What dynamic QR statistics tell you
A dynamic code reports home every time it's scanned. Here's what FreeQrly counts, how to read it, and what it never collects.
A static code is silent: it never reports home, so nobody — including you — knows how often it was scanned. A dynamic code reports every scan to your Dashboard. Here's what FreeQrly counts, how to read it, and what it deliberately never collects.
The numbers on each card
- Total scans. Every scan of the code, all time.
- Today. Scans so far today.
- Unique scans. Distinct scanners, counted once per day. Two scans by the same person on the same day count as one unique scan.
- Last 7 days. A daily bar chart covering today and the previous six days — always seven bars, with zero-height bars for quiet days, so you can see gaps at a glance.
The breakdowns
Open Stats on a code and you get four breakdowns, each with counts and percentages:
- By country and by city. Where scans came from, from the scanner's approximate location.
- By device. Phone, tablet, or desktop.
- By OS. iOS, Android, and the rest.
Use them the way a campaign would: a flyer in two neighborhoods shows which one pulls; a poster that gets desktop scans at noon is probably being scanned from a screenshot, not the wall.
What FreeQrly never collects
Stats are aggregates — there is no per-visitor record to look at. A "unique scan" is a one-way hash of the scanner's IP address, browser, and date: enough to count distinct scanners per day, impossible to reverse into a person. No names, no emails, no exact locations, no cross-code tracking of individuals. And static codes track nothing at all — they never touch a server, so there's nothing to count.
Reading the numbers honestly
- Scans are not customers. A scan is a glance. Compare codes against each other, not against a fantasy benchmark.
- Zero is data. A code with no scans for a week is telling you the placement is wrong, not the code.
- Spikes need context. A burst of scans right after a post goes out is the post, not the poster. The 7-day chart makes this visible.
Ready to try it? Create your first dynamic code — free sign-in, 8 codes — and check back after your first print run. Already printed and need a fix? How to edit a QR code after printing.
Try it with your next print run
Create a free dynamic code and watch the stats come in.
Create a dynamic codeGood to know
What counts as a unique scan?
One scanner, once per day. FreeQrly counts distinct scanners using a one-way hash of IP address, browser, and date — the same person scanning twice in a day counts once.
Do static QR codes track scans?
No. Static codes never touch a server — the destination lives in the pattern — so there's nothing to count. Only dynamic codes report scans.
Is visitor data private?
Yes. Stats are aggregates only: counts by day, country, city, device, and OS. No names, emails, exact locations, or per-visitor records. Unique scans use a non-reversible hash.
Can I see who scanned my QR code?
No — and that's by design. FreeQrly counts scans; it doesn't identify scanners.