This free QR code generator makes codes for links, WiFi networks, contact cards, email, SMS, phone calls, plain text and social profiles, and it does all of it in your browser. There is no sign-up form before the download.
The reason it can be free is technical rather than promotional. A static code carries its content inside the pattern, so once you download it, MakeQR plays no part in whether it scans. There is no server cost per scan, which means no scan quota to impose and no expiry date to sell you out of.
Making a free code in under a minute
Pick the content type
Choose link, WiFi, contact, text, email, SMS, phone or a social shortcut. Each type writes the right format, such as the WIFI: string a phone needs to join a network.
Fill in the fields
Paste the address or type the details. A web address without https:// gets it added, so the phone opens the page instead of showing the text.
Style it if you want
Change colors, dot shape and corners, or add a logo. A contrast warning appears if the colors are too faint to print reliably.
Download PNG or SVG
Every code is decoded and read back before download. SVG is the one to send to a printer.
What is free, and what costs money
Anything that runs in your browser is free and unlimited. Anything that needs a server on every scan is paid.
Free, with no account
Static codes of every type, unlimited scans, PNG and SVG, colors, dot and corner styles, logos, the browser scanner and the bulk generator.
Free, with an account
Two dynamic codes you can edit after printing, with a scan count. They stay free forever, even if you never pay.
Paid plans
More dynamic codes, full scan statistics, print formats and folders from Starter at $7 a month; hosted menu, PDF and link pages and bulk dynamic codes from Pro at $19.
Free QR codes with no expiration: why static codes cannot be switched off
The usual complaint about free generators is a code that worked for two weeks and then asked for payment. That happens when the free code was really dynamic: the pattern held the generator's short link, and the generator later decided where it went.
A static code from this page holds your actual content, such as your URL or your network name and password. If MakeQR went offline tomorrow, every static code made here would still scan. Check it yourself by reading the downloaded file with the scanner.
The rules for the two free dynamic codes
Two dynamic codes are free with an account and a verified email address, which keeps phishing links from hiding behind short links. They never expire. If you pay for more and later cancel, all codes keep working for 30 days, with reminders on days 7, 14 and 28; then you choose which two stay free, and the rest show a neutral page, never an advert, until you subscribe again.
What a free code contains
Exactly what you entered, in the standard format for its type. A link code holds the web address, a phone code holds tel: and the number, and a WiFi code holds a string like the one below. No MakeQR address is involved.
WIFI:T:WPA;S:Northside Guest;P:croissant2026;;Print sizes for any code you make
Size depends on distance, not on type. Scanning distance is about ten times the code width: 20 mm on a business card works at arm's length, 10 cm on a counter sign from a meter, and 30 cm on a poster seen from three meters. Longer content needs more room, and every code needs a plain margin about four modules wide.
Print it at least 20 mm (2.0 cm) wide
Mistakes that make free codes look broken
Choosing the wrong type
A web address typed into the text field is stored as text, and the phone shows the words instead of opening a page. Use the link type for anything that should open.
Pale or inverted colors
Light modules on a dark background and low-contrast brand colors fail on older phones. Take the contrast warning seriously.
Encoding a page you do not control
A free static code is permanent, but the page it points to may not be. If that page might move, link to your own domain or use a dynamic code.
Is a free static code enough?
Free static is enough whenever the content is settled: your homepage, a WiFi password you rarely change, a contact card, a phone number.
Choose dynamic when you are printing something expensive or permanent and the destination might change, or when you need to know how many people scanned. Two dynamic codes are free with an account, forever, so you can start there without paying anything.
How dynamic QR codes workWhat people make with the free generator
- A café prints a guest WiFi code on the menu stand so staff stop reading the password aloud.
- A freelancer adds a contact card code to the back of a business card.
- A shop makes 300 product label codes from a spreadsheet with the bulk generator.