Which kind of QR code to choose
A link QR code opens a web address: your website, a menu, a form, a review page, your link in bio. It's the most common kind and the one that works everywhere. Wi-Fi codes let guests join your network without typing the password — the phone camera shows a “Join network” button. WhatsApp codes open a chat with your number, with the first message already written; text-message codes do the same in the phone's messages app.
A contact card (vCard) code offers to save your name, number, email and website to the phone's contacts in one tap — useful on business cards, name badges and shop counters. An email code opens a new email to the address you choose, with the subject and message already filled in, which is handy for support, bookings and feedback.
Why some “free” QR codes stop working
Many generators make dynamic codes by default: the code holds a short link on their servers, which then sends people to your address. It lets them count scans — and it means the code only works while you keep paying. When the free trial ends, the printed flyers, menus and packaging lead to a page asking you to subscribe. It's one of the most common complaints about QR code sites.
The codes made here are static. The content itself — your address, the Wi-Fi details, the contact card — is written in the code's pattern, and nothing sits in between. They work without us, forever, as many times as they're scanned, with no watermark. The trade-off is honest too: a static code can't be changed after it's printed, and nobody can count its scans.
Static or dynamic: when each one makes sense
Static is right for anything that won't change: your Wi-Fi, a contact card, the address of your shop, a code on a one-off event poster. Dynamic makes sense when the code is printed on something that stays around — packaging, shop windows, vehicles, menus — and what it points to may change, or when you want to know how many people scan it.
A good middle ground is to point a code at a page you control. Put your Linktotem page in the code and you can change the links on it at any time: the printed code stays the same. With a Linktotem account you also get dynamic QR codes with scan counts, whose destination you change in the dashboard.
How to make a QR code that scans first time
Keep a dark code on a light background with strong contrast. Light codes on dark backgrounds look great but many phone cameras can't read them, and pale colours such as yellow or light grey fail in dim light. The meter under the preview checks the contrast of every colour for you.
Size matters: at least 2 × 2 cm on a business card, and about a tenth of the scanning distance on posters (scanned from 2 m away, make it 20 cm). Leave the white margin around the code, don't stretch it, and keep a logo small — the code has error correction, but a logo covering more than a quarter of it gets risky. Before printing a batch, test it with an iPhone and an Android phone, and download SVG for large formats so it stays sharp at any size.
Wi-Fi QR codes: what to know
The network name and password are written in the code, so anyone who has the code — or a photo of it — can join your network. For a shop, restaurant or holiday rental, the best practice is a separate guest network. Type the name and password exactly as they are on the router: capital letters, spaces and symbols all count.
iPhones (iOS 11 and later) and most Android phones (Android 10 and later) read Wi-Fi codes straight from the camera app. On older phones, a QR scanner app does the job. Hidden networks work too — tick the box so the phone knows to look for it.
Private by design
Everything happens in your browser. Your address, Wi-Fi password, contacts and logo are never sent to us or stored anywhere, and the PNG or SVG file is made on your device. Closing the page forgets it all.