What one QR code costs per year: 14 services compared
We read the pricing pages of 14 QR code services on October 30, 2026 to answer one question: what does it cost to keep one editable QR code working for a year? For most paid tools the answer is between about $60 and $350. For ThreeDollarQRCode it is $3, once.
That is not the whole story. Free plans and free static codes exist, and some tools do much more than we do. This page shows both sides.
What one code costs
| Service | Per year | 3 years | Cheapest paid plan | Dynamic codes in that plan | Free plan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ThreeDollarQRCode | $3 in year 1, then $0 | $3 | One-time code | 1 per purchase, fixed destination | None needed |
| Scanova | ~$60 | ~$180 | Basic, $5/mo billed annually | 3 (static or dynamic) | 14-day trial only |
| Uniqode | ~$60 to ~$108 | ~$180 to ~$324 | Starter, $5 per user per month billed annually (from Uniqode's own Jan 2026 blog; its FAQ says "as low as $9/month") | Not listed | 14-day trial; free static codes |
| QR TIGER | ~$84 | ~$252 | Regular, $7/mo (the annual rate was not visible on the page) | 12 | 3 dynamic codes, 500 scans each |
| QRCodeChimp | $83.88 | $251.64 | Starter, $6.99/mo billed yearly | 50 | 10 dynamic codes, 1,000 scans a month |
| QRStuff | $100 | $300 | Lite | 50 | 10 dynamic codes that expire after 30 days |
| Hovercode | $120 | $360 | Pro | 100 | 3 dynamic codes, no time limit |
| Bitly | $120 | $360 | Core, $10/mo, annual billing only | 5 QR codes a month | 2 QR codes a month |
| The QR Code Generator | ~$120 | ~$360 | Flex, $10/mo billed yearly | 5 or 45 (page is unclear) | 2 dynamic codes, with ads |
| ME-QR | ~$126 | ~$378 | Lite, $10.50/mo billed yearly | No per-code cap | Free plan, with ads |
| QRCodeKIT | $240 | $720 | Starter, billed annually | 100 | 2 dynamic codes, 100 scans per code a month |
| Flowcode | ~$300 | ~$900 | Pro Plus, $25/mo billed annually | 50 | 2 codes, analytics to 500 scans |
| QR.io | $350 | $1,050 | Yearly plan ($39.99/mo if monthly) | Unlimited | 7-day trial only |
| Quality QR | ~EUR 48 | n/a (euros) | Pro, EUR 5/mo (yearly toggle says save 20%) | 10 | 1 dynamic + 5 static codes, no expiry |
| Unitag | GBP 205 | n/a (pounds) | Silver (priced in pounds) | Batches of 25 at a time | Trial only |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column. Amounts are in US dollars unless marked. A ~ marks a yearly total we calculated from a monthly price billed annually. Prices change, so check the linked page before you buy. We are not affiliated with any service listed.
How we compared
Nobody sells a single code on its own, so we took the cheapest paid plan from each service that includes at least one dynamic code, meaning one you can edit and track. We then counted what that plan costs over one year and over three years.
Every number comes from the service's own pricing page. Where a page would not load or its numbers conflicted, we say so below instead of guessing.
Free plans and free static codes
A static code stores the link directly in the pattern, so it costs nothing to keep working. The trade-off is that you cannot edit it later or count scans. These free tools make static codes:
- QR Code Monkey: Static codes, no expiry, no scan limit, commercial use allowed. Ads appear around the download button.
- goQR.me: Static codes, no expiry, commercial use allowed. An ad sits beside the download dialog.
- Adobe Express: Static codes for web addresses only. Adobe says they never expire.
- Free-QR.com: Static codes, no account, no watermark. Only its editable link codes report scans.
Several paid services also give away one to ten dynamic codes with limits, such as a cap on scans, ads on the page, or an expiry after 30 days. If a free plan covers what you need, use it.
When a subscription tool is the better choice
- You need to change where a code points after it is printed.
- You want detailed analytics, such as scans by city, device, or time of day.
- You manage many codes, a team, or bulk creation.
- You want to use your own domain for the links.
When a one-time code fits
If you print a code once and want it to keep working without an account, a renewal date, or a scan cap, one payment is simpler. You pay $3, download the SVG, and print it. Each code opens a page that shows the destination before the visitor leaves.
The trade-offs are real. The destination cannot be changed after you buy, so point the code at a page you can update. And like any code that goes through a service, ours depends on our site staying online. A plain static code from a free tool has no such dependency.
What we could not verify
- QRFY: its pricing page loads with JavaScript and showed nothing we could read.
- QR Code Generator (QRCG by Bitly): its prices did not load, so we could not confirm them. It offers a 14-day trial and no free plan.
- Canva: its site blocked automated reading. A competitor's article says Canva makes free static codes, which we could not confirm.
Questions
Why pay $3 if free static codes exist?
A free static code is a good choice when the link will never change and you don't need a page. ThreeDollarQRCode adds a landing page that shows the destination before visitors leave, plus a print-ready SVG, with no ads and no scan limits. It costs $3 because we host it.
Are these prices still current?
They were checked on October 30, 2026. Services change their prices, so confirm on the linked pricing page before you buy.
What does the ~ mean in the table?
Some pages show a monthly price when you pay for a year. For those, the yearly figure is that monthly price multiplied by 12. We calculated it. The page did not print the total.
What is a dynamic QR code?
A dynamic code points to a short link the service controls, so the owner can change where it goes and count scans. Several of the services above say dynamic codes stop working if the subscription ends.
Make your code for $3
Pay once. Pick the page your code opens and print it wherever you need it.