"Static" and "dynamic" sound technical but the distinction matters when you're choosing a QR generator. Here's what each means and why there's a third option that's usually best.
Static QR codes
The destination URL is baked into the image. If your QR scans to https://yoursite.com/sale, the literal bytes "https://yoursite.com/sale" are encoded in the pattern of black squares.
Pros: free, no expiration, scan reliability is unaffected by anything in the cloud.
Cons: if the URL changes — you broke a page, moved a service, ran a temporary promo — the QR is now wrong. There's no way to update it without reprinting.
This is what every "free" QR generator gives you.
Dynamic QR codes
The QR encodes a short link to a service that redirects to the real destination. So the QR encodes https://qrt.io/abc which redirects to https://yoursite.com/sale.
Pros: the destination is editable — change where the short link points and every existing QR follows along. Plus you get scan analytics on the redirect.
Cons: you're dependent on the redirect service forever. If the company shuts down, raises prices, or you cancel your subscription, every QR you printed dies. Most dynamic QR services charge $5-50/month — and they're load-bearing infrastructure for your printed materials.
The redirect-based third option
OneDollarQRcodes is technically a dynamic QR: each code is a short link (onedollarqrcodes.com/r/abc) that redirects to the destination URL we have on file. The same architecture as Bitly or QR Tiger.
The difference: you pay $1 once for 3 years instead of $5-50/month. Same editable destinations, same scan reliability, same redirect-based plumbing. We just don't charge a subscription.
The math is straightforward: at $1 per QR, the only way subscription pricing makes sense is if you generate 60+ QRs/month and actually use the analytics dashboard.
Which should you pick?
- One-off personal use: static, free generator is fine.
- Anything that will be printed at scale: redirect-based. Even if you think you'll never need to change the destination, you probably will.
- Marketing campaigns with attribution needs: paid subscription if you need real-time dashboards; OneDollarQRcodes + Google Analytics with UTM tags if you just need basic tracking.