Free on every plan · PNG and SVG
Free QR codes that track every scan
Every ShortURL short link has its own QR code, on every plan, Free included. A scan opens the short link, is counted as a scan, and lands on your page. Download the code as a PNG or SVG and print it anywhere.
No account needed for your first code.
How QR scan tracking works. One link, two counts.
A QR code can't count anything by itself. It is tracked because the link inside it counts every visit.
Someone scans the code
The code holds your short link with ?q on the end. Any phone camera opens it.
shrt.example/spring-menu?qShortURL counts a scan
The ?q marks the visit as a QR scan. It is logged like any click: time, country, device and browser.
source: "qr"They land on your page
A redirect to the destination you set. The ?q is dropped, so your page never sees it.
302 → example.com/menu
Scans are part of the link's click count, not a separate number. The link's page in the console shows both, as in "120 clicks, 34 from QR", each scan in the recent clicks list carries a QR badge, and the API returns the count as qrScans.
Give each placement its own short link: shrt.example/menu-window for the window poster and shrt.example/menu-table for the table cards, both pointing at the same menu. Each gets its own code and its own count, so you can see which one people scan.
What you get with every code.
Codes from the console are plain: near-black on white, the colours every scanner reads.
- Every plan
A QR code for every link
Nothing to create or switch on. Every short link has one, on every plan, Free included.
- PNG + SVG
Downloads for screen and print
A 1024-pixel PNG for slides and documents, and an SVG that stays sharp at any print size.
- Scans vs clicks
Scans counted apart from clicks
The poster and the bio link can share one short link and still report separately: "120 clicks, 34 from QR".
- Per scan
Country, device and browser
Each scan records what a click records, with the same link analytics. Location stops at the city, estimated from the IP address.
- Link controls
Expiry, passwords, on and off
The printed code follows the link: set an expiry, add a password or switch the link off, and every copy obeys.
- REST API
QR data in the API
Every link object carries qrUrl, and GET /links/:id returns qrScans. On every plan.
Printed a code for an app? Give the link an iPhone and iPad address and an Android address: a phone that scans it goes to your App Store or Google Play page, and everyone else lands on your website.
Before you print.
A printed code can't be fixed afterwards. Five checks to run before the full print order.
Keep the quiet zone
Denso Wave: a QR code "requires a four-module wide margin at all sides". The downloads include it, so don't crop the white border or print over it.
Dark on light, never inverted
Denso Wave asks for black on a white background. ShortURL codes are near-black on white; keep them off busy photos and coloured panels.
Use the SVG
A vector file scales from a business card to a banner without blurring. Hand the printer the SVG, not a screenshot.
Short slugs make simpler codes
A 5-character random slug fits in a 25 × 25 grid. A long custom slug needs more modules, and each one prints smaller at the same size.
Test at the final size
Scan a printed proof with two or three different phones, from where people will actually stand, before the full run.
QR codes: questions, answered.
Are ShortURL QR codes free?
Yes. Every short link has its own QR code on every plan, Free included, and scans are tracked at no extra cost. The Free plan holds 25 links. You can also make a code on the home page without an account; that one carries a small ShortURL mark in the middle, while the codes in your account are plain.
Can I track how many people scanned my QR code?
You can see how many times it was scanned. The code opens your short link with ?q on the end, so each scan is counted as a click and marked as a QR scan, and the link's page shows a line such as "120 clicks, 34 from QR". ShortURL counts scans, not people: one person scanning twice counts twice.
Do the QR codes expire?
No. The code itself never expires: it points at your short link for as long as the print exists. It stops working only when the link does: after an expiry date you set (scans see a "Link expired" page), when you switch the link off ("Link not found"), or when the link reaches its visit limit. Extend the expiry or switch the link back on and the same printed code works again. Don't delete a link that's in print: deleting it through the API frees the slug for anyone else.
Can I change where my QR code goes?
Yes, through the API. The code holds the short link, not your destination, so changing the link's destination (PATCH /links/:id with destinationUrl) changes where every printed copy goes, with no reprint. The console has no form for it. The slug can't be changed, so the code itself stays the same.
Should I use PNG or SVG for print?
SVG. It is a vector file, so it stays sharp at any size, from a sticker to a banner. The PNG is 1024 pixels wide, which suits slides, documents and the web. Both include the white border (the quiet zone) that scanners need.
What is the difference between static and dynamic QR codes?
A static QR code holds the destination itself, so once printed it can't be changed, and only the destination site can count the visits it brings (with UTMs, for example). A dynamic QR code holds a short link that redirects, so scans can be counted and the destination can change. ShortURL codes encode a short link (shrt.example/your-slug?q), so they behave like dynamic codes: every scan is counted, and the destination can be changed through the API.
Do QR codes track your location?
Not with GPS. Scanning a ShortURL code opens a web link, and ShortURL records the country and city the request came from (estimated from the IP address), as it does for any click. It never records the exact position.
Keep reading
- Pricing QR codes and scan counts on every plan, Free included; paid plans add links and history.
- ShortURL API Create links and read their qrUrl and scan counts from your own code.
- Link Analytics Every click and scan with country, device, browser and referrer.
- Free URL Shortener Shorten a link without an account, then sign up to keep it and its QR code.
Your first QR code is one link away.
Paste a link on the home page and press Create QR code. Sign up free to keep it and see scans apart from clicks.