A QR code on a table tent, a yard sign or fifty thousand cartons is a promise: point a camera at it and the right thing happens, first time, for as long as that print run exists. What a QR platform charges for is the machinery that keeps the promise.
For a code you can edit after printing, that machinery is substantial. The redirect has to answer in milliseconds from any country and any network, and it has to keep answering on the Saturday night when the campaign works. Every scan has to be captured without slowing the scanner down, then turned into numbers you can act on: how many people scanned rather than how many taps, and which day they did it on in your own local time. PDF documents have to be replaceable without needing to reprint the code. A code printed on packaging with an eighteen month lead time has to still resolve years later.
Standing up a redirect of your own takes an afternoon. Keeping it answering in milliseconds years later, with the scan data accurate and the codes still working long after the print run has gone out, is a standing commitment rather than a project. What separates the nine tools below is how much of it you get, and how hard they meter it.
All nine below are measured on the same question. What is the highest value plan that gets you a code you can edit after it is printed, how many of those codes does it include, and what happens to them when you stop paying?
The 9 tools at a glance
Annual billing where the vendor offers it, which is how these products are usually sold.
| # | Tool | Key features | Entry price | Per year | Dynamic codes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | QRFlow qrflow.co Best overall | Unlimited dynamic codes, analytics included, no scan cap | $4/mo Premium, billed $48/year | $48 | Unlimited |
| 2 | QR Tiger qrcode-tiger.com | Bulk creation, broad code type coverage | $5.42/mo Regular, billed $65/year | $65 | 12 to 600 by plan |
| 3 | QRCodeChimp qrcodechimp.com | Design templates, vCards, landing pages | $6.99/mo Starter, billed annually | $84 | 50 on Starter |
| 4 | Uniqode uniqode.com | SSO, user roles, bulk deployment | $9/mo Essential, billed annually | $108 | 15 on Essential |
| 5 | QR Code Generator qr-code-generator.com | Wide code type library, template-driven editor | $9.99/mo Starter, billed annually | $120 | 2 on Starter |
| 6 | Bitly bitly.com | Short links and QR codes in one dashboard | $10/mo Core, billed annually | $120 | 5 per month on Core |
| 7 | Flowcode flowcode.com | Custom code design, NFC hardware, creative services | $25/mo Pro Plus | $300 | 50 on Pro Plus |
| 8 | QRCode Monkey qrcode-monkey.com | Free static codes, logo and color styling | Free Static codes, no account needed | No dynamic plan | None |
| 9 | Canva canva.com | Static codes inside a Canva design | Free QR generator included in Canva | No dynamic plan | None |
1. QRFlow
QRFlow gives you all of that for $4 a month, and does not meter it. Unlimited dynamic codes, no cap on scans, analytics on the entry plan. A cafe with one menu code pays what a franchise with four hundred pays.
The detail is where the money goes. Analytics count people rather than taps, and reports follow your own trading day, with a timezone you can set per code, so a busy Friday evening shows up on Friday and you can tell which day actually worked. PDFs are hosted and swappable in place, so a seasonal menu changes without a reprint. Forms collect responses straight from a scan. Folders and bulk import keep hundreds of codes manageable. Permanent codes are static, with the URL in the pattern rather than behind a redirect, so they keep working after the subscription ends.
Unlimited dynamic codes, not a quota
Create as many editable codes as you want on the $4 plan. Nothing else here matches that: the next cheapest paid plan includes 12.
How dynamic codes workAnalytics on the entry plan
Total scans, unique scanners, devices, countries and daily trends, in the timezone you pick, with CSV export. Not held back for a higher tier.
See the analyticsNo monthly scan cap
Your codes never pause because a campaign did better than expected. That is a real failure mode elsewhere in this list, and it happens on printed material you cannot recall.
What each plan includesCodes that outlive the subscription
Permanent codes are static codes: the URL is encoded in the pattern, so they work with no server in the path and keep working after the subscription ends. No editing or scan data, which is the trade for a destination that never moves.
About permanent codesPDFs, forms and folders included
Host a menu or price list and swap the file without reprinting, collect responses from a scan, and keep hundreds of codes organized.
PDF codesBulk when you need it
Import and update up to 1,000 codes at a time on Business at $15 a month, or buy a one-off Bulk Pass instead of moving tier.
Bulk importThe plans
- Free. Unlimited codes with a 7 day expiry, no card required.
- Premium, $4/mo. Billed $48 a year. Unlimited dynamic codes with no expiry, analytics, PDF hosting, colors and logos, high resolution PNG, SVG and JPEG.
- Business, $15/mo. Billed $180 a year. Everything in Premium plus bulk import and update for up to 1,000 codes, and ZIP export.
Unlimited dynamic codes for $4 a month
Create a code on the free tier first. No card, and nothing expires while you are trying it out.
Try QRFlow free2. QR Tiger
Covers a broad set of code types, with bulk creation tools on the higher plans for teams generating codes in batches.
Limits: Regular includes 12 dynamic codes, and bulk creation starts on the $16/mo Advanced plan, so growth means a tier upgrade rather than more codes.
3. QRCodeChimp
Design-led templates with vCard and landing page builders, and a free tier that includes 10 dynamic codes.
Limits: Plans cap monthly scans, from 1,000 to 150,000. Cross the cap and your codes are paused until the next month.
4. Uniqode
Enterprise controls: single sign-on, user roles and permissions, and bulk deployment across large teams.
Limits: Essential keeps 60 days of scan data with no location or device breakdown. Those start on Core at $49/mo, about $588 a year, and every plan is billed annually.
5. QR Code Generator
A long-established platform covering most code types, with a template-driven editor. Dynamic codes are available from the Starter plan up.
Limits: Starter includes only 2 dynamic codes, so most buyers end up on the $18.99/mo Advanced plan, about $228 a year.
6. Bitly
Short link management with QR codes in the same dashboard, backed by the link analytics the product is built around.
Limits: The QR allowance is small for the money: 5 codes and 5 destination edits a month on the $10 Core plan, and 10 codes a month on the $29 Growth plan.
7. Flowcode
Custom code design alongside NFC hardware and creative services, aimed at brand campaigns that combine print and physical media.
Limits: Pro Plus caps dynamic codes at 50, and pricing climbs steeply above that tier.
8. QRCode Monkey
Free static codes with logo and color styling and high resolution exports, with no account required.
Limits: Static only: no analytics, and the link is fixed once printed. Editing and stats hand you off to a separate paid product.
9. Canva
Generates a static code inside a Canva design, so the code lands directly in the artwork being made.
Limits: Static only: the link is locked after creation and there is no scan data.
What businesses use them for
The bill is the same whether you print one code or four hundred, so the honest question is what you would put them on. These are the jobs QR codes are doing for the businesses using them, from a single cafe to a franchise network.
Restaurants and cafes
Table tents and window cards pointing at the menu. The dish list changes with the season, the code does not, and the PDF behind it is swapped in a minute.
QR codes for menusRetail and packaging
Product pages, care instructions, reorder links and registration flows on the box itself. Print runs outlive campaigns, so the code has to be repointable years later.
QR codes for retailEvents and venues
Schedules, room directions, tickets and feedback forms that change hour to hour, on signage printed weeks before the doors open.
QR codes for eventsReal estate
Yard signs and window cards that point at the current listing, then get repointed to the next one when the property sells rather than reprinted.
QR codes for listingsSales and networking
Business cards, badges and one-pagers that hand over contact details, plus scan data telling you which conference actually produced interest.
QR codes for business cardsPrint, mail and out of home
Flyers, posters, packaging inserts and direct mail. A dynamic code turns the least measurable channel you buy into one with a scan count behind it.
What the analytics showOperations and field teams
Labels on equipment, meeting rooms and stock that open a manual, a maintenance log, or a form for reporting a fault straight from the scan.
Forms from a scanMulti-location and franchise
One code per store or per campaign, kept in folders, created hundreds at a time by CSV, each with its own scan history and its own local timezone.
Bulk importWhat to check before you pay
Dynamic or static
A dynamic code redirects through the provider, so you can change the destination after it is printed and see the scans. A static code has the URL baked into the pixels: cheap, permanent, and impossible to correct.
How many codes the plan includes
This is where the real price hides. Two products at $25 a month are not comparable if one gives you 50 codes and the other gives you 10 a month.
Scan caps
Some plans cap monthly scans and pause your codes when you cross the line. A paused code on printed signage is a dead code, so check the cap before the print run, not after.
What happens when you stop paying
On most platforms the codes stop redirecting when the subscription lapses, which means the printed material stops working too. Ask what survives cancellation.
Whether analytics are included or upsold
Scan counts, unique scanners, devices and countries are often reserved for a higher tier. If the reason you want a dynamic code is measurement, price the tier that actually measures.
Start with the $4 one
Unlimited dynamic QR codes, scan analytics and PDF hosting, for less per year than any other paid plan on this page.
Create a QR code freeCommon questions
What is the best QR code generator?
For most people it is QRFlow, at $4 a month with unlimited dynamic codes and analytics included. Among the others, Flowcode adds NFC hardware and design services, Uniqode adds single sign-on and user roles, Bitly keeps short links and codes in one dashboard, and QRCode Monkey and Canva make free static codes.
What is the cheapest QR code generator with dynamic codes?
QRFlow, at $4 a month billed $48 a year, with no cap on the number of codes. The next cheapest entry plan is QR Tiger at $65 a year, about $5.42 a month, which includes 12 dynamic codes.
Are free QR code generators safe to use?
For a static code, yes: the destination is encoded in the pixels, so nothing sits between the scanner and your link. The risk is with free dynamic codes, which redirect through a provider that can expire or repurpose the code later. If it is going on something printed, know who controls the redirect.
Do QR codes stop working if I cancel?
Dynamic codes usually do, on every platform, because the redirect belongs to the provider. Static codes are the exception: the destination is encoded in the pattern itself, so there is no redirect to switch off and nothing to expire. QRFlow calls these permanent codes, which are the same thing under a clearer name, and they keep working after a subscription ends. The trade is that a static code cannot be edited or tracked, so it suits a destination that will not change.