the category, explained
Dynamic QR codes
A dynamic QR code encodes a short link instead of a final address. The printed image never changes; where it sends people does, whenever you decide. That one level of indirection is the whole trick, and it is what makes a printed code editable, trackable and safe to put on things you cannot reprint.
Static vs dynamic
Dynamic (Switchly)
Static code
Change the destination after printing
Any time, in seconds
Never - reprint everything
See scans, countries and devices
Every scan is counted
No way to know anyone scanned
Fix a wrong link on printed material
A thirty-second edit
A reprint
What the code encodes
A short link you control
The final address, permanently
A static code is not wrong for everything: a link that will never move and never needs measuring is fine baked into ink. Our free generator makes exactly those, without an account. The rest of this page is about the codes that do move.
How a dynamic QR code works
01
Create
Make a short link pointing wherever the code should go today, and generate its QR code - your colours, your logo, a real SVG for print.
02
Put it on the menu, the poster, the packaging, the window. The image is finished; you will never need to touch it again.
03
Change
When the page moves or the campaign turns over, edit the link's destination. Every printed code follows, immediately.
04
Track
Watch scans arrive: how many, from where, on what. QR scans are counted separately from ordinary clicks.
Editable links are the other half
Everything above is true of the link itself, with or without a code on it. A dynamic link in a bio, an email or a chat message can be repointed after sending, split across destinations, routed by country or device, and measured click by click. The QR code is just the same link made printable. If you have ever posted a link and then needed it to go somewhere else, that is the whole product.
What it costs
QR codes and destination changes are unmetered on every plan, including Free, because they are the point of the product. The free plan is 100 links and 5,000 tracked clicks a month, needs no card and does not expire. Paid plans start at $15 a month for more links, longer analytics history and custom domains.
questions
What is a dynamic QR code?
A QR code that encodes a short link instead of a final address. The printed image never changes; the short link's destination does, whenever you say so. A static code encodes the destination itself, so the day the page moves, the code on your poster is wrong forever.
What makes a QR code editable?
The indirection. An editable QR code is just a static image pointing at an editable link: scanners read the same short URL every time, and the short URL forwards wherever you have currently set it. Nothing about the image is edited, which is why nothing has to be reprinted.
How does QR code tracking work?
Because every scan passes through the short link, each one can be counted on the way: when, from which country, on which device. A static code goes straight to the destination, so nothing is in the middle to do the counting, and you never learn whether anyone scanned it at all.
What QR code analytics does Switchly show?
Scans over time, unique visitors, countries, cities, devices, browsers and referrers, with QR scans counted separately from ordinary link clicks. Analytics history is kept for 7 days on Free, 1 year on Pro and 3 years on Business.
Is there a limit on dynamic QR codes or destination changes?
No, on any plan, including the free one. QR codes and destination changes are the point of the product, so neither is metered. The free plan includes 100 links and 5,000 tracked clicks a month, with no card and no expiry.
Do dynamic QR codes expire?
Not by themselves. A code made from a Switchly link works for as long as the link exists, and links do not expire unless you tell them to. You can set an expiry date or a click cap deliberately, and choose where latecomers land afterwards.
Can I turn the QR code I already printed into a dynamic one?
No - the destination a static code carries is baked into the printed image, and no service can change ink. The move is to make the next print run dynamic: create a short link, point it at the same page, and print the code for the link instead.