QR codes
Dynamic vs static codes
What ‘make dynamic’ means and when to choose it.
The single most important decision when creating a QR code: static or dynamic. Get this wrong and you're reprinting flyers later.
The difference
| Static | Dynamic | |
|---|---|---|
| What it encodes | The destination URL itself | A short Drentio URL that redirects |
| Editable later? | ❌ No — destination is baked into the QR pattern | ✅ Yes — change destination anytime |
| Tracks scans? | ❌ No (we never see the scan) | ✅ Yes (every scan logged + analytics) |
| Plan needed? | Free (25 cap) | Free (3 cap) / Pro (50) / Business (∞) |
| Best for | One-off print where URL never changes | Anything printed at scale |
When to pick static
- Your personal vCard on a conference badge — the data IS your contact info
- Your home guest WiFi — the data IS your SSID + password
- A short-lived URL you know won't change (event landing page that goes away after the event)
Once printed, the QR contains your literal data. We can't change it later, but nothing depends on Drentio being up either — the QR works forever.
When to pick dynamic
- A printed flyer advertising a new menu page (URL might change)
- A table tent at your restaurant (might switch from one ordering platform to another)
- A billboard (six-figure cost to reprint if URL is wrong)
- Anything you want to track (scan counts, geo, devices)
The QR encodes a short drentio.com/r/<slug> URL. When a phone scans it, our server looks up the current destination and redirects. You can swap the destination from your dashboard anytime.
Converting between
You can convert static → dynamic on Pro+. We assign a new short slug; you reprint or update the digital version once, and from then on you can repoint freely.
Going dynamic → static isn't really a thing — you can download a static-style code from your dynamic record (the destination of the moment), but the printed dynamic QR will still go through our redirect.
The hidden cost of static is the reprint when something changes. Every time we hear "I need to fix this printed QR but it's static…" the story ends with the customer eating the cost of reprinting. Default to dynamic on anything printed in volume.