Dynamic vs static QR codes: the difference and which to choose

A dynamic QR code stores a short link to a service. When someone scans it, the service sends them to whatever destination the owner has set, so the destination can change and scans can be counted. A static QR code stores the actual data in the pattern: it passes through no one and cannot be edited, but it keeps working forever without depending on any service. Choose dynamic when the content may change or you want scan numbers. Choose static when the data is fixed, or when the scanning app must read the data straight from the pattern, as with WiFi codes and payment codes such as Thailand's PromptPay.

The difference at a glance

• Inside the pattern. Dynamic: a short link, such as qrfast.asia followed by a 6-character code. Static: the data itself, such as the full destination link, the WiFi name and password, or a payment ID.
• Editing. Dynamic: change the destination and printed codes keep working. Static: cannot be edited; you make and print a new one.
• Statistics. Dynamic: you see scan counts. Static: nobody knows how often it was scanned.
• Dependency. Dynamic: every scan goes through the provider's server. Static: depends on no one.
• What scanners see. qrfast dynamic codes: a landing page with an ad before the destination. Static: the content right away.

Why choose dynamic

• Editable destination. New menu prices, a new round of sign-ups, a postponed event: edit it on the manage link and printed signs keep working.
• Scan numbers. The qrfast manage link shows total scans, the last 30 days, the continue rate and a 7-day chart. A free account adds countries, devices, operating systems, time of day and CSV export.
• A sparser pattern. A 26-character short link fits a 25×25 pattern. A full Google Form link of about 100 characters would need 41×41 as a static code (at error correction level M). Printed at the same size, the first has larger modules, which cameras read more easily.
• Pause. Between sign-up rounds, for example, scanners see a notice that the code is paused.

The downsides to weigh

• It depends on a service. If the provider has an outage, shuts down or suspends the code, printed codes lead nowhere, and you cannot move a printed code to another provider. Static codes have none of these risks.
• A landing page with ads. qrfast is free because it shows ads on the landing page that scanners see before the destination. The page shows the name you gave the code, the destination domain and a safety check result, then a button such as "Continue to docs.google.com →". Owners cannot switch this page off, so scanners always make one extra tap.
• Scanning needs an internet connection, because the provider's page has to load first.
• You must keep the manage link. Without an account, the manage link is what lets you edit the code, and anyone who has it can edit it. Keep it safe, or add the code to a free account with "Add to my account".
• Scans are logged. qrfast records the time, country, device, operating system, browser, language and referring domain of each scan. IP addresses and user agents are stored only as daily hashes, never raw. Static codes log nothing.

When to use static

• WiFi: the phone has to read the network name and password from the pattern to join. Use the WiFi QR code page.
• Payments: banking apps read the payment details from the pattern itself. On qrfast that means PromptPay for Thailand; payment QR codes for other countries are not available yet.
• Phone, SMS, email and short text: data that rarely changes and works without opening a website.
• Prints that must last for years without depending on anyone, such as engraved plaques or packaging produced once in large runs.

On qrfast, PromptPay, WiFi, phone, SMS, email and text codes are all static: generated on your device, never sent to our server, with no landing page and no statistics. Every link-type code on qrfast is dynamic, and there is no option for a static link code. If your project falls under the last point and it is a web link, use a tool that makes direct static link codes.

When to use dynamic

• Restaurant menus whose prices change, and handouts you revise (file QR code)
• Sign-up forms that run in several rounds (Google Form QR code)
• Business cards whose number or title may change (contact card QR code) and events that may move (event QR code)
• Signs and ads where you want to know how many people scanned, and when
• Long links, such as Google Drive or Google Forms, that would make a dense static code

How to tell which kind a code is

Scan it and look at the text inside, for example with the QR scanner that reads from your camera or an image. A provider's short link, such as qrfast.asia followed by a code, means dynamic. A full destination link, or data starting with WIFI:, means static. A static code that is already printed cannot be turned into a dynamic one; you have to create and print a new code.

FAQ

Do dynamic QR codes expire?

Not on qrfast, unless the destination breaks our usage policy, in which case the code is suspended. Other providers may have different terms on lifetime or scan limits, so read them before a large print run.

What happens to printed codes if qrfast shuts down?

Every qrfast dynamic code would stop working, because the pattern points to qrfast.asia. This is the weakness of any dynamic code that uses the provider's domain. If a project cannot accept that risk, use a static code.