QR Code Generator vs QRCode Monkey vs MyTools: Will Your Code Expire?

The worst way to find out your QR code has expired is from a customer holding your printed flyer. That happens often enough that "do QR codes expire" is a common search, and the answer depends on which generator made the code. This comparison of QR Code Generator vs QRCode Monkey vs MyTools covers three free QR code generators: what each one does well, where each one can catch you out, and which one to use for a menu, a poster, a business card or a Wi-Fi sign.

Static, Dynamic, and Why Your Code Stopped Working

A QR code is a pattern of squares that stores a short piece of data: a link, a phone number, Wi-Fi details, a contact card. A phone camera reads the pattern and acts on what's inside it.

There are two kinds, and most expired codes come from mixing them up:

A static code stores the data itself. A static code for https://yourbakery.com/menu contains that address, and nothing else is involved. Nothing on a server can expire, so the code works for as long as the page it points to is online. The catch is that the code can't be edited. If the URL changes, you reprint.
A dynamic code stores a short redirect address owned by the generator's company, which then sends the visitor to your real link. That's how you get scan counts and the option to change the destination after printing. It also means the code only works while that company keeps your redirect running, and on a free trial that may not be long.

Most people need a static code. A static code is the right choice when the link won't change: a restaurant menu, a Wi-Fi password taped to the fridge, a vCard on a business card or a donation page on a poster. A dynamic code is worth paying for if you have a reason to track scans or change the link later.

QR Code Generator (Pro)

QR Code Generator is the commercial heavyweight. It's a subscription product built mainly around dynamic codes, with scan analytics, editable destinations, campaign folders and a 14-day free trial.

What it gets right

Real analytics. If you need to know how many people scanned the code on bus shelter A versus bus shelter B, this kind of service is the tool for the job. A static code can't tell you that.
You can change the link after printing. That's useful for packaging, signage or anything else that's expensive to reprint.
Polished design options. It offers frames with "Scan me" captions, shaped modules and branded templates, and the templates look professional.

Where it falls short

Trial codes stop working. The company's own help centre says dynamic codes created during the 14-day free trial are deactivated when the trial ends. Scanning one then shows a service page instead of your link. It also says a dynamic code can't be converted into a static one later. So if you print during the trial and don't subscribe, you reprint.
The free path is narrow. You can make a plain static code without an account. But according to the company's support pages, logos, frames and some code shapes need an account, and signing up starts the trial.
It's a subscription. If you only need one code for a church bake sale, a recurring plan is far more than the job needs.

QRCode Monkey

QRCode Monkey is the free static code generator many designers already use. You don't need an account, and it makes as many codes as you want. It has more styling controls than most paid tools.

What it gets right

Static codes that don't expire, free. Reviews consistently describe its codes as having no expiry and no scan limit, which is what you'd expect from static codes.
Lots of design control. It has gradients, custom corner ("eye") shapes, a choice of module styles and logo upload. If the code has to match a brand, this is the most flexible of the three.
Lots of export formats. It exports PNG, SVG, PDF and EPS, so a print shop can take whichever format it prefers.

Where it falls short

The code isn't made on your device. The code is generated on QRCode Monkey's servers, and logos are uploaded to them through an image-upload step. Their public API reflects that. That's not a problem for a menu link, but it's worth knowing before you encode a home Wi-Fi password or a private vCard.
The upgrade toggle leads to the paid service. Turning on statistics or editability sends you to QR Code Generator Pro, which brings back the trial and the expiry problem above.
It's easy to design a code that won't scan. With gradients, light colours and inverted schemes available, it's easy to make a code that looks great on screen and fails on an older phone. You have to test it yourself.

MyTools QR Code Generator

The MyTools QR Code Generator makes static codes only, and it makes them entirely in your browser. What you type stays on your device and isn't sent anywhere. It's free and doesn't need an account.

What it gets right

Nothing to expire, and nothing leaves your device. Every code is static, so no trial can switch it off. The code is drawn on your own device, including any logo you add. That matters most for the content types where privacy is real: Wi-Fi (network name, password, encryption type, hidden network), vCard contact cards, email, SMS, phone, plain text and URLs.
Guard rails against unscannable codes. It warns you when your colours don't have enough contrast to scan reliably. When you add a logo, it automatically switches to the highest error-correction level (H, 30%) so the code still reads with the centre covered. It also tells you when your text is too long to fit in a QR code at all, before you try to download a broken one.
Print-ready output. It downloads PNG at 256, 512, 1024 or 2048 pixels, or SVG, which scales to any size. You can make the background transparent so the code sits cleanly on a coloured flyer.

Where it falls short

Fewer design options. It offers foreground and background colours, margin, error-correction level and a logo. It doesn't have gradients, rounded dots, custom corner shapes or "Scan me" frames. If the code is a branding element, QRCode Monkey gives you much more to work with.
No scan tracking and no editing after printing. That's the trade-off of static codes. If you need analytics, MyTools can't provide them.
Two export formats, one of them only partly transparent. It exports PNG and SVG, but not PDF or EPS, and the transparent background is only available in the SVG download. A print shop that insists on EPS will need you to convert the SVG.

At a Glance

	QR Code Generator	QRCode Monkey	MyTools
Code type	Mostly dynamic (static basic)	Static (dynamic via paid upgrade)	Static only
Can the code expire?	Yes, trial dynamic codes do	No, for static codes	No
Account needed	For logos, frames, dynamic	No	No
Where the code is generated	Company's servers	Company's servers	Your browser
Design control	High	Highest	Basic, with scan checks
Scan analytics	Yes (paid)	Only via the paid upgrade	No
Export formats	Varies by plan	PNG, SVG, PDF, EPS	PNG (up to 2048 px), SVG

Which One Should You Pick?

Pick QR Code Generator if you need to measure or edit. If you're running a print campaign and need scan counts, or if the link has to change after the code is on 10,000 boxes, a dynamic code is the right tool and paying for it is fair. Just treat the free trial as a trial. Don't print anything you made during it unless you plan to subscribe.

Pick QRCode Monkey if the code has to look like your brand. It has gradients, custom eyes and EPS export for the print shop, and you don't need an account. Test the final design with two or three different phones before you print it.

Pick MyTools if the code just has to work, and keep working. It suits a Wi-Fi sign for guests, a vCard on a business card, a menu link on a table tent or a lost-pet poster. If you'd rather not send your network password or home address to someone else's server, it's the only one of the three that keeps everything on your device.

The Bottom Line

The question that matters most for a free QR code generator isn't how pretty the code is. It's whether the code will still scan in a year. Static codes from QRCode Monkey or MyTools will. Trial dynamic codes from QR Code Generator won't unless you subscribe. Choose QRCode Monkey for design freedom, QR Code Generator for analytics and MyTools for a private, static code made in a few seconds.

Need a code that won't expire on you? Make your QR code in your browser →