Static vs dynamic QR codes
Static codes are free and fixed. Dynamic codes can be changed and counted. For menus, dynamic is worth it.
Updated · 4 min read
Both kinds look the same and scan the same. The difference is what's written inside the pattern.
Static: the address is in the code
A static QR code stores the destination itself: a web address, a Wi-Fi password, a phone number. Nothing sits between the scan and the destination, so it can never be switched off by anyone. But it can't be changed either, and nobody can count its scans.
Dynamic: a short link you control
A dynamic QR code stores a short link, such as kiwii.link/Ab3x9. When someone scans it, the short link redirects them to wherever you've pointed it today. You can change the destination at any time, and the service can count each scan.
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| Change the destination later | No | Yes |
| Count scans | No | Yes |
| Code size for the same print area | Larger, denser | Smaller, coarser |
| Cost at KiwiiMenu | Free, unlimited | $4.99, paid once (planned) |
| Works if you stop paying | Yes | Planned at KiwiiMenu |
The catch with most dynamic codes
Most dynamic QR services charge a monthly fee, and when you stop paying the short link stops redirecting. Every code you printed breaks at once. Before you print 40 table tents, check what your provider does when a subscription ends.
KiwiiMenu's dynamic codes aren't on sale yet. The plan: you pay for a dynamic code once, and it will keep working whether or not you subscribe to anything. Menu hosting will be a separate, optional subscription; if it lapses, the menu will stay online with a small badge.
Which should you use?
- A menu, a booking page or anything that might move: dynamic.
- Your Wi-Fi details, a contact card or a link that will never change: static.
- Anything printed in large numbers or at large cost: dynamic, so a typo never means a reprint.
Made for places like these
QR menus for food trucksPhoto: Food trucks next to national mall, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
QR menus for pizzeriasPhoto: Pizza oven, CC0, via rawpixel
QR menus for hotelsPhoto: Breakfast room in Opera Suite Hotel Yerevan (June 2023), CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
QR menus for salons and spasPhoto: Hair salon, CC0, via rawpixel