Static vs dynamic QR codes

How each one works

Static. The phone reads your link straight from the code and opens it. Nothing sits in between.

Dynamic. The code holds a short link owned by a QR company. When someone scans it, the phone visits the company’s server first. The server then sends the person on to your page.

Side by side

	Static	Dynamic
What is inside	Your real link or text	A short link from a QR company
Cost	Free	Usually a monthly or yearly plan
Can it stop working?	Only if your own page goes away	Also if the plan ends or the company closes
Change the link later?	No. Make a new code	Yes, in the company’s dashboard
Count scans?	No	Yes, usually
Works offline?	Yes, for Wi‑Fi, contacts and text	No. It always needs the company’s server
Privacy	No one sees the scan	The company’s server sees each scan

When static is the better choice

• You want the code to work for years, like on a sign, a book or a gravestone.
• You do not want a monthly bill.
• The code is for Wi‑Fi, a contact card or plain text. These only work as static codes anyway.
• You care about privacy. A static code does not report scans to anyone.

When dynamic can make sense

• You must change where the code goes after printing, and you cannot change the page itself.
• You need scan counts for a marketing campaign, and you are happy to pay for that.

A free trick: get “changeable” with a static code

Point your static code at a page you control, like yourshop.com/menu. When the menu changes, update that page. The code stays the same. You get most of the benefit of dynamic, without the monthly bill.

To count visits, you can use the visitor stats from your own website. Some people add a tag to the link, like ?from=flyer, so their stats can tell where visitors came from.

What QRVivid makes

QRVivid makes static codes only. They are free, they never expire, and we never see your scans.