Checked October 28, 2026
QR code generators, compared on the things that bite later.
Most QR sites are fine until the day a printed code stops working. This table is the four facts that decide that: how many editable codes you get free, what the catch is, whether a code can stop working, and what it costs. Read from each company's own pages on October 28, 2026.
Everything in this table is about editable codes (the kind you can change after printing). Two free plans are good if they fit: Flowcode for two codes, Canva if you can live with its logo. Most of the rest have a catch that can stop a printed code. Regular codes, where the link is drawn into the picture, can't stop working anywhere.
| Service | Free editable codes | The catch | Can a code stop working? | What it costs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Permly | NoneEditable codes are paid. Regular codes are free and unlimited. | You pay up front$9 for 1 editable code, $19 for 3, or $49 for 25. | NoNo expiration date, no scan limit, and a written promise about what happens if we ever close. | $9 onceFor 1 editable code ($19 for 3, $49 for 25). Nothing after that. |
| Flowcode | 2Change where they go as often as you like. | Only 2Scan statistics stop after 500 scans, though the codes keep working. A third editable code means a paid plan. | NoFlowcode says its codes never expire and have unlimited scans. If you leave a paid plan, only your 2 newest codes stay editable; all of them keep scanning. | Free for 2More than 2: Pro Plus, $25 a month billed annually ($300 a year), renewing. |
| QR TIGER | 3Their FAQ calls them dynamic, but the pricing page lists "Edit your QR code link any time" only on paid plans. | Stop at 500 scansTheir FAQ says each free editable code has a 500-scan limit, and after that "the QR code will stop working". | YesFree codes at 500 scans. Paid codes too: their pricing FAQ says they "will only stop working once the plan expires." | $65 a yearRegular: 12 editable codes, US$65 billed yearly (or US$7 a month). The codes stop if the plan lapses. |
| QR Code Generator (by Bitly) | Trial only14 days. | Trial, then deadWhen the trial ends, editable codes are deactivated and send people to a service page until you pay. | YesWhen the free trial ends. | $120 a yearStarter: 2 editable codes and 10,000 scans, $119.88 a year, renewing. |
| Bitly | NoneYou get 2 codes a month, but changing where a code goes ("redirects") starts on the paid Core plan. | Can't change the linkThe free plan is labeled "with ads". | Not statedBitly lists unlimited scans on the free plan. | $120 a yearCore, $10 a month billed annually, renewing. Adds redirects; 5 codes a month. |
| Canva | UnlimitedChange where they go any time. | Canva logo on itEditable codes on Free and Pro carry the Canva logo. Removing it takes Canva Business. | NoCanva: "Without an expiry date, your QR code never expires." | Free, with their logoWithout the logo: Canva Business, $250 a year per person, renewing. |
| Uniqode | Trial only | Trial, then deadTheir FAQ: "Once your free trial expires, any dynamic QR Codes you created will become inactive." | YesWhen the free trial ends. | $108 a yearEssential: 15 editable codes, $9 a month billed yearly. Annual plans only, renewing. |
| QRCodeChimp | 10 | Pause at 1,000 scans1,000 scans a month shared across all your free codes. After that, scans show a "QR Code is not available" page until next month. | Yes, for a whilePaused when the monthly scan limit is hit; back on at the start of the next month. | $84 a yearStarter: 50 editable codes and 10,000 scans a month, $6.99 a month billed yearly, renewing. |
Click a name for the full side-by-side with sources. Yearly prices are each company's cheapest plan that keeps codes editable, billed yearly. Plans change; if something is out of date, tell us.
How to read this
A "editable" code (the industry says "dynamic") is one where the printed picture stays the same but you can change where it sends people. That's the only kind worth paying for, and it's the kind that can stop working if a trial ends or a scan limit is hit. A regular code (the industry says "static") has the link drawn into the picture; nothing can switch it off, and every service here gives those away.
What Permly does differently
Two things. Regular codes are free with no account. Editable codes are a single payment ($9 for 1, $19 for 3, $49 for 25) with no scan limit and a written promise about what happens if we ever close.