Analytics is the reason to pay for a dynamic QR code. A count is the least of it: the useful questions are which poster worked, what time people scan, whether they came from inside Instagram, and whether the link is still alive. This post sets out what a QR code generator with analytics should give you, what the main tools generally include, and what AriaQR shows.
How QR analytics works at all
A static code sends the phone straight to the destination; nobody is in the middle, so nobody counts. A dynamic code carries a short link instead, and the redirect is where the counting happens: time, device, approximate location from the network, and the app the scan came from. That is also why a dynamic code can be repointed after printing. Everything below applies only to dynamic codes.
What a good dashboard includes
Scans and unique visitors, with uniques measured honestly and, ideally, without cookies. Scans per day and by hour of day, in the scanner's local time. Device and operating system. Whether the scan came from an in-app browser such as Instagram or WhatsApp, because those browsers break some pages. City-level location on a map. A way to compare several codes in one campaign. Export. And a check that the destination still works, with an alert if it stops.
What the main tools generally offer
The broad platforms, QR TIGER, Uniqode, Flowcode, Scanova and QRCodeChimp, are generally known to provide scan analytics with device, location and time, with more detail on higher tiers, and campaign or folder grouping. Bitly reports on its short links, which its QR codes ride on. Free tools such as ME-QR offer basic counts on their free tier. Static generators, Chrome, Canva and Adobe Express, offer nothing, because there is nothing to count. Check each site for current specifics.
What AriaQR shows
Every dynamic AriaQR code, including the free classic code, gets the same dashboard: total scans; unique visitors measured without cookies; scans per day; an hour-of-day heatmap in the scanner's local time; device and operating system; in-app browser detection; approximate location from the network at country, region and city level on a map; placements, so several codes in one campaign can be compared side by side; CSV export; a daily link-health check on the destination; and alerts by email or webhook when something breaks or when scans pass a number you set. Scans set no cookies and identify no one.
| AriaQR | Broad platforms | Bitly | Static tools | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scans | Yes | Yes | Yes | None |
| Unique visitors | Yes, no cookies | Varies, check their site | Check their site | None |
| Hour of day, local time | Yes | Varies | Check their site | None |
| Device and OS | Yes | Yes | Check their site | None |
| In-app browser detection | Yes | Varies | Check their site | None |
| City-level location and map | Yes | Yes, varies by tier | Check their site | None |
| Compare codes in a campaign | Placements | Folders or campaigns | Check their site | None |
| Link-health checks and alerts | Yes, daily, email or webhook | Varies | Check their site | None |
| Free tier analytics | Full dashboard on the free classic code | Limited, check their site | Basic | None |
Reading the numbers well
Uniques matter more than scans; a poster in a lobby collects repeat scans from the same people. Hour of day tells you when the audience is in front of the print. In-app scans tell you whether your page survives Instagram's browser. Placements tell you which medium earned the budget. And a link-health alert is the difference between finding out on a Tuesday and finding out at the end of the campaign. The analytics guide walks through each panel.
The honest recommendation
If you want deep, honest, cookie-free analytics on every code including the free ones, with placements, alerts, teams that share the same dashboard and nothing to configure, AriaQR is built for that. Generating is free; you pay only to download a verified picture code, and the free classic code costs nothing.