QRCode Monkey is probably the most popular free QR code generator on the internet, and deservedly so: it's genuinely free, lets you add logos and custom colours, exports print-ready files, and never expires your codes. But it has one big limitation that catches people after they've printed: QRCode Monkey cannot tell you whether anyone ever scanned your code.
What QRCode Monkey Does (and Doesn't Do)
QRCode Monkey creates static QR codes — your URL is baked directly into the pattern. That's why the codes are free and never expire: no server is involved when someone scans. It's also precisely why tracking is impossible. A scan goes straight from the customer's phone to your website, and QRCode Monkey never knows it happened.
So you get:
- Free codes with logo and colour customisation — genuinely good
- High-resolution PNG, SVG, PDF and EPS export
- Codes that never expire or hit scan caps
- No scan counts, no locations, no device data, no analytics of any kind
- No ability to change the destination after printing
Three Ways to Add Tracking to a QRCode Monkey Workflow
Option 1: UTM Parameters + Google Analytics (Free, Rough)
Before pasting your URL into QRCode Monkey, add UTM parameters: ?utm_source=qr&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=spring_menu. Scans then show up in your website's Google Analytics as a traffic source. It's free, but it's fragile: you only see visits (not scans that failed to load), you can't distinguish two codes with the same UTM, there's no location or device breakdown specific to the code, and if you ever want to change the destination, you're reprinting.
Option 2: A Free Link Shortener in the Middle (Free, Fiddly)
Shorten your URL first, then encode the short link. You get basic click counts from the shortener's dashboard. The catches: free shorteners cap how many links you can track, their analytics are thin, and your printed code now depends on a free service staying free — the same trap described in our guide to QR code expiry.
Option 3: A Dynamic QR Code (Paid, Proper)
A dynamic QR code routes through a tracking redirect you control. You get real scan analytics — counts, cities, devices, time patterns — and you can change the destination whenever you like without touching the printed material. This is what QR Insights does: £1.99 per month per code, first month free, with the full analytics suite and AI-generated insights included on every code. Design-wise you can still generate and print the code however you like.
Which Should You Choose?
Be honest about what the code is for. A QR code on a wedding invitation or a Wi-Fi login card needs no tracking — use QRCode Monkey (or our own free QR code generator) and pay nothing. But if the code is part of paid marketing — menus, flyers, packaging, posters, vehicle wraps — then the whole point is to know whether it works. Printing a marketing QR code with no tracking is spending money on a campaign you've chosen not to measure.
For a deeper look at what scan data actually tells you, see what data can you track from QR codes, or jump straight to how to add analytics to your existing QR codes.