Best Free QR Code Generators 2026: 6 Options Compared
Best free QR Code Generators compared: QRCode Monkey, goQR.me, QR Code Generator, Bitly and 2 more, with free-plan limits, platforms and prices from official pages checked October 23, 2026.
•3 min read•Social Media & Ads
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Quick comparison
| Tool | Price | Platforms | Best for | Tested |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| QRCode Monkey | Free (Free static QR codes, unlimited scans, commercial use allowed; logo uploads capped at 2 MB; PDF and EPS exports have no logo or design options) | Web browser | Branded static codes with a logo | Docs only |
| goQR.me | Free (Free, commercial and print use allowed, no registration for the vector formats EPS and SVG; static codes cannot be edited after printing) | Web browser | Plain codes for print | Docs only |
| QR Code Generator | Free (Static QR codes are free: URL, vCard, text (300 characters), email, SMS, WiFi; no edits or scan tracking, JPG download only without an account; logos need PRO) | Web browser | Quick static codes for common types | Docs only |
| Bitly | Free (2 QR codes per month, 5 links per month, 2 custom landing pages, 3 custom back-halves per month; unlimited clicks and QR code scans); paid from $10 per month, billed annually (Core plan, annual only, $120 charged yearly) | Web | One or two trackable campaign codes | Docs only |
| Zint Barcode Generator | Free (Free and open source; no paid plan) | Windows, macOS, Linux | Offline vector codes and many barcode types | Docs only |
| libqrencode | Free (Free and open source C library with a qrencode command-line tool) | Command line (build from source) | Developers embedding QR codes | Docs only |
Independent comparison. Paid placements are labelled separately; editorial links earn no affiliate commissions. Learn more.
Good fit if
- You need a logo on a flyer (QRCode Monkey is the pick)
- You want a plain code for print and never want it to expire (goQR.me is the pick)
- You want to see scan counts for a campaign (Bitly is the pick)
- You want to generate codes offline in a script (libqrencode is the pick)
Not ideal if
- You need paid-tier features, uptime guarantees or support that these free plans leave out
The word free hides an important split between static and dynamic QR codes. A static code stores your URL or text inside the pattern itself, so it never expires and needs no account; a dynamic code points to a short redirect link so you can change the destination and track scans, and that is what paid plans sell. Many sites advertise free generators and then lock the download, expire the code after a trial, or ask for a subscription, so the safe test is to ask where the code points: if it points to the vendor's domain, the code stops working when the plan lapses. QRCode Monkey and goQR.me create static codes with no signup, QRCode Monkey allows logo uploads up to 2 MB, and QR Code Generator (qr-code-generator.com) gives free static codes but requires an account for PNG or SVG. Bitly's free plan includes 2 QR codes a month. For printing at scale or building into your own software, Zint and libqrencode are open source and produce vector output without any vendor. Test every code with two phones before printing, leave a quiet border around it, and print it large enough to scan. The six options below create codes at no cost.
QRCode Monkey
Free static codes with unlimited scans, commercial use allowed and logo uploads up to 2 MB. SVG and PNG keep design options; PDF and EPS do not.
Price: Free (Free static QR codes, unlimited scans, commercial use allowed; logo uploads capped at 2 MB; PDF and EPS exports have no logo or design options) (QRCode Monkey pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary freeware.
Best for: Branded static codes with a logo.
goQR.me
Free, no registration, and commercial and print use allowed, with vector EPS and SVG downloads. Static codes cannot be edited after printing.
Price: Free (Free, commercial and print use allowed, no registration for the vector formats EPS and SVG; static codes cannot be edited after printing) (goQR.me pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary freeware.
Best for: Plain codes for print.
QR Code Generator
Static codes are free for URL, vCard, WiFi and more, with text limited to 300 characters. PNG, SVG and EPS downloads need a signed-up account and logos need PRO.
Price: Free (Static QR codes are free: URL, vCard, text (300 characters), email, SMS, WiFi; no edits or scan tracking, JPG download only without an account; logos need PRO) (QR Code Generator pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web browser. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: Quick static codes for common types.
Bitly
Free plan includes 2 QR codes and 5 links a month, with unlimited scans. Gives you a trackable short link, but the next paid plan is $10 a month billed annually.
Price: Free (2 QR codes per month, 5 links per month, 2 custom landing pages, 3 custom back-halves per month; unlimited clicks and QR code scans); paid from $10 per month, billed annually (Core plan, annual only, $120 charged yearly) (Bitly pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Web. Proprietary SaaS.
Best for: One or two trackable campaign codes.
Worth knowing: Business is listed at $90 per month with a 14-day trial and no free tier beyond the Free plan above.
Compare: Bitly alternatives
Zint Barcode Generator
Open source (BSD for the library, GPL for the GUI and CLI) and supports QR, Micro QR and rMQR plus many other barcode types. It runs offline with no vendor.
Price: Free (Free and open source; no paid plan) (Zint Barcode Generator pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Windows, macOS, Linux. BSD-3-Clause (libzint) and GPL-3.0-or-later (GUI and CLI) (open source).
Project activity: 821 GitHub stars · last commit Oct 22, 2026
Best for: Offline vector codes and many barcode types.
Worth knowing: Repository README: libzint is BSD 3-clause, the GUI Zint Barcode Studio and CLI are GPLv3 or later; supports QR, Micro QR and rMQR. Platform list inferred from the repo's README files for Linux, macOS and Windows.
libqrencode
LGPL-2.1 C library with a command-line tool, used by developers to generate codes in software. It has no graphical interface.
Price: Free (Free and open source C library with a qrencode command-line tool) (libqrencode pricing, checked 2026-10-23).
Platforms and license: Command line (build from source). LGPL-2.1 (open source).
Project activity: 3k GitHub stars · latest release v4.1.1 (Sep 28, 2020) · No commits since Oct 10, 2025
Best for: Developers embedding QR codes.
Which one to pick
- You need a logo on a flyer: QRCode Monkey
- You want a plain code for print and never want it to expire: goQR.me
- You want to see scan counts for a campaign: Bitly
- You want to generate codes offline in a script: libqrencode
Limits of this review
Docs-only for QRCode Monkey, goQR.me, QR Code Generator, Bitly, Zint Barcode Generator, libqrencode: we did not install or run them, so feature claims come from vendor pages. Vendor prices and free limits change; confirm on the linked pricing page before you commit.
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Kevin Fan
Kevin Fan is a SaaS founder. He runs Free Instead Of, which tracks free and open-source alternatives to paid software and checks each price and free-plan limit against the vendor's own pages.
Methodology
Based on official pricing, license and product pages checked 2026-10-23: QRCode Monkey, goQR.me, QR Code Generator, Bitly, Zint Barcode Generator, libqrencode. Prices, free limits and licenses are the figures shown on those pages on those dates. No tool on this page was installed or run. No accounts were created.