What a dynamic QR code is
A dynamic QR code does not contain your content. It contains a short link, such as neoreader.com/q/xxxxxx, and that link forwards each scan to your real address. A dynamic QR code generator is a redirect service with a QR code on the front.
The redirect is what makes dynamic codes useful. You can change the link behind a printed code without reprinting it, and each scan can be counted, which is how QR code tracking works. It also means the code depends on its short link staying active.
A static code works the other way round. The link, Wi-Fi details or contact card is written into the pattern itself, so a phone reads it directly with no server involved. It cannot be edited after printing, but there is nothing that can expire or log your customers.
What you can do with a NeoReader dynamic code
Each member can have up to 250 dynamic codes for now. Everything is free while NeoReader Pro is being built.
- Edit the destination after printing, so a wrong link or a new offer never means a reprint.
- Pause a code and switch it back on later.
- Schedule a code with a start date and an end date.
- Cap a code at a set number of scans.
- Protect a code with a password.
- Add UTM campaign tags to the destination from the code's settings.
- See scan stats by day, country, device, operating system and browser.
- Manage codes from the members dashboard, through the free REST API or with the MCP server (see /developers).
No ads, pop-ups or waiting pages
Some free dynamic QR code generators show an advert or an interstitial page to the person scanning. NeoReader never does. Every scan goes straight to your destination, and visitors get no cookies from us.
The stats come from the scan request itself: the day, the country and the device, operating system and browser.
How to make a dynamic QR code
- Create a free account at /login with Google or an emailed sign-in link. There is no password to set.
- Open your dashboard at /account and choose New Code.
- Enter the destination and style the code, then add any schedule, scan cap, password or campaign tags you want.
- Download the code and print it.
- Test-scan the printed code. From then on you can edit the destination or check the stats from your dashboard.
Static vs dynamic QR codes
A static code that points at a page you control, such as yoursite.com/offer, also gives you flexibility: change the page, not the code.
- Static codes hold your content directly. They never expire, need no account and involve no tracking, but they cannot be changed after printing.
- Dynamic codes hold a short link. You can edit, pause, schedule and track them, and they need a free account.
- Wi-Fi, contact cards and plain text should stay static, because a phone can read them with no server at all.
- Use dynamic for links on printed material where the destination may change, or where you want scan stats.
Tracking scans without an account
You can also track visits from a static code. Add UTM tags to your link, such as ?utm_source=qr&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=spring, paste it into the generator above, then filter by that source in your website analytics. This counts visits rather than raw scans and needs no redirect.
What is coming with NeoReader Pro
Still coming soon with NeoReader Pro: routing by device, language or location, a custom short-link domain, team folders, hosted pages and file hosting for menus, PDFs and contact cards, bulk dynamic codes from a spreadsheet, and AI features. Everything listed above is available free today.
