Content lives in the pattern
A web address, a piece of text or WiFi details are encoded into the code itself. What the scanning device decodes is the final content, with nothing in between.
Static QR codes: the content is in the pattern
A static code encodes the final content directly into the pattern, so a scan yields the result with no redirect service in between. The trade-off is that the content cannot change — what you print is what people get.
What defines a static code
Never expires
It depends on no server being available. Once printed, the code keeps resolving for as long as the pattern stays legible — including long-term postings.
No server-side resolution
Scanning makes no request to our network, so it works wherever there is no coverage, on internal networks and on offline materials.
Does not use the dynamic allowance
Static codes are not restricted by subscription state and do not count against the dynamic code limit (free and trial accounts default to 5 dynamic codes, adjustable in the console).
11 static code types
Link
Encode a web address into the pattern — scanning opens it directly
Text
Show a plain piece of text
Pre-fill the recipient and subject when scanned
Phone call
Scanning dials the number directly
SMS
Pre-fill an SMS message when scanned
Scanning starts a WhatsApp conversation
WiFi
Join the network without reciting the password
vCard
Save contact details by scanning
Event
Add the event to a calendar by scanning
PayPal
Open a payment link by scanning — an amount can be preset
Bitcoin
Start a Bitcoin payment by scanning
When a static code fits
- Content that is fixed and stays fixed: WiFi access, a shop web address, contact details
- Use in offline or internal environments where an external service cannot be relied on
- One-off or short-lived materials: flyers, event collateral, booth backdrops
- The shortest possible scan path: skip the short link and get the content directly
Reach for a dynamic code instead
The destination may change after launch
The content sits in the pattern, so changing it means generating a new code and replacing the material; only dynamic codes support changing the destination.
Scan counts, times, regions or devices are needed
Scans never reach our servers, so scan events cannot be recorded; only dynamic codes can provide that data.
A customizable landing page is needed (menus, coupons, multiple links)
A static code expresses one fixed piece of content and has no editable page layer.
Routing is needed after the scan (sending each OS to its own app store)
Routing by device requires server-side judgement — that is the app download type of a dynamic code.
The two kinds can also be mixed under one account:Learn about dynamic codes