QRCTools

Why we made QRCTools

A QR code we made for a client went wrong, and every fix we tried cost us more. QRCTools is the tool we wished we'd had from the start.

  1. A code we couldn't change

    Plain QR code

    Fixed
    Page not found

    Goes to partner.example/spring-offer (removed)

    The link is built into the printed image.

    A client needed a QR code quickly, so we made a plain one that linked straight to a page on another company's website, and it was printed. Later that company took the page down. A plain code has its link built into the QR image, so every printed copy opened a missing page, and nothing we could do would change that.

  2. A monthly bill for four codes

    Editable code, paid plan

    60 dollars a month

    For four codes, for almost two years

    The next time, we used an editable code from a QR code service, so we could change the link after printing. When the free trial ended, the codes were already in print, and the bill started. We paid $60 a month for almost two years, just to keep four codes working for that client.

  3. Redirects on our own server

    Our redirect list

    redirects.conf
    • /menuclient-a.example/menu-2025
    • /menu-oldclient-a.example/menu-2024
    • /springpartner.example/spring-offer404
    • /tableclient-b.example/order
    • /qr-7?

    Only we could edit it, and it counted no scans.

    So for new codes we made short links on our own server, which was easy while there were only a few. But every new client added rules to one long list that only we could edit, and none of it told us whether anyone scanned the codes.

  4. The tool we built

    QRCTools code

    Updated

    0 dollars a month

    Goes to client-a.example/spring

    Was partner.example/spring-offer

    QRCTools is free, so a few printed codes never come with a monthly bill. A website code you make in a free account is editable, and its scans are counted. When a page you link to disappears, you change the link, and the printed code opens the new one. Codes like WiFi have their details built into the image, so they can't change.

The addresses on these labels are examples, and their QR codes open our free generator. The price we paid, for four codes over almost two years, is real.

What QRCTools is for

Nobody should pay every month just to keep a few printed QR codes working. That idea is why QRCTools exists, and it decides what we build and what we charge for.

  • A few printed codes will never need a paid plan.
  • Your codes don't expire, and there's no trial that runs out.
  • When Pro for larger teams arrives, the codes you've already printed keep working.
  • You can export your codes anytime, or delete your account yourself.

Make your first QR code

Make a code