Your QR code stopped working after the free trial? Here's why
You made a QR code for free, printed it, and weeks later it opens a 'code deactivated' page. The code didn't break. It was pointing at someone else's short link all along.
You searched for a free QR code generator, made a code, printed it on flyers or a shop window, and it worked. A few weeks later people tell you it opens a "this code is inactive" page or a payment screen instead of your menu.
The printed code didn't break. It was never pointing at your menu in the first place.
Why a "free" QR code can stop working
Many QR generators make dynamic codes by default. A dynamic code doesn't contain your web address. It contains a short link on the generator's own domain, something like vendor-domain.com/AbC123. When someone scans it, the vendor's server looks up where that short link should go and forwards the visitor.
That is useful: you can change the destination after printing and count scans. But it also means every scan depends on the vendor keeping that short link switched on for you. And a common business model in this industry is:
- Let you create dynamic codes on a free trial, often 7 or 14 days.
- When the trial ends, or a paid plan lapses, stop forwarding scans until you pay.
- Show scanners a notice or upgrade page instead of your content.
Some vendors say this clearly in their pricing FAQ. Others put it in the terms of service. Either way, the code in your print run is now tied to a subscription you may not have meant to start. Paying usually switches the code back on, because the short link itself was never deleted.
Static vs dynamic: the difference in one line
A static code holds the content itself. A dynamic code holds a link to the content. That's the whole difference, and it decides who controls your printed code. We go through the trade-offs in Dynamic vs static QR codes: which one do you need?
The important part here: a static code can't be switched off by anyone, because there is nothing in between the scan and your content. It works for as long as the print lasts and the destination exists.
How to tell which one you have, before you print
You can check any code in a minute:
- Scan it with your phone camera and read the preview. If the address shown is your own website, it's static. If it's a short link on the generator's domain, it's dynamic, and it depends on that company.
- Look at the pattern. A static code for a long web address has many small squares. A dynamic code stays coarse and simple, because a short link is all it holds.
- Look for the words "trial", "plan" or "subscription" near the download button. If downloading needs an account and a trial starts the clock, assume the code is dynamic.
- Read the generator's FAQ for what happens when a trial or subscription ends. If it says dynamic codes stop working or need an active subscription, plan for that before you print a thousand flyers.
For Wi-Fi logins, contact cards (vCard), plain text, email, SMS and phone numbers, a static code is almost always the right choice: that content fits in the pattern, and there's nothing to track.
Which kind should you use?
Ask one question: will this ever change, or do I need to know how many people scan it?
- No to both: use a static code. It's free, it never expires and no company sits between your customer and your content. You can make one at qrlia's free QR code generator: no sign-up, no watermark, PNG or SVG download.
- Yes to either: use a dynamic code, but one you control. Before you choose a provider, check three things: is there a free plan with no end date (not just a trial), what happens to codes if you stop paying, and can short links run on your own domain so you can move later.
On that last point: if the short link is on your domain, such as qr.yourbrand.com, you can point that domain at another service in future and every printed code keeps working. If the short link is on the vendor's domain, the vendor holds the key.
What qrlia does
We built qrlia around those three checks:
- Static codes are free, with no account. The free generator makes static codes that carry their content directly and never expire.
- Dynamic codes have a free plan, not a trial. The Free plan includes 3 dynamic codes with scan totals and no end date. The codes carry a small qrlia mark.
- Cancelling doesn't switch codes off. If you drop from a paid plan to Free, codes you already made keep redirecting. What you can do with them afterwards (editing, analytics) follows the Free plan's limits.
- Your own domain on Pro. Pro is €12 a month and adds unlimited codes, your own short-link domain, full scan insights and the API.
If your code has already stopped working
You have three options:
- Reactivate it with the original vendor. If the printed run is large, paying for a month or two may be cheaper than reprinting while you replace it.
- Cover it. A sticker with a new code over the old one saves the print run. Make the new code static if the destination is fixed, or dynamic on a provider whose terms you've checked.
- Reprint, and choose the code type on purpose this time.
If you're comparing providers, our side-by-side pages cover QR Code Generator PRO, Scanova and ME-QR, with what each does well and sources for every figure.