How KeepQR works

There are two kinds of QR code. A static code holds your link. An editable code holds a short link of ours, which forwards people to yours. Both are made to keep working.

How a static code worksThe QR code contains your web address. A phone scans it and opens your page directly. Nothing sits in between.Your QR codecontains yourcafe.co.uk/menuscanYour page opensyourcafe.co.uk/menuNo server in between. Ever.
Static (free). The link is inside the code. It works forever, even if KeepQR disappears.
How an editable code worksThe QR code contains a short KeepQR link. A phone scans it, KeepQR looks up where it should go, and forwards the phone to your page. You can change the destination at any time.Your QR codego.keepqr.co.uk/abc1234one tiny lookup, then forwardYour page openschange it any timeSame printed code, new destination.
Editable (£4.99 once). The code holds a short link. Change where it goes from your dashboard, whenever you like.

Static codes: your link, inside the code

A QR code is a picture of some text. With a static code, that text is your web address, Wi-Fi details or contact card. Your phone reads the text and acts on it. No company sits in the middle, so no company can switch it off.

We make static codes in your browser. We never see or store what you put in them. Once you've downloaded the file, it's yours. It will work for as long as the thing it points to exists.

The only catch: you can't change a static code after you print it. If the link changes, you need a new code.

Editable codes: a short link you control

An editable code (often called a dynamic code) holds a short link such as go.keepqr.co.uk/abc1234. When someone scans it, our server looks up the current destination and forwards them in a fraction of a second. There's no advert, no waiting page and no tracking banner.

You can change the destination from your dashboard at any time. Changes apply straight away. You can also pause a code, which shows a neutral "temporarily unavailable" page until you resume it.

We count scans per day so you can see how often your code is used. We don't record anything about the people who scan it.

Why our editable codes don't stop working

Most generators charge monthly for editable codes, and the code can stop when the payments stop. We charge once, so there's no payment to lapse. We never deactivate a paid code for non-payment.

The part that forwards your scans is deliberately small. It depends on one thing: a lookup table of short links and destinations. It doesn't need our payment system, our email or our main database to be working. If those have a bad day, your code still works. Read the full commitment on our promise page.

Which should I choose?

  • Choose static if the link won't change: your website's home page, a Wi-Fi network, a contact card.
  • Choose editable if the link might change: a menu that changes seasonally, an event page, a sign you want to reuse.

If you're not sure, read our guide to static vs dynamic QR codes, or see the prices for editable codes.