Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a static and a dynamic QR code?

A static code carries its destination inside the image. The phone reads the link straight off the pattern and goes there, so nothing of ours is involved in the scan. That is why it is free, needs no account and keeps working forever — and also why nothing about it can be changed or counted afterwards.

A dynamic code carries a short link on our domain instead. Every scan reaches us first, we look up where that code should point today, and we send the phone on. That round trip is what buys you an editable destination and a count of who scanned it.

Can I change where a code points after it is printed?

With a dynamic code, yes — as often as you like, and the printed image never changes. The short link inside the pattern is fixed for the life of the code; only the destination behind it moves.

With a static code, no. The link is part of the pattern, so changing it means generating a different code and reprinting everything the old one is on.

Can I turn a static code I already printed into a dynamic one?

No. They are different images, so anything already printed goes on pointing where it always did. This is the one decision worth making before a print run rather than after: if there is any chance the destination will move, print a dynamic code.

Do static QR codes expire?

Never. A static code keeps working with or without an account, whether or not you ever subscribe, and whether or not we are still here. Scanning one does not contact us, so there is nothing for us to switch off.

I generated a static code and closed the page. Can I get it back?

Not from us — the free generator never stores your code or its link, which is deliberate and is why it needs no account. Paste the same link in again and you get the same image: the pattern is worked out from the link, not looked up.

What can a QR code contain?

The free generator on our home page makes a code for a web link. Inside your account a code can also be one of these: Wi-Fi Network, Email, WhatsApp, Contact (vCard), SMS, Phone Call and Calendar Event. Someone scanning one gets the right thing for its kind — a Wi-Fi network to join, a contact to save, a message ready to send.

Can I add a logo and change the colours, and will it still scan?

Yes. Codes in your account take a colour of your choosing, one of four patterns, and a logo in the middle.

A centre logo covers modules that would otherwise carry data, so we hold it to a quarter of the code at most and raise the error correction to its highest level automatically whenever one is present. That is what keeps a code with a logo readable. A code with a logo is produced as a PNG, because the logo is composited into the image.

Keep the code dark on a light background rather than the other way round, and scan the finished artwork yourself before it goes anywhere.

What should I check before printing?

Use the SVG if your printer accepts one. It is vector, so it stays sharp at any size, from a business card to a billboard. The PNG is there for everything that wants a picture instead.

Size it for the distance. A rough rule that holds up well: the code wants to be about a tenth as wide as the distance it is scanned from — two centimetres for a leaflet in someone's hand, a good deal more for a poster read across a room.

Leave the margin alone. The clear border around the pattern is part of the code, and cropping it to fit a layout is the most common reason a printed code will not scan.

Test the proof, not the screen. Scan the actual printed piece with more than one phone before the run goes ahead.

Is the free trial really free?

Yes. Every new account gets 7 days of the full paid service and we ask for no payment details to start it. Nothing is charged when it ends — there is no card on file to charge. If you decide against subscribing, your dynamic codes simply stop resolving and everything you made stays in your account.

Who charges me, and is tax included?

Dynamic codes cost $5.90 a month or $49 a year, and tax is included in that figure: AgentaOS is the merchant of record for every purchase and settles VAT or sales tax for your country out of it. The price you see is the total you pay, with nothing added at checkout.

Your invoice and receipt come from AgentaOS, and the charge appears on your statement under their name rather than ours. If you are looking at a line on your statement you do not recognise, that is what it is.

Can I switch between monthly and yearly?

Not in a single step, and we would rather say so than bury it. There is no switch button: you cancel the plan you are on and subscribe to the other one. Cancelling leaves your access running to the end of the period you have already paid for, so nothing goes dark in between.

If the timing is awkward — you have just paid for a year and want to be on the monthly plan, or the reverse — email us at [email protected] and we will sort it out rather than leave you to it.

How do I cancel?

From the Subscription page in your account, in two clicks. Cancelling stops the next renewal and nothing else: you keep the full service until the end of the period you have paid for, and your codes, destinations and scan history all stay where they are.

Can I get a refund?

If you change your mind within 14 days of your first payment on a plan, email us from the address on your account and we will refund it in full, no reason needed.

Renewals sit outside that window: a renewal continues a subscription you have already had a full billing period to judge, and stopping one before it is charged takes two clicks. The details, including what happens if we are at fault, are in our Refund Policy. If you are a consumer in the EU or the UK, nothing there limits the rights you have by law.

What happens to my codes if I stop paying?

Your static codes are untouched. They never depended on us, and they keep working as long as the page they point to is there.

Your dynamic codes stop redirecting. Anyone who scans one sees a plain notice that the code is not active — they are not shown a bill or asked to pay anything, because they are a stranger who scanned a poster. Your codes, their destinations and all of your past analytics are kept, and every code starts resolving again the moment you subscribe.

A failed renewal is not instant either. We add 7 days on the end of a paid period, so a card that needs replacing does not darken everything you have already printed while your bank retries it.

How many codes can I create?

A subscription covers 5 dynamic codes and 50 saved static codes. The free generator on our home page is unlimited and counts towards neither, because nothing it makes is saved.

These ceilings apply to making codes, never to scanning them. Reaching the limit stops you creating the next code; it never stops a code you have already printed from working.

What if I need more than 5 dynamic codes?

Ask us. The ceiling is set per account and we can raise yours — email [email protected] with a rough idea of how many you need and what for.

What do you record when someone scans my code?

For each scan of a dynamic code: the date and time, the approximate country, the device type, operating system and browser the phone reports, and the referring page where there is one. You see all of it, as totals and as individual scans.

We do not store the IP address of anyone who scans a code, and nothing recorded is tied to a name or used to recognise the same person across your codes or on a later visit. Scan records are deleted automatically after 24 months. Static codes produce no scan data whatsoever — we never learn that the scan happened. Our Privacy Policy says all of this at greater length.

What happens if I delete my account?

Everything goes with it: your dynamic codes stop resolving permanently, their short links are never reissued to anyone else, and your scan history is deleted. Static codes you have already downloaded or printed carry on working, because they never depended on the account.

If what you actually want is to stop paying, cancel instead — that keeps the codes and the history, and leaves them ready to resume.