Contract Decoder

Understand what you're agreeing to before you sign.

Paste a contract — or upload the file — and get a plain-English breakdown of important terms, questions to consider, and possible points to clarify or negotiate before you sign.

See what Contract Decoder gives you

Real output from an actual run on the contract below — an excerpt of a longer result, nothing reworded.

The contract

FREELANCE SERVICES AGREEMENT This Agreement is entered into as of the date of signing between ACME Corp ("Client") and the undersigned designer ("Contractor"). 1. SERVICES Contractor agrees to provide graphic design services as directed by Client. 2. COMPENSATION Client shall pay Contractor $75/hour. Payment is due within 60 days of invoice. Client may dispute any invoice within 90 days of receipt. Contractor waives all right to payment if not claimed within 6 months of completion. 3. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY All work product, including preliminary designs, sketches, and concepts, shall be the sole and exclusive property of Client upon creation, regardless of payment status. Contractor hereby assigns all rights, title, and interest in any work product to Client. Contractor waives all moral rights. Client may use Contractor's name and portfolio samples in perpetuity for marketing purposes. 4. TERMINATION Client may terminate this agreement at any time with or without cause, with zero notice. Upon termination, Contractor shall deliver all work in progress immediately. No compensation shall be due for work not yet invoiced at time of termination. 5. NON-COMPETE Contractor agrees not to perform design services for any company in the technology sector for a period of 24 months following termination of this agreement. 6. CONFIDENTIALITY Contractor shall keep all Client information confidential in perpetuity, including after termination, and shall not discuss the existence of this agreement with any third party. 7. DISPUTE RESOLUTION Any disputes shall be resolved by binding arbitration in the Client's jurisdiction. Contractor waives all right to jury trial. Client may seek injunctive relief in any court without posting bond. 8. GOVERNING LAW This agreement shall be governed by the laws of Delaware, regardless of Contractor's location. 9. ENTIRE AGREEMENT This agreement supersedes all prior agreements. Client may modify this agreement at any time by posting updates to its website.

Real run, 2026-10-08 — one of the tool's own built-in examples. Context given: I'm a freelance designer being asked to sign this before starting a project for a startup.

In plain English

This is a freelance services agreement between you (the designer) and ACME Corp, covering a graphic design engagement. As written, ownership of all work transfers to the client from the moment it is created, payment timelines favor the client significantly, and several clauses extend obligations well beyond the end of the project — including a 24-month restriction on working in the technology sector, perpetual confidentiality, and a non-disparagement-adjacent clause preventing you from discussing the agreement's existence.

Ownership transfers immediately, regardless of payment

The client owns everything you create — including early drafts and concepts — the moment you make it, whether or not they have paid you anything yet.

Work completed before invoicing is not compensable at termination

The client can end the agreement instantly, for any reason or no reason. You must hand over everything immediately. Work you have done but not yet invoiced is expressly excluded from compensation under this clause.

Payment timeline and waiver of unpaid claims

You will be paid $75/hour, but invoices do not have to be paid for 60 days. The client has 90 days to dispute an invoice — longer than the payment window itself. Any payment you have not claimed within 6 months of project completion is given up under this clause.

24-month restriction on technology-sector design work

For two years after this agreement ends, you agree not to do design work for any company in the technology sector — regardless of how short or narrow the ACME project was.

Questions to ask before you sign

Which specific work samples are covered, and do you have any right to approve or withdraw consent for how your name is used?
Which arbitration body and rules apply, where specifically does arbitration take place, and who bears the costs?
Can you invoice at any time, including the moment termination is communicated?

Before you sign

Identify every current or likely future client of yours that could fall within 'the technology sector' as you would define it broadly — if any do, that restriction as written would cover them for 24 months after this project ends.
Find the client's website and locate the page where agreement updates are posted, if it exists. Note what it currently says, so you have a record of the terms at signing.
Establish your invoicing cycle before signing and confirm in writing with the client that you may submit a final invoice immediately upon any termination, to address the gap the current termination clause creates.

Contract Decoder explains what the document says and what to check. It is not legal advice, and whether a clause is enforceable depends on where you are; a lawyer can confirm that for a contract that matters.

In a Nutshell

When: Before you sign or renew a contract and want to understand what it actually says.
You give: Paste the contract or upload the file. Optionally add the governing location and anything about your situation that matters.
You get: A plain-English overview, important terms, questions to clarify, and practical things to check before you sign.
The edge: It stays anchored to the document — quoting the language it is explaining and separating what the contract says from what still needs to be verified.

Good to Know

Use the full agreement when you can. An extract may omit definitions, notice provisions, exceptions, schedules, or riders that change how a clause reads
If the contract names a governing law or jurisdiction, enter that location rather than your own physical location
Use 'Your situation' for context the document cannot know — for example, a renewal invoice you received, a deadline, or a practical constraint
Treat quoted contract language as the anchor. If an explanation seems broader than the quoted text, check the surrounding section in the original document
Questions to clarify are especially useful when the document refers to something it does not define, leaves a field blank, or depends on another document you have not supplied
Possible negotiation asks are optional starting points. Choose only the ones that matter to you and fit the actual relationship

Questions people ask

What should I look for before signing a contract?

Who owns the work and when, how and when you get paid, how either side can end it and what happens to unpaid work, any restriction on what you can do afterwards (non-compete, confidentiality), how disputes are handled, and whether one side can change the terms on its own. Those are the clauses that decide what the contract costs you.

Can I ask to change a contract before I sign it?

Yes. A contract you have been sent is usually a starting draft. Asking for a specific change — payment within 30 days instead of 60, ownership passing on payment rather than on creation, a narrower non-compete — is normal, and it is easier before you sign than after.

Is a clause like this enforceable?

It depends on the jurisdiction and the details. Non-competes, waivers and one-sided change clauses are treated very differently from place to place. Contract Decoder says what a clause states and what to clarify; for whether it would hold up, ask a lawyer where you live.

Can I upload the contract as a file?

Yes. Paste the text or upload the file, and optionally add where the contract is governed and anything about your situation that matters.