QR code generator

Make a QR code for a link, WiFi network, phone number or contact card. No account, no watermark, no expiry, and no redirect service logging who scans it.

Open the QR code generator →

Static codes, not dynamic ones — and why that matters

Most free QR generators produce a dynamic code. The pattern does not contain your link. It contains a short URL owned by the generator, which redirects to you. That arrangement has two consequences people discover late:

Palarid makes static codes. Your destination is encoded directly in the black-and-white pattern. Nothing sits in between, so nothing can expire and nothing can be logged. The trade-off is honest and worth stating: you cannot change the destination later without printing a new code.

What you can encode

TypeTypical use
Website linkMenu, review page, event page, Wi-Fi sign-in portal
WiFi networkGuest access at home, cafés, holiday lets
Phone numberTap to call — trade vehicles, shop windows
Contact card (vCard)Business cards, conference badges
Plain textSerial numbers, asset tags, instructions

Making codes that actually scan

Size

A rough working rule is that the printed code should be at least one tenth of the distance it will be scanned from. A code read at 2 metres wants to be about 20 cm across. Codes on packaging read at arm's length can be 2–3 cm.

Quiet zone

Leave clear space around all four sides — about four modules' width, which in practice means don't crowd the code with text or a border. Scanners use that margin to find the code's edges.

Contrast and inversion

Dark pattern on a light background. Many scanners fail on inverted (light-on-dark) codes, and most fail on low-contrast colour pairs. If in doubt, black on white.

Keep the payload short

Every extra character adds modules, and a denser grid is harder to read on a cheap camera in poor light. Strip tracking parameters from URLs before encoding — ?utm_source=… can easily double the length.

Test before you print a thousand of them

Scan the final artwork, at final size, on both an old Android phone and an iPhone, in the lighting where it will actually be used. This catches nearly every real-world failure.

Nothing you encode leaves your device.

The code is generated in your browser. Palarid has no record of the links, passwords or contact details you turn into codes — including WiFi passwords.

A word about WiFi codes

A WiFi QR code contains your network password as readable text. Anyone who scans it — or photographs the printed card and decodes it later — has the password. That is fine for a guest network you're happy to share. It is not fine for your main network if the card sits in a public café. Use a separate guest network where the router supports one.

Common questions

Do QR codes expire?

Static ones never do. Dynamic ones expire when the company behind them decides they should. If a generator asks you to sign up before giving you a code, it is almost certainly dynamic.

Can I put a logo in the middle?

QR codes carry error correction, so a small central logo usually still scans. Covering more than roughly 15–20% of the area starts to break them. Always test.

Are QR codes safe to scan?

The code itself is just data, but it can point anywhere. Before opening a link from a code — especially a sticker placed over an existing one on a parking meter or charging point — check the URL your phone previews. Sticker-over-sticker fraud is common enough to be worth the two seconds.

Is there a limit on how many I can make?

No. There is no account, so there is nothing to meter.

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