Static vs dynamic QR codes: which one do you need?
Every QR code is one of two kinds, and the difference decides whether it can ever stop working.
Static: the content is in the code
A static code stores your link, Wi-Fi details or contact card in its pattern. A phone reads it directly, with no website in between. It works for as long as what it points to exists, nobody can switch it off, and scanning it is private.
The trade-off: you can't change it after printing, and nobody can count its scans.
Dynamic: a short link run by a service
A dynamic code holds a short link owned by a QR service. The service forwards people to your page, so you can change where it goes later and see how many people scan it.
The trade-off: it only works while that service, and your account or plan with it, keeps the short link running.
Which one should you choose?
- Wi-Fi, contact cards and links that won't change: static.
- Menus, flyers and campaigns where the link may change, or where you want scan counts: dynamic, from a service that won't switch printed codes off.
- Not sure what an existing code is: check it.
How to tell them apart
Look at what's inside. If the code opens your own website or holds the content directly, it's static. If it opens a short address from a QR service or link shortener, it's dynamic. The free checker does this for you from a photo.