Static vs dynamic QR codes
What static and dynamic QR codes are, what each costs and which to print. Plus why dynamic codes get switched off when a subscription ends, and how to avoid it.
· 4 min read
Every QR code is one of two kinds, and the difference usually only shows up months later, when a printed code stops working. Here's what each kind is, when to use it, and how to get the benefits of both without depending on anyone.
The short answer: use a static code when what it opens won't change, or when it opens a page you control. Use a dynamic code when you need to change it after printing or want scan counts, and only from a company that promises in writing that your codes keep working if you stop paying.
What a static code is
A static code stores the content inside the pattern itself: a web address, Wi-Fi details, a phone number or some text. The phone reads it directly, and nothing sits between the customer and where they end up.
- Free to make, with no account.
- Works forever. There's no server to go down and no subscription to lapse.
- Can't be changed after printing. If the address or Wi-Fi password changes, you reprint.
- No scan counts, because nobody sees the scan except the customer's phone.
A Wi-Fi code that joins the network in one tap is always static, because the phone needs the network name and password inside the code. Some services instead link to a page that shows the password, which is a dynamic code: guests copy the password themselves, but you can change it without reprinting.
What a dynamic code is
A dynamic code, also called an editable code, stores a short link that belongs to the company that made it, something like qr.example.com/a8f3. When someone scans it, that company's server forwards them to your real page.
- Change it any time. Point it at a new menu, a new offer or a new page without reprinting.
- Scan counts, because every scan passes through the company's server.
- Depends on that company. If their server is down, or they stop forwarding your code, every printed copy stops working at once.
Side by side
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| What's in the code | Your link, Wi-Fi details or text | A short link owned by the QR company |
| Change after printing | No | Yes |
| Scan counts | No | Yes |
| Keeps working if you stop paying | Always | Only if the company says so |
| Cost | Free | Usually a subscription |
| Best for | Wi-Fi, business cards, pages you control | Menus that change, campaigns, per-table stats |
The expiry trap
A common pattern with "free" QR generators goes like this. You make a code, and it's quietly a dynamic one. It works during a trial. You print it on menus, tents and the shop window. The trial ends, and the code starts showing a page asking you to upgrade, or nothing at all. Customers think your business is broken, and the only options are paying or reprinting everything.
Before you print a dynamic code from anyone, find the answer to one question in their terms or help pages: what happens to my printed codes if I stop paying? If the answer is vague, or the page doesn't exist, assume they stop working.
Already caught by this? Why did my QR code stop working? walks through the fixes.
The best of both: a static code to your own page
If you have a website, you can get an editable code without depending on a QR company. Make a static code for a short address on your own site, such as yourbusiness.com/menu. Whenever things change, update that page, or set it to redirect somewhere new. Most website builders let you set up a redirect from a short address in their settings.
The printed code never changes and nobody can switch it off. The trade-off is that you don't get per-code scan counts, unless your website's analytics show visits to that page, and someone has to be comfortable editing the site.
Which should you print?
| For | |
|---|---|
| Guest Wi-Fi | Static, so guests join in one tap. Reprint if the password changes. |
| Business card | Static, to your website. |
| Menu on your own website | Static, to a short address you control. |
| Menu without a website, or one you edit often | Dynamic, from a provider that keeps codes working. |
| A code for each table, with scan counts | Dynamic. |
| Flyer for a one-off event | Either. Dynamic if you want to know whether the flyer worked. |
How Qrunto handles this
Our free tools make static codes: the QR code generator, the Wi-Fi QR code generator and the WhatsApp QR code generator. No sign-up, no watermark, and they never expire.
The Qrunto app, coming soon, adds editable codes for menus, websites and reviews, with a numbered code for every table. We made one promise about them: if you stop paying for Pro, the codes you've printed keep working on the free plan.