Two rounds of revisions is the sweet spot for most freelance work — enough for clients to feel heard, tight enough to force real feedback — with additional rounds priced up front. The number matters less than the definition: a round is one consolidated batch of feedback, not an open stream of tweaks.
Why unlimited revisions fail everyone
"Unlimited revisions" sounds generous and works terribly. With no limit, feedback has no deadline and no discipline — clients send thoughts as they occur, loop in new opinions mid-stream, and reverse earlier decisions freely. Projects drift for months, your effective hourly rate collapses, and ironically the work gets worse, because decisions never settle. Limits are not stinginess. Limits are what make feedback thoughtful.
The policy in three sentences
- "This project includes two rounds of revisions."
- "A round is one consolidated batch of feedback from your team, gathered in a single document or message."
- "Additional rounds are $X each."
Put these in the proposal, before any work exists. Announced up front, it is a professional standard. Announced after round three, it is a punishment — and the client will treat it like one.
Why "consolidated" is the load-bearing word
Most revision pain is not volume — it is drip. Five separate emails with one tweak each cost far more than one email with twelve items, because every drip forces a context switch and reopens files you had closed. Requiring consolidation does something subtle and powerful: it forces the client to reconcile their own stakeholders before the feedback reaches you. The marketing lead and the CEO argue in their meeting, not through your drafts. You receive one coherent direction instead of refereeing a committee.
Adjusting the number by project type
- Logos and branding: two to three rounds — taste-driven work benefits from one extra iteration, priced in.
- Web design and development: two rounds per phase (design, then build), not two for the whole project.
- Writing and content: two rounds is plenty; most copy converges in one.
- Ongoing retainers: skip rounds entirely — cap monthly revision hours instead.
Whatever you choose, put a number on it. "Reasonable revisions" is not a policy; it is a future argument.
Drawing the other boundary: revision vs. new direction
Rounds limit quantity, but you also need to define kind. A revision refines the agreed direction — resize this, reword that, swap the photo. A new direction changes the brief — "actually, let us make it playful instead of corporate." The second is not a revision; it is new work, quoted separately. One proposal sentence covers it: "Revisions refine the approved concept; changes to the underlying direction are quoted as additional work." Without that line, a client can reboot the project inside round one and call it feedback.
Enforcing without friction
Narrate the rounds as you go, casually, from the start: "Here is version two, incorporating round one of two." Clients budget their feedback when they can see the meter. When someone reaches the limit, keep the door open rather than shutting it: "That wraps the two included rounds — happy to do another at $X if you want to keep polishing." Some pay. Most, knowing the meter is running, discover the current version is actually fine. Both outcomes are wins.
Put the policy where it cannot be missed
A revision policy only works if the client saw it before agreeing — which is why it belongs in the proposal, next to the price, not buried in an attachment. Clear proposals prevent this whole category of conflict: when a client accepts a scope that says "two rounds included," the boundary was part of the deal they said yes to. That is the approach Tendrly bakes in — a branded proposal with the scope and one clear price, accepted through a one-click Stripe payment link, so the revision terms and the commitment arrive together.
FAQ
What if the client needs changes because I made a mistake?
Fixing your own errors is never a revision — correct them free and without counting. Rounds cover changes of preference, not corrections of fact. Saying this out loud builds enormous trust.
Should I offer more rounds for bigger budgets?
Sure — as a priced tier, not a favor. A premium package with four rounds included is a legitimate upsell. The key is that every tier still has a number.
How do I introduce a revision policy to existing clients?
Start it with the next project: "For new projects I am including two consolidated revision rounds, with extras at $X." Never apply it retroactively to work already in motion — that reads as moving the goalposts.