You made a QR code, printed 2,000 flyers, and a few weeks later people tell you the code doesn't work. You check: the code now opens a page asking you to pay to reactivate it.
That's not a glitch. It's the most common way QR tools make money, and it has a name: the subscription trap.
How the trap works
There are two kinds of QR codes:
- A static code holds the web address itself. It works forever, but you can't change it or count its scans.
- A dynamic code holds a short link that the provider redirects to your page. You can change the destination after printing and see every scan, which is why most businesses want one.
The catch is in that redirect. A dynamic code only works as long as its provider keeps redirecting it. Some generators offer dynamic codes "for free", let you download and print them, and switch them off when a trial ends or a subscription stops. By then the code is on your packaging, your shop window and your business cards, so paying is the only way to bring it back.
You'll find thousands of reviews describing exactly this on review sites. The pattern is always the same: it said free, I printed it, then it stopped.
What to check before you print
Before you put any dynamic code on print, find the answers to these four questions:
- What happens to my codes when the trial ends? Look for this in the terms or the FAQ, not on the homepage.
- What happens when I cancel a paid plan? Do the codes keep redirecting, or do they show a "deactivated" page?
- Is there a scan limit? Some plans stop redirecting after a number of scans each month.
- Can I get my data out? A CSV export of your scans means you're not locked in.
If the answers are vague, assume the worst and use a static code for anything you can't easily reprint.
What DotQR promises
We built DotQR the other way around:
- Free stays free. The Free plan has 3 dynamic QR codes, 3 Smart Links and 3 barcodes, with no end date and no scan limit. It's not a trial.
- Stop paying, your print never breaks. If you cancel a paid plan you move to Free. Nothing is deleted, and every code on our domain keeps pointing where it points today, with no end date.
- Above Free's limit, codes freeze. They keep their last destination, so the print still works, but changing them, their Rules and their analytics need a paid plan again. The most scanned ones stay active, and you choose once which ones.
- The one exception, stated plainly. Codes on your own domain (go.yourbrand.com) pause on Free, because the domain is part of the paid plans. Upgrade again and they're back.
- No scan limits on any plan. Plans differ in how many codes you have, how far back analytics go and how many people you work with.
So the worst case after you stop paying is: some codes can't be changed until you upgrade. Your print keeps working. We charge for changing, routing and measuring codes, not for keeping them alive.
Static or dynamic, then?
Use a static code when the destination will never change and you don't need to know how many people scanned: your WiFi network, a vCard, a link that's guaranteed to stay. Use a dynamic code for everything with a campaign, a menu, a price or a season in it, as long as the provider keeps it working without conditions.
Read more in static vs dynamic QR codes, or see how dynamic codes save you a reprint.
Bottom line
A QR code is only as permanent as the promise behind it. Before you print, ask what happens when you stop paying. At DotQR the answer is: your printed codes never break.