Static vs dynamic QR codes: which one do you need?
Every QR code is a pattern of squares that stores text. What that text is decides whether a code is static or dynamic, and that choice matters most once the code is printed.
Static QR codes: the content is in the pattern
A static code stores your content directly: a web address, a WiFi password, a contact card or a payment request. Nothing sits between the person scanning and your content, so a static code works for as long as that content does. There is no account, no subscription and nothing to expire.
The trade-off is that you can't change a static code. If the link changes, or the WiFi password does, you need a new code. Static codes also can't count scans, because nothing is contacted when someone scans.
Dynamic QR codes: the code holds a short link
A dynamic code stores a short link, such as a link on our domain. When someone scans, the short link sends them on to your real destination. Because the redirect happens on a server, you can change the destination at any time and see how many people scanned, from which countries and on which devices.
Dynamic codes also make smaller patterns, because a short link is shorter than most real addresses. Smaller patterns scan faster and from further away.
Side by side
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| Change content after printing | No | Yes |
| Scan statistics | No | Yes: scans, countries, devices |
| Works offline (WiFi, contacts, text) | Yes | No, needs a connection |
| Expires | Never | Works while the short link is active |
| Pattern size | Grows with the content | Small and constant |
| Cost | Free | One free, more on paid plans |
Which one should you use?
- Use static for WiFi, contact cards, payments, plain text and anything that must work without a connection or a subscription.
- Use dynamic for anything printed in quantity or for a long time: packaging, menus, posters, ads, product labels and business cards that link to a page.
- Use dynamic whenever you want to measure results, test campaigns or switch the destination for different seasons.
Can I make a static code behave like a dynamic one?
Partly. Point a static code at a page you control, such as yourshop.com/menu, and you can change what's on that page without reprinting. To count visits, add UTM tags to the link and read them in your analytics. See how to track QR code scans for the details.
What happens to a dynamic code if I stop paying?
On ScanMosaic, your first dynamic code is free forever. Codes beyond the free allowance keep working for 14 days after a plan ends, then show a 'paused' page until you renew. Nothing is deleted. Static codes are never affected. Compare plans on the pricing page.