Static versus dynamic QR codes
Shop around for QR generators and you will keep seeing 'dynamic QR codes', codes whose destination you can change after printing. Once you know how they work, the price of that convenience becomes clear.
The code itself cannot change
In a QR code the pattern of dots is the content. Once printed, the text inside is fixed forever. So a ‘code whose destination you can change later’ means something behind the code changes, not the code.
What a dynamic code really is
A dynamic code does not hold your destination. It holds a short address belonging to the service provider. When a phone opens it, the provider's server forwards the visitor to whatever destination is currently configured. Change the destination in the dashboard and the printed code keeps working.
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| What it contains | Your destination | The provider's address |
| Change destination later | No | Yes |
| Scan statistics | None | Yes |
| If the provider shuts down | Unaffected | Code dies |
| If the subscription lapses | Unaffected | Code dies or shows ads |
| Speed | Direct | One extra hop |
The cost of convenience
The biggest risk is that your printed material now lives or dies with one company. If the provider closes, changes its pricing or ends a free trial, every business card and sign you have handed out stops working at once. Some providers redirect expired codes to their own ad pages or a payment wall instead of your destination.
There is also trust. Phones preview the address before opening it, and a dynamic code shows an unfamiliar short link. Short links that hide the destination are a staple of QR scams, so the more careful your audience, the more likely they hesitate.
Which one to use
Static fits
- Long-lived print: business cards, packaging, signage
- Destinations that will not change
- When you do not want to depend on a third party
Dynamic fits
- Short-lived campaigns that need visit statistics
- Cases where the destination is certain to change after printing
Want to change the destination later without the lock-in? Create an address on your own domain, put that in a static code, and set it to forward wherever you like. Put yourdomain.com/card in the code and change only where it points. As long as you keep the domain, the code lives.
Codes from this site
Every code made here is static. Your address goes in as is, with no intermediate link and no tracking. If this site disappeared tomorrow, the codes you have already saved would keep working.