It depends on the type. QR.io static QR codes do not expire — QR.io's own help center says they work forever. Its dynamic codes are different. QR.io runs on a 7-day free trial, and when that trial ends, your dynamic codes are paused until you subscribe. Here is the full picture.
The rest of this covers what QR.io says happens when the trial expires, why static and dynamic behave differently, and how to make a code that no clock can pause. For the version across every tool, see do QR codes expire.
Do QR.io QR codes expire?
Static ones do not. Dynamic ones effectively do. A static QR code stores the destination inside the pattern, so your phone decodes it locally with no server in the loop. Nothing can switch it off. QR.io confirms this in its help center article "Do Static QR codes expire?", which states static codes do not expire and will work forever.
A dynamic QR code is the opposite. It routes each scan through QR.io's servers to a destination you can edit later. That indirection is the feature, and also the leash. When there is nothing paying to keep the redirect alive, the code stops resolving. On QR.io, that moment arrives when the 7-day free trial ends.
What happens to QR.io codes when the free trial ends?
QR.io spells this out in its help center. When the free trial expires, you keep your account and your saved data, but you lose access to scans and statistics, and your dynamic QR codes are paused. Upgrade to a paid plan and the dynamic codes are reactivated. Static codes keep working the whole time.
So a dynamic QR.io code you printed during the trial goes dark on day eight unless you pay. It is not deleted — QR.io says it can be reactivated on upgrade — but between the pause and the payment, every scan reaches a paused code. If that code is on a flyer already in the wild, the scanner gets nothing.
This is the pattern we keep documenting across free QR tools. The code that seems free is the dynamic one, and the dynamic one is the one held against a subscription. We named it the free trial trap.
Is QR.io actually free?
It has a free trial, not a free plan. QR.io's own help center calls it a 7-day free trial, during which you can create both dynamic and static codes. After seven days the dynamic ones pause until you pick a paid plan. That is a meaningful distinction if you are planning to print.
A free trial and a free plan read the same in a search result and behave nothing alike. A free plan keeps working at $0 forever. A trial is a countdown. Print a dynamic QR.io code on Monday and you have until the following Monday before it needs a card on file.
For static codes the trial does not matter, because static codes never needed a server. For dynamic codes it matters entirely, because the trial is the only thing keeping them alive for free.
Why did my QR.io code stop working?
The reason splits by code type. Neither is a mystery once you know which kind you made.
- It is a dynamic code and the trial or subscription lapsed. QR.io pauses dynamic codes when the free trial ends. Reactivating means upgrading — see how to redirect a QR code for how the dynamic layer works.
- It is a static code and the destination moved. The pattern still decodes; the page behind it is gone. Fix the link at its source, or reprint. That is why the code stopped working, not the code expiring.
- It is a static code and the print is small, low-contrast, or damaged. That is a scanning problem, not a lifespan one. Scan-test before any print run.
Do QR.io static codes expire?
No. QR.io's help center states plainly that static codes do not expire and work forever. This is not a QR.io feature — it is true of every static code from every generator, including ours. A static code is a fixed image, and an image has no off switch.
The trade-off is that a static code cannot be edited or tracked. The URL is fixed the moment you download it. If you need to re-point a printed code or count scans, you need a dynamic code, and then the question becomes who holds the leash and for how long. See static vs dynamic for the full comparison.
How do I make a QR code that never gets paused?
Separate the two needs first. If you only need a code that lasts, make a static one. Qranite's free generator computes the pattern in your browser, so your data never reaches our servers. We could not pause your code if we tried, because we never had it. No signup, no watermark, SVG for print and PNG up to 4096px.
If you also need to re-point a printed code or read scans, that requires a dynamic code — and the difference is the policy behind it. Qranite's dynamic codes come with a written no-hostage rule: stop paying and your printed codes keep redirecting. You lose editing and analytics beyond the free tier, never the redirect itself. A free account includes 2 dynamic codes; Pro is $9/mo or $72/yr for 50.
The contrast is the whole point. QR.io pauses dynamic codes when the trial runs out. Qranite keeps them pointing, because a printed code in someone's hand should not depend on your next invoice.