The 6 best QR Code generators in 2024
A detailed comparison of QR Code generators (yes, I tested all of them).
When you want to lead your audience to your website from traditional marketing channels, such as OOH advertisements, in-aisle supermarket campaigns, or TV commercials, you need an instant way to connect the two. That’s where a good QR Code generator shines!
It’s important to find a QR Code generator that you can rely on when building an integrated campaign. A good generator will ensure your campaign ecosystem stays secure and seamless. Heinz Ketchup was embarrassed because its QR systems were compromised. :(
Today, when you search for the best QR Code generator, there are about 2,38,00,000 results on Google, and picking one is daunting. This is why I have narrowed it down to the 6 best QR Code generators that you can consider using.
Best QR Code generators by categories
- Uniqode QR Code generator — Pure player QR Code generator for businesses & teams
- QR Code Generator Pro — Another pure-player QR Code generator with limitations
- The QR Code Generator — Best free & easy-to-use QR Code generator
- QR Code Monkey — Good option as a free QR generator
- Adobe’s QR Code generator —complementary simple service along with Adobe Express project
- Canva’s QR Code generator — complementary humble service along with Canva subscription
What makes the best QR Code generator?
Paid vs free QR Code generators — First off, let’s address whether QR Codes are really free. I noticed a bunch of such conversations on Reddit, Quora, and other communities; and decided to address if before moving ahead. There are two kinds of QR Codes — static and dynamic. For dynamic QR Codes, all the QR Code generators, without an exception, have a 14-day free trial but if you wish to keep your QR Codes working after that, you HAVE to get a paid subscription. However, all the generators offer static QR Codes for free. With that out of the way, let’s discuss what makes the best QR Code generator.
- Ease of use — Creating QR Codes is an easy task — pick a tool that keeps it that way! Bonus points for a good onboarding flow, available help resources, and a well-done UX flow. We all love flows that take just a few clicks to get the primary work done!
- Customisations & QR Code design — Creating unique QR Codes includes options such as adding a brand logo on the face of the QR Code, changing the QR Code colors, the way the data patterns look, the background, and even the frame of the QR code. A customized QR Code helps you stand out.
- Analytics and reporting — First, your QR Code generator should have the option to create trackable QR Codes (dynamic codes). Now, you should have visibility into where your QR Code scans are coming from, what time of the day, and which device is being used to scan them. Bonus points for the ability to connect it to your Google Analytics, Google Tag Manager, or using UTM parameters. I also want to point out that most QR Code solutions today have unlimited scan limits, so that is out of comparison equations.
- Security standards — This should be non-negotiable if you are looking to put your QR Codes in front of a wider audience or make it a part of your mobile marketing plan. The best way to be sure about it is to trust international security certifications such as GDPR, SOC-II, and more.
- Accessibility to customer support — It is truly underrated but if you visit the G2 profile for QR Code generators, you will realize the frustration of users when it comes to some specific solutions. It’s important to understand if the support is only for premium customers or all customers that include trial users.
- Collaboration & control — If you are planning to set up and monitor a QR Code campaign with your team or organization, you should investigate how access is managed, how logins for each access, how are brand assets managed, and how branded custom domains can be set up.
During my 2 week testing, free trial on each platform, I managed QR Code campaigns for one of my freelance projects — a D2C company. They were launching a new beverage line — healthy soda for digestive health. I used one QR code generator for one kind of campaign so that I could get an experience of all simultaneously.
Best QR Code generators for your next campaign-
#1. Uniqode’s QR Code generator
Uniqode is the QR code solution leader on G2. The company recently rebranded itself from what people recognized as Beaconstac earlier.
While Uniqode offers a free option on its website that allows you to create a custom static QR Code, I’d encourage you to sign up for a free trial to experience all its features.
QR Codes created using this solution are dynamic, which means the destination URL can be changed later. You can even track metrics such as the number of scans, location, device used, etc. I also enjoyed the flexibility to push data into Google Analytics and view it in conjunction with other data sources, such as referral traffic, direct traffic, and more.
The solution particularly stood out for larger teams. The platform allows you to add multiple users and manage their access seamlessly. It also supports QR Code creation at scale and provides a best-in-class QR Code API. Their product philosophy is security-first and they talk about it extensively on their website. SOC® 2 certified, GDPR certified and anomaly detection algorithms are some of the highlights.
I was evaluating it as a solution for QR code on flyers, I tried customizing it as per my branding. I could add a logo, a background and customise the dots and dashes. I finally downloaded the QR Code in a vector format that ensures high-resolution images.
Key features:
- Security features- Uniqode supports enterprise brand needs with SSO login, SOC® 2 and GDPR-compliant security, age-gated redirects, password protection, and custom domains.
- Smart QR Codes- Going beyond dynamic QR Codes, you can offer personalized content based on smart rules such as time, day, etc.
- Organization- Filter QR Codes by number of scans, date created, QR Code type, label, and source (such as dashboard or bulk creation)
- Collaboration- Invite team members to collaborate, with the option to provide varying levels of access for each member
- Custom domain or URL slug- Replace long website URLs with either a custom domain or custom URL slug to personalize QR Code interactions with your audience
- Integrations- Uniqode allows you to link the dashboard with Google Analytics to analyze metrics and offers diverse integration options via Zapier
- Bulk operations- Create bulk QR Codes, download and conduct bulk operations on QR Codes. Assign labels to batches, and export data from multiple QR Codes at once.
- QR Code API- Create bulk QR Codes and automate QR Code commands, integrate QR Code API with apps, etc.
Reviews: Uniqode’s QR Code generator has great reviews on G2 (4.94/5), and most of these reviews repeatedly talk about its ease of use and super-responsive customer support.
Developed based on customer reviews and product capabilities, the G2 Grid recognizes Uniqode as a leader in the ‘QR Code Generator’ category:
Paid Plans: Uniqode’s QR Code solution starts at $5/month billed annually and has enterprise-ready options for large businesses.
#2. QR Code Generator Pro
First off, the website is easy to navigate and use. There’s a guide on creating a QR Code and common questions on printing and using them.
The solution offers customization options to change the color and pattern of the QR Code. You can choose a logo from the options and download a static QR Code. Any advanced features are available on the free trial.
However, once I was on the free trial, I discovered that I could not customize the shape of the QR Code, eye color, or shape. I could also not adjust the white space between the QR Code and the frame.
The dashboard also displays QR Code scans and dissects data based on cities and devices.
Key features:
- Customization- QR Code Generator Pro allows you to customize your QR Code color with its range of frames, and patterns. You can also change the color, but you can only download custom QR Codes in every other format except EPS.
- QR Code metrics- You can track the performance of your QR Code campaigns and assess metrics such as number of scans, time, location, etc.
- Collaboration and organization- The option of team collaboration allows you to add upto 5 members on the dashboard, along with different levels of access for each user
- Bulk QR Codes- Create bulk QR Codes and organize multiple batches on the dashboard
Reviews: However, QR Code Generator Pro’s reviews are not encouraging as its rated 2.6/5 on G2, and most reviews complain about uninformed upgrades and the lack of overall support.
Paid Plan: QR Code Generator Pro has self-serve plans that start at $9.99/month, billed annually. To know more about enterprise options, you have to email their support.
#3. The QR Code generator
Based on new updates, the-qr-code-generator has undergone a revamp. What used to be a basic dashboard that got the job done, now has custom templates, and supports all dynamic QR Code types such as PDF, URL, contact, app download, and multi URL.
The user interface is smoother, and upon signing up for a free trial, I was able to create dynamic QR Codes.
I found the existing customized templates quite useful for my use case on product packaging. I could also customize every element of the QR Code except for the shape.
As the last step, I could also choose the image size and format between PNG and SVG, before downloading.
Key features:
- Dynamic QR Codes- They offer two free dynamic QR Codes with a trial, but integrated with ads. To go ad-free, you would have to upgrade to a paid plan.
- Customization- The dashboard has customized, ready-to-use templates, and options to change the color, pattern, add a frame and CTA, etc.
- Tracking- You can check QR Code metrics such as time, date, and location of scan, represented in a graph
- Data security- Their enterprise plan is handled by Beaconstac, which is SOC® 2 and GDPR compliant, ensuring data security with all QR Code interactions
Paid Plans: The QR Code generator’s plans start at $5/month, billed annually. It also has options for enterprise plans powered by Beaconstac. You would have to schedule a demo to know more.
#4. QR Code Monkey
(Now acquired by QR Code generator Pro)
With QR Code Monkey, you can create and download a static QR Code, but for dynamic QR Codes you would have to sign up for a free trial.
With paid plans, you can also create dynamic QR Codes, add them under folders, and visualize their performance on the dashboard.
Wondering why it sounds familiar?
That’s because Bitly acquired QR Code Monkey. It’s the company that runs QR Code Generator Pro. Hence, signing up for a trial or using a paid version of the tool redirects you to QR Code Generator Pro’s dashboard.
QR Code Monkey also has a QR Code API hosted on RapidAPI.
Key features:
- QR Code templates- Without a trial, you can still access non-editable QR Code templates for your use case
- Minimal error correction- The solution has a minimal error correction feature enabled, so your QR Codes still work with up to 30% damage. There are no options to customize the error correction levels.
- Types of QR Codes- QR Code Monkey offers a wide range of static QR Code types such as SMS, text, vCard, WiFi, etc.
Paid Plan: The paid options are the same as QR Code Generator Pro, with self-serve plans starting at $5/month, billed annually.
5. Adobe Express (6/10)
Adobe Express offers a user-friendly QR Code generator with minimal customization options, perfect for basic needs such as sharing links.
The free plan provides access to static QR Codes, while paid plans unlock advanced design tools and do not include QR Code-related features.
For my use case on product packaging, I found the user interface helpful and easy, but I could not customize the elements of the QR Code, such as changing the eye pattern or shape. I also found the color palette limiting, for matching designs on product packaging.
Key features:
- Professionally-made templates: You can access diverse stylish templates by signing up for Adobe Express.
- Customization: Ability to add a logo, and change the color of the QR Code on the design platform.
- Free static QR Codes: Adobe offers unlimited free static QR Codes to share URLs
Paid plans: Adobe Express’s QR Code generator allows you to create free static QR Codes only. If you want access to more customization and design, you would have to sign up for their design suite, which starts at $9.99/month.
Dynamic QR Codes: Paid QR Code generator | Static QR Codes: Paid or free QR Code generator
Before we understand the QR Code generator you need for static QR Codes vs dynamic QR Codes, let’s also understand, what is a static QR Code vs a dynamic QR Code.
The primary difference between the two is — static QR Codes once created cannot change the destination link. However, dynamic QR Codes have the flexibility to change the link whenever you want.
As a virtue of how dynamic QR Codes are created and configured, you have the following benefits with dynamic QR Codes -
- You can track the scans coming from a dynamic QR Code
- You have a better scan success rate because the data patterns are scarce and not extremely condensed as in the case of static QR Codes
For a QR Code campaign that expects frequent scans, it is always recommended to pick a dynamic QR Code.
Now, if you have made up your mind on whether you need a static or a dynamic QR Code, let’s discuss the kind of QR Code generator you need.
If you need a static QR Code, any of the above stated 6 QR Code generators will work you. Even the paid ones, offer static QR Codes for free. In that case, you can pick the generator that offers most customisation features to you and helps you create a uniqode QR Code.
If you need a dynamic QR Code, you should consider the first bucket — Pure player QR Code generators. They have a 14-day free trial after which you have to pick a paid plan.
How do I choose a safe QR Code generator?
QR Codes have often been termed unsafe.
But here’s the thing: ensuring that your QR Code provider offers the right security is key. Security features do not allow phishing attempts and ensure secure content interaction with every scan.
Scanning through the reviews on G2, Uniqode stands out as the safest QR Code solution. Based on information available on the website, Uniqode takes the following measures to ensure a safe and secure QR Code experience:
- An anomaly detection shield — This helps identify inconsistencies in user scan behavior, notifies the account owner, and filters such traffic. This maintains data sanity.
- Phishing URL detection — This URL-based phishing detection protects end-users from malicious links attached to QR Codes.
- Custom domain & URL — Similar to company-owned email IDs, users verify the ownership of the QR Code by looking at the domain it redirects to. Uniqode’s QR Code platform allows brands to customize the URL to a branded one.
- SOCⓇ-2 Type 2 compliant — This is the only QR Code solution in 2024 that is SOC® 2 compliant. This is an assurance by security experts that the company is well-equipped to handle security attacks and is committed to rigorous security measures.
Additionally, here’s how Uniqode, QR Code Generator Pro, and some other QR Code platforms compare when it comes to ease of use and other crucial parameters:
Is a free QR Code generator safe?
The short answer to the question would be NO. When you are creating a free QR Code, it is not being hosted on safe server infrastructures and therefore they are not considered safe for a business. A free QR Code can only be used if the deployment is extremely private — such as a WiFi QR Code at home or a QR Code showing pictures at a private birthday party.
The verdict on best QR Code generators
The truth is, the “best” generator depends entirely on your specific needs. You can choose any QR Code maker from the list, and you get basic features such as customization, tracking, etc.
But if you were to scale up, choosing a suitable QR Code Generator built to support those needs is important.
The key is to think about your current and future needs. Are you running a one-time campaign or planning long-term engagement? What are the features you need? How important are they to your marketing strategy?
Once you have a clear picture of your requirements, dive into the best QR Code generators mentioned above! Ideally, your QR Codes should be scannable and brand-aligned for the best results.
Experiment, and pick the one that helps you create the best QR Codes for your marketing campaign.
And hey, after you’ve had some experience, come back and share your thoughts! Your insights can help others find the perfect QR Code generator for their own marketing journey.
