Almost every freelancer says they offer a set number of revision rounds. Very few can say what a round is — and until you can, the number does nothing.
Consider a client who sends eleven separate messages over two weeks, each with one small change. Is that one round or eleven? Both readings are defensible, which means neither is enforceable. Your limit was never triggered because nothing ever looked like the start or end of a round.
A revision policy needs three parts to function: a number, a definition of what the number counts, and what happens when it runs out. Missing any one and it is decoration.
Revision Policies
Answered
How many revisions should a freelancer include?
Two rounds suits most creative and service projects. One is reasonable for small, tightly briefed work; three for larger projects with several stakeholders. The number matters less than the definition — a limit with no definition of a round cannot be enforced.
What counts as one round of revisions?
One consolidated set of feedback covering the whole deliverable, sent in a single message. Stating this explicitly is what makes the limit work, because feedback arriving as eleven separate messages would otherwise never trigger it.
Should I ever offer unlimited revisions?
Only on a retainer or hourly basis, where additional rounds increase revenue rather than reduce margin. On fixed-fee work, unlimited signals there is no cost to another opinion, which removes the pressure that makes clients decide.
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