Which QR code generator should you use?
We make one of these, so read it with that in mind. Every figure comes from that company's own pages, linked under the table, so you can check any of it and decide for yourself.
The seven things that decide it
A dynamic code is one you can re-point after printing. Almost everyone gives away static codes, so free plans differ on how many editable ones you get, and on what your scanners have to sit through.
| Generator | Free editable codes | Scans on paid plans | Ads on the free plan | Caps your edits | Cheapest editable | Their logo on the code | Own domain |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| QRFLOW.codesOurs | 1 | Good for you: Unlimited | Good for you: No | Good for you: No | Good for you: $3* | Free plan only | Good for you: $3* |
| QR Cake | Good for you: 5 | Good for you: Unlimited | Watch out: Yes | Good for you: No | Good for you: $2.50* | Not applicable: None listed | Not applicable: Not stated |
| QR Tiger | 3 | Good for you: Unlimited | Watch out: Yes | Good for you: No | $7 | Not applicable: None listed | Watch out: $37* |
| Flowcode | 2 | Watch out: Analytics capped | Good for you: No | Good for you: No | Watch out: $25* | Watch out: Until $25/mo* | Watch out: $250* |
| Bitly | Watch out: None | Good for you: Unlimited | Good for you: No | Watch out: Yes, 5 a month | $10* | Not applicable: None listed | Watch out: $29* |
| Uniqode | Watch out: None | Not applicable: Not stated | Not applicable: No free plan | Good for you: No | $9* | Not applicable: None listed | Watch out: Add-on at $99* |
| QR Code Monkey | None | Not applicable: Uncounted | Good for you: No | Watch out: Cannot edit | None | Good for you: No | None |
| Canva | Good for you: Unlimited | Watch out: Business only | Good for you: No | Good for you: No | Good for you: Free | Watch out: Until $250/yr | Not applicable: Not stated |
* That price needs a year paid up front. QRFLOW is the one here you can also pay month to month, at $4 with no commitment; $3 is what it costs if you choose to pay yearly.
"None listed" means that company's own pricing page does not offer removing their branding from the code as a paid feature. Every figure was read on the company's own page, none older than 25 September 2026: QR Cake, QR Tiger, Flowcode, Bitly, Uniqode, QR Code Monkey, Canva. Prices move. If something here is wrong, write to hello@qrflow.codes and we will fix it.
The column most people miss
Bitly meters the edit itself. Their feature table calls it Redirects, and the free plan gets none: five a month on Core at $10, twenty on Growth at $29, a hundred and ten on Premium at $199 — each of those prices paid a year up front. Re-pointing a printed code is the entire reason dynamic codes exist, and it is sold by the handful.
QR Tiger's own FAQ is worth reading before you print five hundred menus: "If your plan expires, it will stop working." Uniqode's scan history runs 60 days on their $9 plan, 90 days at $49 and 180 days at $99; it is lifetime only on the $399 plan.
How to choose in a minute
- Printing something that will never change? A static code is all you need. Most tools here give those away without a limit, but Bitly's free plan stops at two QR codes a month and Uniqode has no free plan at all.
- Might the destination move? You need an editable code. Read the edits column before you pay, because one of these sells edits by the handful.
- Is anyone else going to scan it? Read the ad column. On some free plans your customer sits through someone else's advert before reaching you.
- Putting it on packaging or a storefront? Compare what an own domain costs. That is where the spread is widest.
- Making it inside a design tool? Canva's dynamic codes are editable free and uncounted, with Canva's own logo in the middle of the code until their Business plan at $250 a year per person, which is also where scan data starts. Adobe Express generates static codes only, for web addresses only.
Where we are hard to beat
Nobody scanning your code ever sees an ad from us. We never count your edits. Your printed codes keep redirecting if you cancel, capped at 500 scans per code a month on Free. Scan history has no expiry date, so nothing is deleted at 60 or 90 days. And your own domain is included at $4 a month.
Your first editable code is free, so you can change a printed code before deciding whether any of this is worth $4 a month.
New to the difference between the two kinds of code? Static vs dynamic QR codes.