What Types of QR Codes Are There?
A QR code can hold more than a link - a Wi-Fi network, an email, 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.
Basic QR Codes
The everyday types - a link, a message, an email, a phone number, a Wi-Fi network. Each one carries its content in the pattern, so it works with no app and no account.
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.
SMS QR Code
Open a new text message with your number - and the wording - already filled in.
Location & Event QR Codes
Send someone to an address or drop a date into their calendar - a scan that ends in maps or a calendar rather than on a web page.
Social QR Codes
One scan opens your profile, channel, or chat in the app people already have - no username to spell out, no account to search for.
WhatsApp QR Code
Open a WhatsApp chat with your number in one scan, without anyone saving your contact first.
X (Twitter) QR Code
Send people straight to your X profile, a single post, or a one-tap follow prompt.
TikTok QR Code
Send people straight to your TikTok profile, a single video, or a campaign hashtag.
YouTube QR Code
Send people straight to a channel, a single video, a playlist, or the subscribe prompt.
Instagram QR Code
Send people straight to your Instagram profile, a single post, or a reel.
Facebook QR Code
Open your Facebook Page, group, or Messenger chat with one scan.
Twitch QR Code
Open your Twitch channel from a stream overlay, a convention stand, or a merch insert.
LinkedIn QR Code
Share your LinkedIn profile or company page with a code any phone camera can read.
Pinterest QR Code
Open a Pinterest board, profile, or Pin from a printed page in one scan.
Reddit QR Code
Open a subreddit, a profile, or a single post with one scan.
Telegram QR Code
Open a Telegram chat, channel, group, or bot with a single scan.
Discord QR Code
Open a Discord server invite with one scan - if the invite is set never to expire.
Spotify QR Code
Open a playlist, album, artist, or track in Spotify with one scan from any camera.
LINE QR Code
Add a LINE official account or a personal contact with a single scan.
Snapchat QR Code
Open a Snapchat profile from any phone camera - not only from inside the app.
OnlyFans QR Code
Open your profile in one scan, from a card, a screen, or a stream overlay.
Vimeo QR Code
Play a video, a showcase, or a portfolio from anything printed.
Patreon QR Code
Turn a merch table, a zine, or a stage screen into a membership sign-up.
Review & Business QR Codes
Point customers straight at the form where they leave a rating, so a review is one scan rather than a search.
Google Review QR Code
Open your business's Google review form in one scan, with the stars ready to tap.
Tripadvisor QR Code
Send guests straight to your review form instead of asking them to search for you.
Yelp QR Code
Open your Yelp page - photos, hours, menu and directions - in one scan.
Trustpilot QR Code
Open your review form in one scan, from a parcel insert, a receipt, or a card.
Feedback QR Code
Collect private comments from customers while the experience is still in front of them.
Link & Tool QR Codes
Link-in-bio pages, forms, booking pages, and meeting rooms - a URL code with the right link already shaped for you.
Linktree QR Code
Send a scan to your link-in-bio page, and edit the destinations later without reprinting.
Google Forms QR Code
Open a survey, sign-up sheet, or feedback form straight from a printed page.
Calendly QR Code
Let someone book a time with you by scanning a card, a sign, or a badge.
Zoom QR Code
Open a Zoom meeting, webinar registration, or personal room from a printed sign.
GitHub QR Code
Send a scan to a profile, a repository, or the latest release of a project.
Form QR Code
Open a survey, application, or sign-up form from anything printed.
Booking QR Code
Take an appointment, table, or room booking straight from a printed sign.
Google Docs QR Code
Open a document, a handout, or a template straight from a printed page.
Google Slides QR Code
Hand out a deck, or one slide from it, straight from a printed page.
Google Drive QR Code
Hand over a file, a folder, or a download from anything printed.
Shopping & Payment QR Codes
Your listing, your shop, or the payment itself - a marketplace link, a PayPal.me address, or a national instant-payment code, one scan from whoever is standing in front of you.
Amazon QR Code
Take a scan straight to a product page, a storefront, or a wish list.
Etsy QR Code
Send a scan to your Etsy shop or to a single listing, from a tag or a stall sign.
Shopify QR Code
Open a product, a collection, or a pre-filled basket in a single scan.
eBay QR Code
Open a listing, a store, or a seller's other items in one scan.
Coupon QR Code
Put a discount on paper and let one scan apply it at the checkout.
PayPal QR Code
Take a payment from a printed code by sending the scan to your PayPal.me link.
Pix QR Code
Encode the Pix Copia e Cola string your bank issued as a code you can style and print.
PromptPay QR Code
Encode the PromptPay payload your Thai bank app issued as a code you can style and print.
UPI QR Code
Encode your UPI ID as a code any Indian payment app can scan, styled and print-ready.
PayNow QR Code
Encode the PayNow payload your Singapore bank app issued as a code you can style and print.
Crypto QR Codes
A wallet address inside a code, so a payment is scanned rather than typed and no character goes missing on the way.
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 phone-number code starts a call. 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), 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 URL code pointing at the page that already holds them - your website, LinkedIn, or a link-in-bio page. For a single detail, an email or phone-number code works too: scanning opens a pre-filled email or offers to dial.
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 text 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
