How I started charging for revisions (without losing clients)
How I started charging for revisions (without losing clients)
For years, I offered “unlimited revisions.”
It sounded generous. Client-friendly. A selling point.
In practice, it meant I was trapped in feedback loops for months, making the same changes over and over while the client’s team argued amongst themselves about which shade of blue was right.
I knew I needed to change something. But I was terrified of the conversation.
The fear
What if clients think I’m nickel-and-diming them? What if they go with someone else who offers unlimited revisions? What if I seem greedy?
These thoughts kept me stuck for way too long.
What finally clicked
A friend who runs an agency told me: “You’re not charging for revisions. You’re charging for decisions.”
When revisions are free, there’s no incentive for the client to actually decide. They can waffle forever. “Let’s try this version.” “Actually, go back to the first one.” “Wait, what if we combined them?”
Putting a number on it — even a small one — makes them take each round seriously.
How I structure it now
Included: Two rounds of revisions. That covers genuine feedback and normal iteration. Most projects finish within this.
Extra rounds: $X per round. I quote a specific number so there’s no ambiguity.
What counts as a round: I spell this out. “A round is one batch of feedback, submitted together, within one week.”
That last part matters. It prevents death by a thousand cuts — random single requests trickling in over months.
The conversation
I was nervous the first time I explained this to a client. I expected pushback.
Instead, they said “that makes total sense.”
Most clients get it. They know that endless changes cost time and money. They appreciate knowing the rules upfront.
The ones who don’t? Honestly, those are usually the clients who would’ve been nightmares anyway. This filter them out early.
The awkward moment
Sometimes you hit the revision limit and have to send The Email:
“Hey, we’ve used both revision rounds. Happy to keep going — additional rounds are $X each. Want me to proceed?”
It feels uncomfortable. But it’s way less uncomfortable than silently resenting a client while doing free work.
And here’s the thing: half the time, they reply with “actually, let’s just go with the current version.” They didn’t need another round. They were just… fiddling.
I make less from some projects now
This is true. Some projects that would’ve gone to 5+ rounds now stop at 2. I technically “lost” that revenue.
But I also got those hours back. I can take on more projects, or just have a life. And I’m way less burned out.
Worth it.
When you’re gathering requirements through equest, you can get clarity before work starts — which means fewer “I thought we discussed this” moments later.