QR Types
What Types of QR Codes Are There?
A QR code can hold more than a link - a Wi-Fi network, a contact card, a plain message, a phone number. Browse the types below to see what each one encodes, what happens when a phone scans it, and how to build your own.
Choose a QR Code Type
What each type encodes and where it fits - pick one to see how it works and make your own.
WiFi QR Codes
Guests scan once and connect - no password read out letter by letter, no app to install.
URL QR Code
Send anyone straight to a web page, landing page, or link with a single scan.
Email QR Code
Let people email you in one scan, with the address, subject, and message ready to send.
Text QR Code
Store a written message inside a QR code that appears the moment it’s scanned - ideal for offline notes, labels, and instructions.
Phone Number QR Code
Turn a phone number into a code that opens the dialer, ready to call in one tap.
How to Choose the Right QR Code Type
Each type encodes something different and behaves differently on scan. A few habits keep whichever you pick reliable, from a phone screen to printed signage.
Match the Type to the Action
A URL opens a page, a Wi-Fi code joins a network, a vCard saves a contact. Pick the type for what you want to happen on scan.
The Content Lives in the Code
Static codes encode the data directly, so they work offline and never expire - but the content is fixed once printed.
Keep URLs Short
A shorter link means a less dense pattern that scans faster and prints smaller. Use a clean URL rather than a long tracking string.
Get Wi-Fi Details Right
A Wi-Fi code carries the network name, password, and security type. Match the encryption type exactly or phones won't connect.
Test the Exact Content
Scan the final code and check it does the right thing - joins the network, saves the right number - before printing at volume.
Keep Contrast and a Quiet Zone
Whatever the type, dark-on-light and a clear four-module margin are what keep it scannable.
Export Vector for Print
SVG, PDF, or EPS stays sharp at any size; PNG is fine for screens but degrades when scaled up.
Test on Two Phones
iPhone and Android read codes slightly differently. Check both with the native camera before a print run.
Questions? Answered
The common ones are URL (open a web page), Wi-Fi (join a network), vCard (save a contact), plain text, email, phone number, and SMS. They're all standard QR codes - what differs is the data encoded and what the phone does with it on scan.
A URL code opens a web page when scanned. A Wi-Fi code carries a network name, password, and security type, so scanning it offers to join the network - no page, no typing. They encode different data for different actions.
A static code stores the data directly in the pattern, so it never expires and needs no service behind it, but the content is fixed once printed. A dynamic code stores a short link to a redirect you can repoint and track later, as long as that service stays active. KoloQR makes static codes.
A URL code pointing at your menu page. If the menu changes often, point that URL at a redirect on your own domain so you can update it without reprinting the code.
Yes. A phone-number code offers to dial when scanned, and an SMS code opens a new message with the number - and often the text - already filled in. Both are static, so they keep working with no account.
No. Every type here is a standard QR code read by the built-in camera on any modern iPhone or Android - no separate scanner app. Only the encoded content and what the phone does with it differ.
A vCard code saves your name, number, and email straight to the phone's contacts on scan. If you'd rather send people to a page you control, a URL code pointing at your profile works too.
Static codes don't - the data is encoded directly, so they work as long as any destination page stays live. A URL code only breaks if its page goes down; Wi-Fi and contact codes keep working regardless.
No. KoloQR makes every type here for free with no sign-up: choose the type, enter the content, style it, and download a print-ready file with no watermark.
Why KoloQR?
- Create QR codes for websites, menus, Wi-Fi, PDFs, and business cards
- Customize colors, logos, and unique shapes
- Download high-quality PNG and SVG files
- Built for both print and digital
