A QR code on the treatment menu, the loyalty card and the window poster looks like the same small job three times over, and the names that fill the search results, Bitly, QR Code Monkey and QR Tiger, split into two very different products behind that same-looking square. One kind is built to be edited and tracked for a fee; the other is built to be printed once and forgotten, and mixing them up is how a code ends up dead on a poster nobody thinks to check.
Three QR codes a studio prints in a normal month
- The treatment menu or price list code on the mirror or table.
- A loyalty or review card handed to regulars at the till.
- A window poster or A-board pointing walk-ins to booking or opening times.
The free options compared
| Tool | Free plan | Static codes? | Do free codes expire? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bitly | 5 links, 2 QR codes a month | No, dynamic only | Tied to the account, limited free |
| QR Code Monkey | Unlimited static codes | Yes | No |
| QR Tiger | 3 dynamic codes, 500 scans each | Only on paid plans | Free ones are capped, treat as a trial |
| Jobbit | Free plan credits, unlimited static codes | Yes | No |
A salon example
Glow Room printed a run of loyalty cards with a QR code from a trial dynamic service, timed to a six-week promotion, and the code stopped resolving in week five when the trial quietly ended, right as regular clients started asking why it would not scan. The replacement batch used a static code instead, so the same card is still being handed out a year later with nothing left to renew and no monthly charge attached to a stack of paper.
Our pick and why
A code on a menu, a loyalty card or a window sign is printed once and expected to work for years, which is exactly what a static code is for. Jobbit's QR code generator makes static codes only, with a logo and brand colour if you want them, and tests that each one scans before handing it back. Jobbit matches QR Code Monkey on the price and adds the scan test, and the full six-point scoring is in the detailed comparison.
