QR codes have existed for a long time but have not become super popular. But when the pandemic hit in 2020, they suddenly became essential. People started seeing them everywhere because they’re a way to share info without touching stuff. Brands and marketers began using them a lot, like putting them on product packages or using them instead of restaurant menus. They’re not just for sharing info anymore; they’ve become a way for companies to talk directly to customers.
But QR Codes are often associated with security threats. I tested and put together a comprehensive comparison sheet to help you choose the safest and best QR Code generator for your use case.
Why did the search volumes for the “Best QR Code generator” shoot up by 10X in 2023?
Like you, hundreds of thousands of other business owners, brand managers, restaurant owners, and marketers searched for the “Best QR Code generator” in 2022–23. The answer is simple — The technology is now mainstream, and here’s what led to it:
- Scanning QR Codes does not need an app. Thanks to the iOS 11 update and Google Lens, iOS and Android smartphones can check a QR Code using the camera app.
- QR Codes, as menus in restaurants worldwide, broke the myth — “QR Codes are only for millennials.” This encouraged other industries to join the bandwagon.
- QR Codes deliver positive ROI. With little or no initial investment, QR Codes provide a rich and dynamic consumer experience.
The best QR Code generator: How to choose the best solution
With consumers’ current exposure, they can easily differentiate a spammy QR Code from a brand-owned QR Code. Where the former witnesses low conversions, the latter enjoys conversions as high as 70%!
What differentiates a QR Code generator from a QR Code solution?
Choosing the right QR Code generator can have a significant impact on the success of the campaign. And I understand that choosing one out of 2,38,00,000 results on Google can be daunting. To help you, I’ve separated the wheat from the chaff and eliminated the dated QR Code platforms from your decision process. And here you are left with 15 top QR generators for 2023 —
In my evaluation process, I scored them on seven core and advanced factors –
- Customize the look of the QR Codes — logo, frames, color, QR Code shapes [1 — YES, 0 — NO]
- Can I update campaigns linked to it based on the season, day, or time [1 — YES, 0 — NO]
- Ability to create a basic mobile landing page [1 — YES, 0 — NO]
- Ability to track its performance [1 — YES, 0 — NO]
- Ease of use [Rate on a scale of 10]
- How accessible the customer support team is [1 — Replies in 24 hours, 0 — No reply or delayed reply]
- [BONUS] Does the QR Code generator have a framework to support enterprise needs, such as SSO login, uptime SLA of 99.9%, multi-user support, and custom domain? [5 — YES, 0 — NO]
The next step was to list down the top 8 QR Code generators appearing on a Google search!
Best QR Code generators [2024] –
(Free and paid QR Code generator options)
- Beaconstac’s QR Code solution (9.8/10)
- QR-Code-generator.com (8.2/10)
- QR Code Monkey (8/10)
- Scanova (7.4/10)
- the-qrcode-generator (6/10)
- GoQR (5/10)
- Shopify’s QR Code generator (5/10)
- QR Stuff (4/10)
I picked the top 8 QR Code generators according to a Google search and tried them for the following use case —
Scenario — I want to create a QR Code on product packaging.
My top 8 QR Code generators (in the same order) —
#1. Beaconstac’s QR Code generator (9.8/10)
Beaconstac offers a free option on its website that allows you to create a custom QR Code. The website also has informative material to help you get started. However, if you evaluate it for a project/campaign and one-time use, I’d encourage you to sign up for a free trial to experience its potential.
QR codes created using this solution are flexible, which means they support multiple languages, and you can change the content linked to them as and when required (dynamic).
While the dashboard provides comprehensive analytics about the QR Codes, its Google Analytics integration gives a more profound sense of the users that scanned them.
Beaconstac’s QR Code generator has excellent reviews on G2 (4.94/5), and most of these reviews repeatedly talk about its ease of use and super-responsive customer support.
Developed based on customer reviews and product capabilities, the G2 Grid recognizes Beaconstac as a leader in the ‘QR Code Generator’ category:
The QR Code platform supports enterprise brand needs with SSO login, age-gated redirects, password protection, and custom domains. The solution also allows adding multiple users and teams and managing their access.
Since the use case is downloading a QR Code for product packaging, I could download high-quality QR Codes in SVG and EPS format.
Beaconstac now acquires Free-QR-code.net and another three Qbeen R Code generators.
Paid Plans: Beaconstac’s QR Code solution starts at $5/month, is billed annually, and has enterprise-ready options. You can schedule a call with a live expert or call the sales line to learn about the Enterprise plan.
#2. QR Code Generator (8.2/10)
First off, the website is easy to navigate and use. It answers almost all questions a first-time QR Code might have. Just like the previous solution, it offers customization options on the website. You can add a logo and download a static QR Code. However, the advanced features are available on a free trial. Do sign up for it.
The dashboard allows you to create dynamic QR Codes and add them to folders. The platform also displays QR Code scans and dissects data based on cities and devices.
However, QR Code Generator’s reviews could be more encouraging as it is rated 3.0/5 on G2, and most reviews complain about uninformed upgrades and the lack of overall support.
Paid Plan: QR Code Generator has self-serve plans that start at $6.08/month and are billed annually. To know more about enterprise options, you have to email their support.
#3. QR Code Monkey (8/10) —
(Now acquired by the former generator)
QR Code Monkey is free to use. You can create and download the desired QR Code instantly from the website. Like QR-code-generator.com, with paid plans, you can create dynamic QR Codes, add them under folders, and visualize their performance on the dashboard.
QR Code Monkey, however, has been acquired by Egoditor. It’s the company that runs QR-code-generator.com. This means signing up for a trial or using a paid version of the tool redirects you to the QR-code generator.
QR Code Monkey also has a QR Code API hosted on RapidAPI.
Paid Plan: The paid options are identical to the QR code generator. This means self-serve plans that start at $6.08/month are billed annually.
#4. Scanova (7.4/10)
Comprehensive — that’s the first word that comes to mind upon visiting the Scanova website. The ease of navigation and use makes it a tool for everyone. But again, to download and use the code, you need to create a Scanova account.
To push things more from a comparison point of view, I created a Geolocation QR Code here as well, and it worked with pinpoint precision, accurately taking me to the location on the map.
However, Scanova’s QR Code platform does not allow you to create a satisfactory mobile landing page. Apart from that, it works well.
It boils down to who your target audience is. It may not matter much for a one-off campaign, but for brands that strive for consistency, it may be a point of contention. Apart from that, it works well.
Paid Plans: Scanova’s plans start at $9/month and are billed annually. This is the most expensive solution. And there needs to be an enterprise plan available.
#5. The QR Code generator (6/10)
Creating a black-and-white QR Code is an essential solution that gets the job done. It supports the humble QR Code types, such as text, URL, contact, or vCard QR Code, call, and SMS. The tool can create dynamic QR Codes upon sign-up, but the options are limited.
This should not be your preferred choice if there should be better choices than you are a
The website has a Sign-In option, but you need help understanding what you’re signing up for or what you will get once you sign up.
Paid Plans: None, as far as I can tell from the website
#6. GoQR (5/10)
For a website that Google says needs to be more secure, GoQR certainly isn’t the best. Any website that doesn’t have an SSL certificate should be avoided since the data you provide is not encrypted.
Anyway, the website is lackluster and challenging to navigate. Although it offers variety in creating QR Codes and printing them on merchandise, the result does not inspire confidence. You can create business cards, T-shirts, and such, but again, only if you have no other choice from a privacy standpoint.
Paid Plans: GoQR’s plans take time to be visible on the website. I had to scroll and click on three different links to get to the pricing page. They have quarterly and annual plans, which take time to understand. When writing this, it starts at 5 euros/month, billed annually, which is $6.09/month. Again, no enterprise-focused plan.
#7. Shopify (5/10)
Now, Shopify is a very diverse website and offers various solutions. While I’m a fan of many of their services, making a QR Code is not one of them. It is relatively easy to create but static to a fault, only filling in the type of QR and point of redirection. The resulting QR Code is sent to a filled-out email address.
This is not Shopify’s core product, so if it’s a quick QR Code you’re trying to make, you can give it a go but don’t consider this if you’re looking to run QR Code campaigns.
Paid Plans: None. This is a quick, free tool intended for one-time use.
#8. QR Stuff (4/10)
The website is challenging to navigate; apart from that, the QR Codes can only be customized after signing up, and even the free QR Code limits the number of scans, i.e., 50. When I tried to switch to the dynamic QR, it failed to load. It looked like another QR Code platform we can afford to skip.
Paid Plans: QR Stuff also needs to make it easier to view their pricing. It has plans for a month starting at $11.95/month up to a 12-month plan billed annually, which is $7.50/month — quickly the 2nd most expensive solution.
A safe QR Code generator
QR Codes have often been termed unsafe. However, phishing emails don’t imply email as a communication channel is unsafe. Therefore, it’s essential first to understand what makes a QR Code dangerous and take steps to ensure a safe QR Code experience.
Scanning through the reviews on G2, Beaconstac stands out as the safest QR Code solution. Based on information on the website, Beaconstac takes the following measures to ensure a safe and secure QR Code experience.
- An anomaly detection shield — This framework identifies inconsistencies in user scan behavior, notifies the account owner and filters such traffic. This maintains data sanity.
- Phishing URL detection — This URL-based phishing detection protects end-users from malicious links attached to QR Codes.
- Custom domain & URL — Similar to company-owned email IDs, users verify the ownership of the QR Code by looking at the field it redirects to. Beaconstac’s QR Code platform allows brands to customize the URL to a branded one.
- SOC-2 Type 2 compliant — This is the only QR Code solution in 2023 that is SOC-2 compliant. This is an assurance by security experts that the company is well-equipped to handle security attacks and is committed to rigorous security measures.
If you’re looking for the best free QR Code generators for single-time use, consider tools based on ease-of-use
Based on online reviews, reputation, and personal experience, here’s how the free QR Code generators fare in that list.
1. Beaconstac — 10/10
2. QR Code Generator — 9/10
3. QR Code Monkey — 8.5/10
4. Scanova — 8/10
5. The QR Code generator — 5/10
6. Shopify — 6/10
7. GoQR — 3/10
8. QR Stuff — 6/10
9. Unitag — 5/10
Although I tested out 15 QR Code generators, the remaining ones on the list are honorable mentions; they all lost points on some parameter, but you should also check them out. The scores are on the same parameters:
The different QR Code generators on my list are:
10. Kaywa’s QR Code generator : (4/10)
11. QRTiger: (5/10)
12. QRExplore: (3/10)
13. QRD: (4/10)
14. QR: (5/10)
15. Visualead: (4/10)
Additionally, here’s how Beaconstac, QR Code Generator, and some other QR Code platforms compare when it comes to ease of use and other crucial parameters.
What about circular QR Codes? Which are the best circular QR Code generators?
Many businesses today prefer different shapes of QR Codes, circular being the most popular one — however, technology for these stays mostly the same. Imagine a square QR Code with ornamental dots and dashes around it.
However, if the shape IS a preference, you can try the following options — Beaconstac’s QR Code platform, QR Code Chimp, Flowcode, or Unitag’s QR Code solution.
Choose the best QR Code generator based on your requirements. However, if you are still trying to satisfy your needs and determine how soon these campaigns might scale, pick one from the top three QR Code generators. Let me know your experience of using one of these QR Code generators.
If you’re not sure about your exact needs or how quickly your QR Code projects might grow, I’d recommend picking one of the top three QR Code generators. These are popular choices that many people find reliable and easy to use.
If you want help choosing the best QR Code generator for your specific requirements, let me know your needs, and I’ll assist you in finding the right one. Additionally, I can share my experience with using a QR Code generator to help you decide.
