How much does a dynamic QR code cost? The prices of the providers compared

Why dynamic QR codes cost money at all

A static QR code contains the destination directly and is therefore free to generate — any free tool can do that. A dynamic QR code instead points to a short address at the provider, which redirects every scan. This redirection must run as long as the printed QR code exists, and it is exactly for that you pay: for operation, accessibility, and the possibility to change the destination later.

That also explains why no provider gives out dynamic QR codes unlimitedly. Therefore, it is interesting not so much whether something costs, but rather how it is counted and how long one is bound to it.

Entry rates in comparison

Notable is the range at the start: For one QR code, QR Code Generator charges 16 Euro in the monthly subscription, while the free tariff of Same-QR covers the same number permanently. Conversely, the large quotas at QR TIGER are cheap — 200 QR codes for 16 Dollar per month, however only with annual payment.

Two models fall outside the norm. QRFY sells unlimited QR codes and prices solely based on duration: 39 Euro for three months, 29 for six, 19 for twelve. ME-QR gives away unlimited QR codes and funds it through advertising that scanners see before reaching the actual target — for customer communication, this is rarely acceptable. And QRCode Monkey, the most well-known free address altogether, gives away styled QR codes along with vector files, but only static ones; dynamic ones are sold by the parent company through QR Code Generator.

Four places where the invoice looks different than expected

• Annual commitment as the normal price: with Bitly Core, Flowcode Pro Plus, QRFY and the larger QR TIGER plans, the advertised monthly price only applies with annual payment; at QRCodeChimp monthly billing adds around 30 percent. qr1.at does not offer monthly payment at all, the minimum term is three months. At QR Code Generator the Starter costs 16 instead of 8 euros per month — twice as much.
• QR codes per month instead of overall: Bitly counts newly created QR codes per month (2 in the free plan, 5 in Core). If 20 QR codes are needed for a campaign, they are spread over months or a larger plan is required — with providers that have an overall quota, this is not an issue.
• Scan limits: The free plan of QR TIGER allows 500 scans per QR code, QRCodeChimp 1.000 scans per month and in Starter 10.000, the Starter of QR Code Generator also 10.000. A successful poster can thus run up to the limit in the middle of the campaign.
• Currency and tax: Dollar prices fluctuate with the exchange rate, and several providers list prices without value-added tax. At a 40 Euro list price, this results in nearly 48 Euro quickly.

Calculation example: 50 QR codes for one year

Fifty QR codes are a typical size for a chain of branches, a menu in multiple languages, or a series of product labels. With Same-QR, this is covered by the Marketing Starter plan, which costs 79 EUR/year (7.90 EUR/month excl. VAT), and it covers up to 50 QR codes. With QR Code Generator, you need a larger plan than the Starter, according to the pricing page only available with an annual contract; the current price is listed on the provider's pricing page. Flowcode costs 25 dollars per month, which is 300 dollars per year, also billed annually. QR TIGER would come with the Advanced plan for 192 dollars per year, but includes 200 QR codes. qr1.at covers 100 QR codes for 15 euros per month, but requires a minimum term of three months.

If you only need two or three QR codes, you pay in this class almost everywhere for unused capacity — here it's worth looking at the free plans and whether they last permanently or end after two weeks.

What you should check regardless of the price

Dynamic QR codes work only as long as the provider maintains the forwarding and your access is active. Therefore, three questions are more important than the monthly price before printing larger quantities: What happens to existing QR codes after cancellation, can the target be changed unlimitedly often, and do you receive a print file as a vector — that is, SVG or PDF — instead of just a PNG at screen resolution?

Frequently asked questions