Free QR Code Generator: Create Codes for URLs, WiFi, Contacts, and More
QR codes are everywhere. Restaurant menus, business cards, product packaging, event tickets. And yet most QR code generators online are either bloated with ads or want you to pay for basic features like downloading an SVG.
This free QR code generator does everything you actually need. Create codes for URLs, WiFi networks, contact cards, emails, phone numbers, and SMS messages. Customize colors, pick your size, choose your error correction level, and download in PNG or SVG format. No signup. No watermarks. No limits.
Here’s how to use it and why each feature matters.
How to Use the QR Code Generator
The interface is straightforward, but there are a few things worth knowing to get the best results.
Step 1: Choose Your QR Type
Start by selecting what kind of QR code you need from the dropdown menu. The tool supports seven different types, and each one encodes data differently. Pick the wrong type and your QR code won’t work as expected.
URL is the default and most common. But if you’re creating a WiFi login code for your office or a contact card for your business, you’ll need to switch to the appropriate type first.
Step 2: Enter Your Information
Once you’ve selected a type, the input fields change to match. For a simple URL, you just paste in the web address. For a contact card, you’ll see fields for name, phone, email, company, and website.
Fill in what you need. Most fields are optional. A contact card works fine with just a name and phone number if that’s all you want to share.
Step 3: Customize the Appearance
Before generating, you can adjust four things: size, error correction level, foreground color, and background color.
Size determines the pixel dimensions. 256px works for most digital uses. Go larger (512px or 1024px) if you’re printing the code on posters, banners, or anything that’ll be scanned from a distance.
Error correction is the one setting most people ignore, but it matters. Higher error correction means the code still works even if part of it gets damaged, dirty, or obscured. It also lets you add a small logo to the center of the code without breaking it. I’ll explain this more below.
Colors are self-explanatory. Just make sure there’s enough contrast between foreground and background. A light gray code on white background won’t scan reliably.
Step 4: Generate and Download
Click the Generate button. Your QR code appears instantly in the preview panel.
From there, you can download as PNG (best for web and digital), download as SVG (best for print and scaling), or copy the image directly to your clipboard for pasting into documents or design tools.
The tool also shows you the exact encoded data at the bottom. Useful for debugging or just verifying that your WiFi password encoded correctly.
QR Code Types Explained
Each QR type serves a different purpose. Here’s when to use each one.
URL and Link QR Codes
The most common type. Scan it, and your phone opens a web page. Use this for linking to your website, a specific product page, a YouTube video, a Google Form, or anywhere else on the web.
One tip: use the full URL including https://. Some older QR readers get confused by URLs without the protocol.
Plain Text QR Codes
This encodes any text you want. Could be a message, a note, a code, or instructions. When scanned, the text just displays on screen. It doesn’t open anything or trigger any action.
I’ve seen people use this for scavenger hunt clues, product serial numbers, and short messages on wedding invitations. Creative uses are endless.
WiFi Network QR Codes
This is my favorite feature. The code contains your network name, password, and encryption type. When someone scans it, their phone offers to connect automatically. No typing required.
Print one and stick it near your router for guests. Put one in your Airbnb. Post it in the office break room. It’s genuinely useful.
The hidden network checkbox is there if your network doesn’t broadcast its SSID. Most people can leave it unchecked.
Contact Card (vCard) QR Codes
This creates a digital business card. Scan it, and the phone prompts to save a new contact with all the details pre-filled: name, phone, email, company, title, website.
Way more practical than paper business cards. I’ve seen people put these on their email signatures, LinkedIn profiles, and even printed on the back of their phone cases.
You don’t need to fill in every field. Name and one contact method (phone or email) is enough for a working vCard.
Email QR Codes
Scan this code and it opens the default email app with the recipient, subject, and body already filled in. The person just hits send.
Great for customer feedback kiosks, support request forms, or RSVP systems. “Scan to send us a message” is much faster than asking people to copy an email address.
Phone Number QR Codes
Simple. Scan it, tap to call. That’s it.
Works well on business cards, flyers, and service vehicles. “Scan to call us” removes one more friction point between a potential customer and your business.
SMS Message QR Codes
Similar to phone, but it opens the messaging app instead. You can pre-fill the message too, which is useful for text-to-join campaigns, appointment confirmations, or two-factor authentication setups.
Understanding Error Correction Levels
This setting confuses people, but it’s actually simple once you understand it.
QR codes have built-in redundancy. If part of the code gets damaged (scratched, dirty, partially covered), the scanner can still read it by reconstructing the missing data. Error correction controls how much redundancy is built in.
Low (7%) is fine for digital screens where the code will always display perfectly. It creates smaller, less dense codes.
Medium (15%) is the default and works for most use cases. Good balance between size and resilience.
Quartile (25%) adds more redundancy. Use this if your code might get partially covered or printed on textured surfaces.
High (30%) is maximum protection. Use this if you want to place a small logo in the center of your QR code. The high redundancy compensates for the obscured area.
Higher error correction also means denser codes with more modules (the little squares). For very long URLs or full vCards, stick with Low or Medium to keep the code scannable.
Choosing the Right Size
Size matters more than people think, especially for printed QR codes.
The rule of thumb: the scanning distance should be about 10 times the code width. A 1-inch QR code works well from about 10 inches away. A 4-inch code works from about 40 inches.
For business cards and product labels, 256px is usually enough since people will scan up close.
For posters, signs, and banners, go 512px or 1024px. You want those little squares (modules) to be clearly distinguishable from a distance.
For digital use (websites, emails, social media), 256px is the sweet spot. Large enough to scan from a phone screen, small enough to not dominate your design.
PNG vs SVG: Which Format to Download
PNG is a raster format. Fixed pixels. Great for web use, social media, and anywhere you need a standard image file. It’ll look sharp at the size you generated it.
SVG is a vector format. Infinitely scalable. Download a 256px SVG and you can blow it up to billboard size without losing quality. Use this for print materials, signage, and anywhere the final size might change.
My recommendation: download both. PNG for quick use, SVG for archives. You never know when you’ll need to reprint something larger.
Why Use a QR Code Generator
QR codes solve a real problem: getting information from the physical world into a phone without typing.
For businesses, that means fewer friction points. A customer sees your flyer, scans the code, lands on your booking page. No typing your URL, no searching your business name, no getting distracted along the way.
For personal use, WiFi sharing alone justifies the tool. I have QR codes posted in my home office, my living room (for guests), and my workshop. People scan, connect, done.
The contact card feature has basically replaced business cards for me. I share a link to my vCard QR code, people scan it, and my contact info goes straight into their phone. No lost cards, no manual entry, no typos.
Get Started Now
Pick a QR type, enter your info, and generate your first code. Takes about 30 seconds.
Start with a URL code for your website or a WiFi code for your home network. Those two alone will show you how useful this tool is.
Then experiment with contact cards and email codes. Once you start thinking in terms of “scan to do X,” you’ll find uses everywhere.