Real-world examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples

Examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples you’ll actually see

Instead of starting with theory, let’s go straight to the kinds of NDAs freelancers are actually signing in 2024–2025. These examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples are based on common clauses used by agencies, startups, and corporate legal teams.

You’ll notice the same building blocks repeating: definition of confidential information, how long you must keep it confidential, what you can’t do with it, and what happens if things go wrong. The differences are in the details—and those details decide whether the NDA is fair or lopsided.

Example of a one-way NDA for a marketing freelancer

A classic situation: A mid-size e‑commerce brand wants to hire you to run paid ads. Before sharing their customer data and ad account performance, they send a short one-way NDA.

Key features in this example of a freelance NDA:

• One-way obligation: Only you (the freelancer) are bound. The client can share your proposal or ideas unless you add language to protect your own confidential information.
• Broad definition of confidential information: “All non-public information relating to the Company’s marketing strategies, customer lists, financial performance, pricing, and product roadmap.” That sounds reasonable, but “all non-public information” can be very wide.
• Short term: Often 1–2 years after the end of the engagement. That’s typical for marketing data, which loses value over time.

How freelancers respond in 2024–2025:

Many experienced marketers now ask to add a line that protects their own proprietary frameworks, templates, and pricing. They’re turning one-way NDAs into mutual NDAs so clients cannot hand internal decks to a cheaper competitor.

Example of a mutual NDA for a software developer

Now imagine you’re a freelance developer building a custom integration for a SaaS startup. You’ll see their architecture, internal tools, maybe even production data. They’ll see your proprietary libraries or workflow.

This is where mutual examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples come in.

Common traits of a mutual NDA in this context:

• Both parties share confidential information. The agreement clearly states that each side’s non-public information is protected.
• Specific carve-outs: Information isn’t confidential if it’s public, already known to the receiving party, or independently developed. This language is standard and aligns with best practices you’ll see in many legal templates from universities and research institutions.
• Longer duration for technical info: Technical trade secrets might be protected for 3–5 years, or even indefinitely for true trade secrets.

If you want to compare language, many universities publish sample NDAs. For example, the University of California system hosts model confidentiality agreements for research collaborations on its sites, which can be a useful reference for how mutual NDAs are structured.

Example of an NDA for a ghostwriting or content project

Ghostwriters, copywriters, and content strategists often sign NDAs that blend confidentiality with non-attribution clauses.

A typical example of a freelance non-disclosure agreement for ghostwriting includes:

• Confidentiality: You can’t disclose drafts, outlines, or research notes.
• Non-attribution: You can’t publicly say you wrote the content unless the client gives written permission.
• Portfolio carve-out (negotiable): Many writers now negotiate a limited right to use anonymized samples in a private portfolio or in pitches, as long as they remove names, logos, and proprietary details.

In 2024–2025, more freelancers are pushing for:

• A clear distinction between confidential client data and general writing techniques or industry knowledge that stays with the freelancer.
• The ability to show redacted or partial work samples in private prospect calls.

If an NDA bans you from ever using anything you write as an example, even privately, that’s a business decision you should make consciously—not by default.

Example of an NDA for UX/UI designers working with startups

Designers often get pulled into product strategy early. That means seeing:

• New feature concepts
• Competitive research
• Internal roadmaps

A realistic example of a freelance non-disclosure agreement for designers might:

• Define confidential information to include visual designs, prototypes, wireframes, and product concepts.
• Prohibit sharing screenshots or case studies without prior written approval.
• Allow the use of general design skills and methods on future projects.

The tension in these examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples is always the same: clients want secrecy; designers need a portfolio.

Savvy designers now negotiate:

• A clause that says they can show work after public launch, as long as they don’t reveal metrics or internal strategy.
• A process: “Client will not unreasonably withhold approval for portfolio use once the product is publicly available.”

Example of a strict enterprise NDA for data-heavy work

If you freelance for a large healthcare provider, financial institution, or Fortune 500 company, the NDA language will be heavier and more risk-averse. These are the NDAs that make freelancers nervous—and for good reason.

A data-heavy NDA might include:

• References to privacy laws (for example, HIPAA in the U.S. for health-related data or GLBA for financial data).
• Security requirements: how you store data, whether you can use cloud tools, and what happens if there’s a breach.
• Indemnity clauses where you agree to cover the client’s losses if your negligence causes a data leak.

If your work touches health data, it’s worth understanding the regulatory context. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services provides plain-language resources on HIPAA and data privacy at hhs.gov.

With these stricter examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples, developers, analysts, and consultants often negotiate:

• Limiting indemnity to direct damages and to amounts tied to the fees they’re paid.
• Clarifying that they won’t handle raw personal health information or financial account data at all, which narrows their risk.

Example of an NDA for agency–freelancer relationships

Agencies increasingly rely on freelance talent, but they’re also paranoid about freelancers poaching their clients. That paranoia shows up in NDAs.

A common example of a freelance non-disclosure agreement between an agency and a contractor might:

• Combine confidentiality with non-solicitation or even non-compete language.
• Ban you from working directly with the agency’s clients for 12–24 months.
• Label client lists, pricing, and internal processes as confidential.

This is where freelancers need to read slowly.

Non-solicitation (you won’t actively pitch the agency’s clients) is fairly standard. A broad non-compete that stops you from working with any company in a whole industry or region is much more aggressive.

Many freelancers now push to:

• Narrow the restriction to named clients they actually work with.
• Reduce the time period.
• Make sure they can still work for similar companies that have no connection to the agency.

The Federal Trade Commission in the U.S. has published guidance and rulemaking activity around non-compete clauses, which is worth tracking at ftc.gov. While that’s not NDA-specific, it shows how regulators are thinking about restrictions on independent workers.

Example of a startup NDA that overreaches on IP ownership

Startups love big, sweeping language. A typical overreaching example of a freelance non-disclosure agreement might quietly say that anything you create while the NDA is in effect belongs to them, even before you sign a project contract.

Red flags in these examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples:

• IP assignment tied to the NDA itself, not to a separate project agreement.
• Language that covers work you do outside the project or for other clients.
• No carve-out for your pre-existing tools, code, templates, or methods.

The healthier version:

• The NDA only covers confidentiality.
• Intellectual property ownership is covered in a separate services agreement or SOW.
• There’s a clear list of what remains yours (for example, your libraries, processes, or frameworks) and what becomes the client’s (the specific deliverables they pay for).

Freelancers who work in IP-heavy spaces—like software, productized services, or proprietary frameworks—should be especially wary of NDA–IP mashups.

How 2024–2025 trends are reshaping freelance NDAs

Freelance contracts are not static. Over the last few years, several trends have changed how NDAs are written and negotiated:

Remote work and global teams.

More clients are hiring across borders. NDAs now often specify which country’s law applies and where disputes must be resolved. For U.S.-based work, that might be a specific state; for international projects, you might see references to English law or arbitration.

AI tools and training data.

In 2024–2025, many NDAs now mention AI explicitly. Examples include:

• Banning the use of confidential client data in public AI tools.
• Clarifying that you can’t upload proprietary documents into systems that may use them for model training.

If you use tools like ChatGPT, Copilot, or other AI assistants in your workflow, you need to read that language very carefully.

Organizations like the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have been publishing frameworks and guidance on AI risk and data handling at nist.gov, which is influencing how legal teams think about confidentiality.

Portfolio rights and reputation.

Freelancers are more assertive about protecting their right to:

• Use anonymized work as proof of experience.
• List client names once the relationship is public.

This shows up as negotiated clauses in many modern examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples, especially for creative and strategic work.

Key clauses to watch in any example of a freelance NDA

Once you’ve seen a few real examples, patterns emerge. Whatever industry you’re in, pay attention to:

1. Definition of confidential information
Overly broad definitions can accidentally cover:

• Your own ideas shared in brainstorming
• Information that’s already public
• Things you independently develop later

Look for standard exclusions: public information, already-known info, independently developed work, and info received from a third party legally.

2. Duration of confidentiality
For most freelance work, 1–3 years after the project ends is typical. Indefinite obligations are more common for true trade secrets, not routine marketing or design data.

3. Use of information
You should be allowed to use confidential information only to perform the services. If the NDA says you can’t use related skills or general knowledge later, that’s too broad.

4. Return or destruction of materials
Some NDAs require you to delete or return all confidential materials at the end of the project. Make sure this is realistic given your backup systems and legal recordkeeping needs.

5. Remedies and liability
Watch for:

• Unlimited liability for any breach
• Obligations to pay for indirect or consequential damages

Many freelancers negotiate caps tied to the fees they earned under the project.

Using NDA examples as templates (without copying blindly)

It’s tempting to grab the best examples you find online and reuse them. There’s nothing wrong with using examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples as a starting point, but you should:

• Adapt them to your industry and risk level.
• Make sure they match your services agreement so the documents don’t contradict each other.
• Have a qualified attorney review your go-to template at least once.

Law school and university legal clinics sometimes offer free or low-cost contract reviews for small businesses and freelancers. Checking with a local law school’s small business clinic (for example, many U.S. universities list these services on their .edu sites) can be a cost-effective way to sanity-check your NDA language.

FAQ: examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples

What’s a simple example of a freelance NDA I can use with small clients?
A simple example of a freelance NDA for small clients is a one-page, one-way agreement that: defines confidential information narrowly (for example, non-public business, technical, or marketing data), allows you to use the information only to perform services, lasts 1–2 years after the project ends, and includes standard exclusions for public or independently developed information. You can then pair that with a separate services contract that covers payment and IP.

Can I ask clients to sign my NDA instead of using theirs?
Yes. Many experienced freelancers maintain their own NDA template and send it with their proposal. Clients with heavy legal processes may insist on using their version, but having your own example of a freelance NDA gives you a baseline and makes it easier to spot when a client’s version is unusually aggressive.

Are mutual NDAs better than one-way NDAs for freelancers?
Often, yes. Mutual NDAs recognize that you also bring proprietary methods, tools, or data to the relationship. In many examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples, mutual language is more balanced and encourages both sides to respect confidentiality. The tradeoff is that some large companies have standardized one-way NDAs and are slow to change them.

What are some red-flag examples in NDA clauses I should avoid?
Watch for examples that assign all your intellectual property to the client under the NDA itself, bans on working in your entire industry for long periods, unlimited liability for any breach, or language that claims ownership over ideas you develop outside the project. Those are signals to slow down, negotiate, or get legal advice.

Do I really need a lawyer to review every NDA?
Not necessarily. For small, low-risk projects, you may decide to accept standard language after you’ve seen enough examples to recognize the patterns. But for high-value, data-heavy, or long-term work, having a lawyer review at least the first few NDAs you sign can save you from long-term problems. Think of it as an investment in understanding the contract landscape you’re working in.

The bottom line: once you’ve seen a range of real examples of freelance non-disclosure agreement examples—from simple one-pagers to dense enterprise documents—you stop treating NDAs as mysterious “legal stuff” and start seeing them as another business tool you can negotiate. That’s where your leverage as a freelancer really starts.