Do QR codes expire?

You've seen the warnings: "free QR codes expire!" Usually right next to a pricing page. So let's settle it plainly: a static QR code cannot expire. There is no clock inside those little squares. A static code is just your link, drawn as a pattern. As long as the link works, the code works — print it today, scan it in ten years.

Then why do people say QR codes expire?

Three different things get tangled together:

• Dynamic codes die when you stop paying. Many "free" generators actually make dynamic codes: instead of your link, the pattern holds a short URL on their server, which redirects to your link. Stop paying, and they switch the redirect off. Your code isn't expired — it's been taken hostage.
• Links rot; codes don't. If the page behind the code is deleted, scanning leads nowhere. That's the destination dying, not the code. A QR code pointing at a dead link is a perfectly healthy code with nothing to say.
• Trial accounts get deactivated. Some services tie your codes to an account, then nudge you toward a subscription. The code didn't expire — the account did.

Static vs. dynamic, in one paragraph

A static code encodes the destination directly: WIFI:T:WPA;S:MyCafe;P:secret;; or https://your-site.com/menu. Nothing to maintain, nothing to bill. A dynamic code encodes a redirect on someone's server, which lets the owner change the destination later and count scans. Useful for marketing campaigns — and a subscription forever.

Rule of thumb: if the destination will never change — your WiFi, your business card, your restaurant menu — static is not the cheap option. It's the correct option.

What actually goes wrong with printed codes

Since expiry isn't a thing, here's what to actually watch for:

• Print too small. Keep codes at least 2 × 2 cm with a quiet margin. Tiny codes on business cards are the #1 scan failure.
• Low contrast. Dark ink on a light background. That champagne-on-cream wedding code is beautiful and unreadable.
• Damage. Outdoor codes fade and scratch. Higher error correction (we default to M, and bump it automatically when you add a logo) lets a code survive up to 30% damage.
• Link changes. Moving your site? The old code still points at the old URL. Keep a list of where each code lives.

The FreeQrly angle

Every code made here is static, free, and yours — no account, no redirect server, nothing to cancel. There is simply no mechanism by which it could expire. That's not a marketing claim; it's just how static codes work when nobody inserts themselves in the middle.