A printed QR code should keep working
Before you print a QR code, you can choose another provider. Once a dynamic code is on your packaging, posters, or menus, switching often means reprinting and replacing those materials. Some may already be in customers' hands, beyond your reach.
At that point, you and the provider are no longer on equal footing. Some providers exploit this by holding QR codes hostage: they let you create a code for free, then require payment to keep it working after you've printed it. You may keep paying even if you're unhappy with the price or service, because replacing everything would cost too much.
We hate this practice, and we won't treat our customers that way. At BananaQR, static QR codes are free to create and download, forever, without signing in. Dynamic QR codes never expire either. There is no trial expiration date, and we won't disable a code because you haven't upgraded or stopped renewing.
Why static codes can stay free
A static QR code stores a website address, text, or other information directly in its pattern. You keep the downloaded file. Scanning it doesn't involve BananaQR's servers or depend on your account or subscription.
We don't have to maintain a redirect link for each static code, so creating and downloading them can stay free. The code itself has no expiration date. If it points to a website, that website still needs to remain available.
Dynamic codes cost more than server space
A dynamic QR code stores a link we maintain. When someone scans it, BananaQR takes them to your chosen website or displays your hosted content. You can change the destination in your account without reprinting the code.
That service has to keep running. Domains need renewing, and servers, databases, storage, and bandwidth cost money. Maintenance and fixing outages take people's time.
Our team also has to identify abuse, review reports, and deal with scams, phishing, and malicious content. Someone abusing our links can harm the people who scan them. They can also cause browsers or security services to flag a shared domain as harmful, affecting legitimate users' codes too.
Our no-expiration promise applies to legitimate use that follows our terms. Harmful content will be disabled, whether the account is free or paid. We need people doing this work to protect visitors and reduce the risk of warnings or blocks on legitimate links.
Where ads and paid plans fit in
Free dynamic codes may show a small amount of advertising or BananaQR branding, including on a branded page before a redirect or on content pages we host. This helps cover ongoing costs. We'll keep these displays restrained, distinguish ads from user content, and aim to interrupt scanning and reading as little as possible.
Paid plans remove ads and BananaQR branding so customers can focus on your content. We'll keep improving the experience for paid users while continuing to maintain free users' dynamic codes.
BananaQR needs to earn money to keep these services running, deal with abuse, and let more people use the tools for free. We want the costs and advertising arrangements to be clear before you create a code. Paying buys a better experience. Stopping a subscription won't disable the code you've already printed.
If you have a question or suspect a link is being abused, contact [email protected].