Why do some QR codes expire?
Most QR code websites create dynamic codes by default. Instead of your link, the code contains a short link on their server, which then redirects to you. That lets them show scan statistics and edit the destination, but it also means the code only works while you keep paying. When the trial or subscription ends, the redirect stops and every printed code breaks.
Static codes don’t depend on anyone
A static QR code contains your link directly in its pattern. Phones read the link straight from the image, with no server in between. That’s what this generator makes, so there’s nothing to expire, cancel or renew.
Static or dynamic: which do you need?
- Static (free, permanent): menus, Wi‑Fi, business cards, posters, packaging, anything where the link won’t change.
- Dynamic (paid, editable): only if you must change the destination after printing or need scan analytics.
Tip: if you might change the destination later, point the code at a page you control, like your own website, and update that page instead. You get the flexibility of a dynamic code without the subscription.
How to tell if a code is static or dynamic
Read an existing code with the QR code scanner and look at the link it contains. If it shows your own website, it is static. If it shows a short link on a QR code company’s domain, it is dynamic and depends on that company. Codes made on this site always contain exactly what you typed.
Replacing a code that stopped working
- Find the page the old code was meant to open.
- Make a new static code for that page here.
- Replace or cover the old code on menus, signs and packaging.
- Next time, point the code at a page on your own site, so a change of link never means a reprint.