QR Code Generator — SVG and PNG, No Tracking, No Expiry

A QR code that will still work in five years

Search for a QR generator and most of the free results do the same thing: they encode a link to their domain, which redirects to yours. That gives them scan analytics and gives you a code that stops working the day they shut down, change their pricing, or decide your code is now a paid feature. Printed on a menu or a poster, that is a real problem.

This encodes your content directly into the code. There is no redirect, no tracking, no account and no expiry. It is generated in your browser by an encoder that ships with the page, so nothing you type — including a Wi-Fi password — is transmitted anywhere.

Error correction is not just insurance

QR codes use Reed–Solomon coding, so a damaged or partly obscured code still scans. The four levels recover roughly 7%, 15%, 25% and 30% of the data. Higher recovery means more modules, so the code becomes denser and needs to be printed larger to stay scannable.

Level M is the right default for almost everything. Go to Q or H only when something will physically cover part of the code — a logo in the middle, a fold in a leaflet, a surface that will get scuffed. Choosing H "to be safe" on a small print is counterproductive: the extra density costs you more than the redundancy gains.

The quiet zone is part of the code

The specification requires a clear margin of four modules on every side. Scanners use it to find the symbol's edges, and designers remove it constantly to make a code fit a layout. A code crammed against other artwork often will not scan at all, and the cause is invisible. Leave the quiet zone at 4 unless you know precisely why you are changing it.

Contrast and inversion

Dark modules on a light background is not a stylistic convention — many scanners assume it. Inverting the colours, or using two mid-tones with little luminance difference between them, produces a code that works on your phone and fails on someone else's. A warning appears above if the chosen pair is too close in contrast.

SVG for anything printed

SVG is vector, so it stays perfectly sharp at any size — a business card or a billboard from the same file. That matters more for QR codes than for most graphics, because a slightly blurred module edge is exactly what makes a scan fail. Use PNG only when something downstream refuses vector input.

Questions people actually ask

Will this QR code stop working later?

No. Many free generators encode a link to their own domain and redirect, which lets them count scans — and means the code dies if they shut down or start charging. This encodes your content directly, so the code works forever and reports nothing to anyone.

Why download SVG rather than PNG?

SVG is resolution-independent, so it stays sharp on a poster or a business card at any size. Use PNG when a tool will not accept vector input.

What does the error correction level change?

Higher levels add redundancy, so the code still scans when partly damaged or covered by a logo — at the cost of a denser grid. Level M is a good default; use H only if something will overlap the code.