Guide

A QR code without a subscription

Most searches for "free QR code generator" end the same way: a code that's free to make, then a trial, then a monthly plan. If you're looking for a QR code you can print without signing up for a bill, here's the honest lay of the land.

First: you might not need to pay anyone

There are two kinds of QR code, and the difference decides everything.

Static codes put your address straight into the pattern of squares. Nothing sits in the middle, so nothing can be switched off. They never expire and never need a subscription. Plenty of tools make them for free.

The catch: a static code can never be changed. If the web address inside it moves, the printed code points at the old one forever.

Dynamic codes put a short link in the pattern instead, owned by the company that made the code. Scans go to that company first and are forwarded to you. That's what lets you change the destination later without reprinting. It's also why almost every dynamic code is sold as a subscription: the company keeps the forwarding running only while you pay.

Which one do you need?

A static code is fine if the destination will genuinely never change, for example your home page, a permanent social profile, or your WiFi at home.

You need a dynamic code if any of these might ever happen:

• the menu, price list or PDF gets replaced with a new file
• the booking link, form or listing changes
• the event moves, the page gets a new address, or you rebrand
• the code is printed on something expensive or permanent (signs, packaging, engraved or embroidered items) where reprinting would really hurt

In our experience, most printed codes end up needing a change sooner or later. That's exactly why the subscription model works so well for the companies selling it.

What subscriptions actually cost

Typical dynamic-code plans run from around $5 to $50 a month, and trial-led "free" generators often land between $19 and $49. A code on a restaurant table for five years at $19 a month is over $1,100. At $49 every four weeks, it's $637 a year.

That's before counting the risk: miss a payment and the code stops, wherever it's printed.

Questions to ask any QR generator before you print

1. What happens to my printed codes if I stop paying? You want this in writing.
2. Is the free plan really free, or a trial? Look for a day count.
3. Will I be charged automatically? If a card is taken for a trial, assume yes.
4. Can I change the destination without paying again? And how much each time?
5. Who owns the domain inside the code? Whoever owns it controls it.

A dynamic code with no subscription

This is why we built HelmQR. You get a dynamic, editable code for $25, one time:

• No subscription, no trial, nothing that renews. There's no plan to cancel, so there's no switch that turns your code off when a payment stops.
• Twelve kinds of code: website link, menu, PDF, image, video, business card, WiFi, social profiles, app store, coupon, business listing, or email/SMS.
• Your first change is free. After that, changing where it points is $5, charged only when you ask for one. Changes that mean reprinting anyway are free.
• Unlimited scans. Codes that open a page also show a scan count on your private edit page. No account or password.
• Need a page for it to open? A code plus a hosted page is $99, once, and editing the page is free forever.

Every editable code, ours included, depends on its company keeping a server running. We'd rather that company be one that isn't paid to switch codes off.

Get your QR code — $25 → · See the $99 pages →

Questions

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