks supplies all hosting on their managed WordPress platform at $75/month, including daily backups, SSL, and security monitoring.

Upon full payment, all custom code, design files, and content created for the project are assigned to Riverside Dental Group. DevWorks retains the right to display the completed site in their portfolio. A 30-day post-launch warranty covers critical bugs; routine maintenance is billed at $125/hour or covered under an optional $250/month maintenance retainer. Any requests for new features or design changes after design approval are billed at $125/hour with a minimum 2-hour engagement.

Related Templates

• /contract-templates/freelance-contract — Freelance professional services contract
• /contract-templates/service-agreement — General service contract template
• /contract-templates/independent-contractor — Independent contractor agreement
• /contract-templates/consulting-contract — Professional consulting services agreement
• /contract-templates/nda — Non-disclosure agreement for protecting confidential information