Best QR Code Generator 2020: Find the best one (+ 6 must-have features to look for)

Sneh Ratna
Last Updated: January 24, 2020

Editor’s Note: This blog was originally written by Chaitra Joshi and we have retained her most valuable insights

Beaconstac’s QR Code Generator offers you complete customization and control over your QR Code along with retargeting, tracking and real-time editing capabilities. We’ll dive deep into all of these features and more but first, let’s define the features that make a QR Code generator the best.

CREATE DYNAMIC QR CODE
START 14 DAY FREE TRIAL

Best QR code generator: How to select the right QR code generator

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

How to find the best QR Code Generator
Must-Have Features
Free vs Premium: Which QR Code Generator is best?
Which is the best QR code generator for you?
FAQs

5 steps to find the best QR Code Generator Online

If you were to do a Google search for the best QR Code Generator, there are about 3,54,00,000 results. Finding the best QR Code Generator that suits all your needs is much like looking for a needle in a haystack.

15 of the best QR Code Generators compared

To make it easier for you, here are 5 steps you should follow:

STEP 1: Look for reviews of the QR Code Generator

There’s no better way than to look for unbiased, independent user reviews of the QR Code Generator that you are considering. Type ‘Name of the QR Code Generator’ + ‘Reviews’ to find them.

P.S. – You can check out all the latest reviews for Beaconstac’s QR Code Generator here

STEP 2: Is the QR Code Generator easy to use?

No wants to use a website that looks outdated or one that was created in the last decade. You need a QR Code Generator that allows you to create QR Codes fast and easy and has a smooth user experience. This also means you will be using a service that is regularly updated and won’t lead to any expired QR Codes.

STEP 3: Talk to customer support

Customer support is an essential factor when it comes to choosing the best QR Code Generator. If you decide to go with a QR Code Generator that later offers no support when you need help setting up your campaigns or using your solution, you might end up wasting your time, money and effort.

Reach out to the company via email or chat to see the level of support they offer. This will give you a fair sense of how responsive customer support is and what you can expect should you run into any hiccups during the course of your QR Code campaign.

If you need to reach Beaconstac’s support team, you can respond to the pop-up at the bottom right or write an email to support@beaconstac.com

STEP 4: Schedule a demo to see the QR Code Generator’s features

The best way to judge if the QR Code Generator is a good fit for your use-case is to set up a demo. You can get a live walk-through of all the features and talk to the expert about how you can build your use-case.

Considering you will purchase a subscription, it’s always best to have a run-down of all the features and get comfortable with the solution before you start setting up the QR Code campaign.

STEP 5: Do a price and feature comparison

Most QR Code generators list out all their features which makes it easy for you to compare and decide if the QR Code generator serves your purpose.

While pricing is usually comparable, none of the QR Code Generators offer a monthly subscription, only annual ones.

Beaconstac understands that you might only need QR Codes for a month or two for a special event and thus offers monthly as well as annual subscriptions.

6 must-have features of the best QR Code generator in 2019

#1. Free QR Code Generator with logo

Let’s say you just want to test the UI of the website or need a one-time Static QR Code. (If you don’t know what a Static or a Dynamic QR Code is, read this: Static vs Dynamic: Which one should you choose)

You should be able to generate free QR Codes with a logo. Most QR Code Generators limit the number of QR Codes you can create and don’t offer a ton of customization upfront.

Beaconstac’s QR Code Generator allows you to create unlimited Static QR Codes. You can also see how the QR Code looks with a logo by choosing a commonly used one from the gallery or upload your brand’s logo. To download the QR Code with logo, you can sign up for a free 14-day trial which gives you access to advanced features and allows unlimited downloads of Static QR Codes.

#2. Unlimited scans of the QR Code

Picture this: You’ve created a QR Code but after 5 scans, you get redirected to a 404 page. If you’ve already printed this QR Code on print material, a wedding invite or a billboard, having a broken link is a huge waste of money and effort.

Beaconstac offers unlimited scans of Static QR Codes that you create either using the QR Code Generator or during your 14-day free trial. On the Starter ($15/month) and Lite Plan ($25/month), you get 20,000 scans for Static and Dynamic QR Codes. On the Basic and Enterprise plan, you get unlimited scans.

Want to convert PDFs to QR Codes?

#3. Dynamic QR Code Generator

Dynamic QR Codes are editable even after you’ve printed them. This makes it easy to re-use, fine-tune in real-time and conduct split A/B testing.

Having a dynamic QR Code also means that you don’t have to create a new QR Code every time you update your website, change your domain or want to switch up your offering.

Here’s everything you need to know about Dynamic QR Codes + How to create and use them

Dynamic QR Codes are perfect for:

Print marketing: You can change the ad copy, discount code or switch between your top landing pages.
Updating your information: If you created a vCard QR Code in the past and have since switched companies or changed your email address or number, you don’t have to create a new QR Code. You can update the vCard in the dashboard while the QR Code stays the same.
Automated marketing: You can schedule different landing pages to appear based on the time the QR Code is being scanned with a dynamic QR Code.
Reducing the time of scanning: Since dynamic QR Codes have a placeholder URL and the code never changes, you can have as much information in it as you want without increasing the scan time.

#4. Bulk QR Code Generator

If you need a couple of QR Codes, you can possibly just about any QR Code Generator available. But, what if you need to generate 1000s of QR Codes for a conference, seminar or event?

Thankfully, you don’t have to do it manually. The best QR Code Generators online have a bulk QR Code creation feature.

On Beaconstac’s QR Code generator, it is incredibly easy to create 100 QR Codes at once.

Upload a CSV in the right format
Customize the QR Code – Add colors, logo
Download it in your preferred format

You can use this bulk QR Code Generator for free in the 14-day trial and use them forever. Here’s more information on the Bulk QR Code feature

#5. Basic and Advanced Customizations

Why would you want a boring black and white QR Code when you create one like this one?

The best QR Code Generator will have these basic customization features:

Color: Changing the color of the entire QR Code is the most basic feature that you should be able to do on the free QR Code Generator.
Logo: Adding a logo of your choosing, brand’s logo or one from the commonly used logos is also an essential feature of a good QR Code Generator software.

Advanced customizations in the best QR Code Generator: What to look for

In a nutshell, you should look at these 8 features

Available templates
Eyes of the QR Code
Pattern of data
Background Image
Background Color
Color of the QR Code
Using a Color gradient for the QR Code
Adding a frame to the QR Code for a CTA

This step-by-step guide on how to use Beaconstac’s QR Code Generator to create customized QR Codes will give you a fair idea of how these features come into play.

#6. QR Code Generator with robust analytics + Google Analytics

Most QR Code Generators give you basic analytics – location, time and date of the scan. The best QR Code Generators offer robust analytics and deeper insights into the audience.

Beaconstac offers a powerful analytics dashboard and collects the following data:

Overview

Number of Scans
Unique Visitors

Campaign Performance

Top 5 best performing QR Code campaigns
Top 5 under-performing QR Code campaigns

Reports

Overview of scans by location
Aggregate Scan Details
Individual Scan Details

Reports can be exported as a .xls file

Campaign Distribution

Type of QR Code Campaigns currently active to measure which type is the most effective

Along with basic tracking, you can also integrate Google Analytics to get a much deeper understanding of your target audience.

When you connect Google Analytics, you will be able to see:

User Behaviour

Interest of the user who scanned the QR Code
New User vs Returning User
Engagement – Duration of visit, sessions, page views

Demographics

Native Language of the person who scanned the QR Code
Country where QR Code was scanned
City where QR Code was scanned
Age of consumers scanning the QR Code
Gender of consumers scanning the QR Code

System

Browser used to scan the QR Code
Operating System used to scan the QR Code
Service Provider

Mobile

Operating System used to scan the QR Code
Service Provider
Screen Resolution of the phone used to scan the QR Code

How to integrate Google Analytics with Beaconstac’s QR Code Generator

Free QR Code Generators vs. Premium QR Code Generators

There are dozens of best free QR code generators or generators that offer some features for free. Now, these are perfectly fine for one-time use or for personal use.

But to ensure your QR code campaigns are protected with enterprise-level security, are trackable and editable after printing, you will need to take a look at premium QR code generators.

There have been instances of QR Code fiascos brought on by unauthorized use or hacking that can spell disaster for the brand and their customer base.

From 2012 to 2014, Heinz’s ran a label design contest with QR codes placed on ketchup bottles. The domain that they were hosting it on expired and was snatched by an opportunistic adult entertainment website. They issued an apology to consumers but thousands of ketchup bottles with the QR Code still remained in households.

Continental Airlines also had a goof-up with its QR code campaign in 2011. Their QR code was placed on in-flight magazines which weren’t accessible during the duration of the flight since they required Internet access and when passengers could access the QR codes, they were led to a website that wasn’t optimized for the mobile and had a popup covering the entire screen.

Still unsure about which is the best QR code generator for you?

Beaconstac’s online QR Code Generator provides you with all the features listed above along with a 14-Day free trial to help you get a hands-on experience of our intuitive dashboard. Discover the power of an integrated proximity marketing solution while you create dynamic QR codes and use them in multiple campaigns.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is QR Code Marketing?

QR code marketing is a sought-after marketing strategy across all industries which has been proven useful for well-known brands and SMBs alike. Just ask the founders and marketers who use QR Codes.

The point of concern for businesses, however, is how to create a path-breaking QR code campaign which leaves an everlasting impact. With the abundance of information and resources available on the internet, making the right decision is bound to get daunting.

Why do you need a QR code generator?

The easiest way to get started with creating QR codes is to look for a QR code generator online to make the process hassle-free. QR code generators help you create ready to use QR codes instantly without requiring any prior technical knowledge.

What is a dynamic QR code generator?

A dynamic QR Code Generator allows you to create Dynamic QR codes. Dynamic QR codes are merely reusable QR codes that allow you to change the URL linked to them, even after deployment.

Are QR Code generators free?

Most QR code generators allow the creation of static QR codes for free while the creation of dynamic QR codes is chargeable. The differentiating factor here is that the best QR code generator would allow you to do more things with the amount you pay.

What are the types of QR codes available?

Types of QR code refers to content categories like Email QR code, Website QR code, VCard QR codes, SMS QR code, and so on. Based on the use-case you are exploring, choose the type of QR code/content category.

Here is our list of QR code types on the rise:

– vCard QR codes: Add your entire work profile to your business cards via QR codes

– Social media QR codes: A unique approach to increasing your social media following

– App download QR codes: Help users download your app without friction by leading them straight to the App download page

– Image Gallery QR codes: The best way to show off your photography skills and share beautiful pictures among peers

– Video QR codes: Gain more likes, shares, and subscribers for your YouTube channel with dynamic QR codes that lead to your latest video every time a user scans it.

Will I get unlimited QR Code scans?

At times, QR Code generators that allow you to generate free QR codes tend to have a limit on the number of scans. Once, the QR code reaches a stipulated limit of scans it becomes useless. The best QR code generator would be the one that comes with an unlimited scans feature.

Can I integrate with Google Analytics to track the scans?

Integration with Google Analytics to help you track the scans

If you are using QR codes as part of a marketing strategy, it is quintessential to keep track of the number of scans and analyze your results from time to time. A QR code generator integrated with Google Analytics is useful to analyze URL/Website QR codes.

What are the formats available for download?

Check for the formats available for downloading QR codes. Dynamic QR codes with high customization usually require the QR codes to be in an SVG or EPS file format so that you can effortlessly edit them without losing the image quality and resolution. Whereas, if your focus is on generating Static QR codes, PNG and JPG format comes in handy.

Is the QR Code Generator secure?

Besides the features that a platform provides, it is safe to also keep the trustworthiness of the software in mind while choosing the best QR code generator. The more secure your QR codes are for scanning, the better will be your brand image among the users. A platform with a good reputation among well-known brands is always more reliable than a new platform making claims of domain authority with no real examples to prove the claims.

Also, you can use a custom domain and custom URLs with your QR code campaigns that prevent hacking or unauthorized use.

Beaconstac is one such platform that offers enterprise-level security and has been around for a while and has created powerful marketing campaigns with clients like P&G, Uber, Google, KFC, Nestle, and Puma.

Try Beaconstac’s Enterprise solution

Why should I customize my QR Codes?

Customized QR codes are more attractive and grab attention quickly. Designing QR codes relevant to your campaign will help increase the number of scans. Choose the best QR code generator based on whether it allows you to customize your QR codes.

Can I manage my QR code campaigns?

QR code campaign management: An intuitive dashboard to create & manage campaign landing pages

Besides generating visually attractive QR codes, creating a comprehensive and relatable campaign is an integral part of the QR code marketing strategy. If a platform allows you to instantly create and launch your campaigns along with the QR codes creation, it would undoubtedly be the right choice for the best QR code generator.

Can I retarget users who have scanned my QR Code?

Using QR codes for retargeting customers is by far one of the best marketing applications of QR codes. The best QR code generator that comes with the feature of tracking scans, also helps you to get leads on the users that scanned these QR codes and retarget them accordingly.

Try our free QR Code Generator today or schedule a demo with our expert to discuss your specific use-case.