Your daughter is deciding how to make a QR code for the sheltered housing scheme's noticeboard and has three websites open in different tabs: Bitly, QR Code Monkey and QR Tiger. She asks which one to trust, since the last code she printed, from a different site, stopped working after a few months without any warning.
What is the difference between these QR codes?
There are two kinds of QR code, and it explains almost every "the code stopped working" story you will hear. A plain code has the web address built directly into its pattern, so it works forever, with nothing else needed. A tracked code sends the phone through the maker's own website first, which lets them count scans, but it also means the code depends on their subscription staying active. Bitly and QR Tiger lead with this tracked kind on their free plans. QR Code Monkey, and Jobbit's own tool, make the plain, permanent kind for free.
Which free tool is easiest?
| Tool | Free plan | Do free codes expire? |
|---|---|---|
| Bitly | 5 links and 2 codes a month | Tied to your account staying active |
| QR Code Monkey | Unlimited plain codes | No, they never expire |
| QR Tiger | 3 codes, 500 scans each | Can stop once the trial ends |
| Jobbit QR code tool | Unlimited plain codes on the free plan | No, they never expire |
How to do it together in one afternoon
Sit down with the web address the code should open, perhaps the scheme's newsletter page. On Jobbit's QR code tool, paste the link, choose where it will be printed, and pick a plain style or a colour. Sign up once with an email address, no bank card needed, and the finished code, tested to make sure it scans, comes back in a chat a minute later.
What it costs (nothing) and what to watch out for
A permanent code from Jobbit is free, using a small part of the daily credits. If a scheme genuinely wants to change the destination later or count scans, that is what Bitly Core, at ten dollars a month, or QR Tiger's paid plan, from around seven dollars a month, are actually for. For anything printed once and meant to last, a plain code is the safer choice. The full comparison of all five tools is here: Bitly versus QR Code Monkey versus QR Tiger, from Jobbit.
