Do static QR codes expire?

No. The content is stored in the pattern itself, so a static code works for as long as the link or information inside it is still valid.

Can I edit a static QR code?

Not the code itself. You can change the page it points to if that page is on a site you control, which gives you the same result without a redirect service.

Is a dynamic QR code better than a static one?

Only when you need to change the destination after printing or need scan reports. For most uses, static codes are cheaper, more private and cannot be switched off.

Can I track scans on a static QR code?

You can count visits by adding campaign tags to the link and reading them in your website analytics. That measures visits rather than raw scans, with no third party involved.

What happens to a dynamic QR code if I cancel my plan?

It depends on the provider. Many stop forwarding the code or show an upgrade page, which is why it is worth reading the terms before printing.

Static vs dynamic QR codes: what is the difference?

A static QR code stores your content, such as a link or Wi-Fi password, in the pattern itself, so it keeps working with no server involved. A dynamic QR code stores a short link to a provider's server, which lets you change the destination and count scans, but only while that service keeps running.

14 August 2026

How a static QR code works

A QR code is a way of writing text as a grid of squares. With a static code, that text is your actual content: the full web address, the Wi-Fi network and password, the contact card, the message. When someone scans it, their phone reads the text straight out of the pattern and acts on it. No server is asked anything.

That makes static codes permanent and private. There is nothing to switch off, no account to lapse and no record of who scanned. The trade-off is that the content is fixed. To change it you make a new code and replace the printed one.

The more you put in, the denser the pattern. A long web address with tracking parameters produces more, smaller squares than a short one, which matters when the code is printed small.

How a dynamic QR code works

A dynamic code contains a short link that belongs to the provider, something like their-domain/abc123. When it is scanned, the phone opens that short link, the provider's server logs the scan and forwards the visitor to your real address.

Because the code only ever holds the short link, you can log in and change where it forwards to without reprinting. The server also sees every scan, which is how scan counts, locations and device reports work. And because the short link is short, the pattern stays simple.

The catch is dependency. Every printed copy relies on that provider's redirect. If the trial ends, the payment fails or the company closes, the codes stop working or land on an upgrade page.

Static vs dynamic QR codes side by side

Expiry: static codes never expire. Dynamic codes work while the provider keeps the redirect running.
Editing: static content is fixed. Dynamic destinations can be changed after printing.
Tracking: static codes have no built-in scan counts. Dynamic codes report scans.
Privacy: a static code sends nobody through a third party. A dynamic code passes every scan through the provider.
Cost: static codes are usually free. Dynamic codes usually need a subscription after a trial.
Content types: Wi-Fi codes must be static, because the phone joins the network from the details in the code. Links, contacts and files can be either.
Speed: a static link opens directly. A dynamic one adds a redirect, and some free plans add an advert.

When a static QR code is the better choice

For most printed codes, static is the sensible default. Menus that link to your own site, Wi-Fi signs, business cards, product packaging, wedding invitations, posters and classroom handouts all benefit from a code that cannot be switched off by someone else. If you are printing thousands of labels, a static code also means you are not paying monthly for something that sits in a cupboard.

Static is also the right call when privacy matters. A code on a medical leaflet or a school letter should not report who scanned it to a marketing platform.

When a dynamic QR code is worth paying for

Dynamic codes earn their cost when the destination will genuinely change and you cannot control the page it points at, or when you need per-code scan reports across a large campaign. A code printed on a million cartons that must point somewhere different next quarter is a good example. So is an agency that has to report scans by region to a client.

If you go dynamic, check what happens when you stop paying, if scanners see adverts, and if you can use your own domain so you can move provider later.

The middle path: a static code to a page you control

You can get most of the flexibility of a dynamic code with none of the dependency. Point a static code at a page on your own website, then change the page whenever you like.

Pick a short, permanent address on your own site, such as yoursite.com/menu or yoursite.com/offer.
If you want to measure visits, add campaign tags to the link, for example ?utm_source=poster, so your analytics can tell where people came from.
Make a static code for that address and test-scan it.
When the offer or menu changes, update the page or set up a redirect on your own site. The printed code stays the same.

How to tell which kind of QR code you have

Scan the code with your phone camera or upload a photo of it to a scanner that shows the content before opening it.
Read the address. If it is your own domain or the full content, such as a Wi-Fi network name, it is static.
If it is a short link on a domain that belongs to a QR code company, it is dynamic, and it depends on that company.

Make a static QR code that never expires Free, no sign-up, private by default. Open the tool