QR codes are everywhere — on menus, packaging, posters, business cards. Making one should be instant and free, but a lot of “free” QR code generators quietly aren’t: they expire after a trial period, require an account to download, or track every scan through their own server.
How to create a QR code in 3 steps
Our Create QR code tool builds the code directly in your browser, with a live preview as you type.
- Enter a link or text. A website address, a phone number, plain text — whatever you want the code to hold.
- Adjust the design. Pick a colour, a background, and the error-correction level, and watch the preview update instantly.
- Download it as a PNG. The finished code is yours immediately, ready to print or share.
Why some “free” QR codes stop working
There are two basic kinds of QR code. A static QR code encodes your content directly — the link or text is baked into the pattern itself, and it will keep working forever, for free, because there’s no service behind it that can be switched off. A dynamic QR code instead points to a short redirect URL controlled by whoever generated it; that’s how some tools track scans or later change the destination, but it also means the code stops working the moment that company deletes the redirect, changes its pricing, or shuts down. The codes you create here are static — what you generate is what will always work.
Getting a QR code that actually scans well
- Keep enough contrast. Dark code on a light background scans far more reliably than the reverse.
- Don’t shrink it too much. A code printed smaller than about 2×2 cm can be hard for phone cameras to pick up.
- Test it before printing 500 of them. Scan it yourself with your own phone first.
Ready to make one? Create your QR code now — free, no account, and it will still work next year.