Dynamic vs static QR codes.
A static QR code stores its content directly, a web address or a whole contact, so it can never change and needs no service between the scan and the content. A dynamic code stores a short redirect run by a service: you can repoint it and count scans, but it stops working if the service or your account ends.
Make your free cardA free Apple Wallet business card, in about a minute
- Static
- What you encode is what scans, forever. Free to make anywhere, with no account.
- Dynamic
- Encodes the service’s short link. Editable, with scan counts, usually on a subscription.
- The difference to the camera
- None. Both are ordinary QR codes under ISO/IEC 18004; “dynamic” describes what happens after the scan.
The content decides the grid.
Both codes below were generated on this page, at error correction level M. The left holds an example contact; the right holds one short address.
-
Static, holding a contact A vCard for an example person, inside the code
- Characters
- 200
- Grid
- 57×57
-
Holding one address cardr.co/how-it-works
- Characters
- 29
- Grid
- 29×29
What each one does after it is printed.
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| What the code holds | The content itself | A short address on the provider’s domain |
| Change it after printing | No | Yes, in the provider’s dashboard |
| Scan counts | None | Yes, recorded by the redirect |
| Works with no internet | A contact or Wi-Fi code does; a link still needs a connection to load | No: the redirect must be reached first |
| Stops working if | Nothing; only the destination itself can go away | The provider shuts down or your plan lapses |
| Cost | Free from any generator | Usually a subscription |
The third option: a static code to a page you own.
The argument for a dynamic code is that you can change what it opens. For a business card there is a simpler way to get that: a static code holding the address of a card page you control. The code never changes, and nothing sits between the scan and your card, while everything on the card stays editable because you edit the page.
-
Static, vCard inside
- Scan
- Printed contact
- Goes stale
-
Dynamic
- Scan
- Redirect
- Dies if plan lapses
-
Static, to your page
- Scan
- cardr.co/yourname
- Always editable
That is how the QR on a Cardr card works. It encodes your card’s own address, cardr.co/yourname. There is no redirect service to lapse, and your number or job title can change as often as it needs to. The trade-off is honest: the code always opens your card, so you cannot repoint it at a different website the way a dynamic code can.
Where these facts come from.
Primary documents only: the standard, the platform’s own documentation or the chip maker’s datasheet. Each was read on October 29, 2026.
- ISO/IEC 18004:2024, QR code bar code symbology specification: the international standard for QR codes, including error correction (the full text is sold by ISO)
www.iso.org/standard/83389.htmlRead October 29, 2026 - DENSO WAVE (the QR code’s inventor): Error Correction Feature: approximately 7% (L), 15% (M), 25% (Q) and 30% (H) of codewords restored, by Reed-Solomon code; “Typically, Level M (15%) is most frequently selected.”
www.qrcode.com/en/about/error_correction.htmlRead October 29, 2026
Common questions.
Can a static QR code be changed?
No. Its content is the pattern itself, so changing the content means a new code. If the code holds a web address, you can still change what is on that page.
Do static QR codes expire?
No. Nothing in the code can expire. A static code only stops working if the place it points to goes away, such as a deleted web page.
Why did my dynamic QR code stop working?
Usually because the plan behind it ended: the code holds the provider’s redirect, and when the account lapses the redirect stops. It can also be the provider closing. The printed code cannot be fixed; it has to be reprinted.
Which is better for a business card?
A static code to a card page you can edit gives you the editing of a dynamic code without the redirect. A static vCard code works with no internet but goes out of date when your details change.
Does a dynamic QR code scan worse?
Usually better, because a short redirect address makes a coarse grid. Any short address does the same.
A code that never needs reprinting.
Your Cardr QR holds your card’s own address, with no redirect to expire, and every detail behind it stays editable. Free forever.