Best URL Shortener
with Free QR Code Generator

Why generate QR codes through a URL shortener?

Generating a QR code through your URL shortener — rather than a standalone QR tool — gives you two major advantages. First, the QR code points to a short URL, which means the QR code has less data to encode and is therefore simpler, smaller, and scans more reliably (especially at small print sizes). Second, you get click tracking — every scan of the QR code is counted as a click on the short link, so you know exactly how many people scanned your menu, poster, or business card.

The best URL shorteners with QR code generation

1. yourshortsite.link — Free QR codes on every link

yourshortsite.link automatically generates a QR code for every short link you create. Click the QR button next to any link to see and download it instantly. On the free plan, QR codes are available at up to 300px — fine for digital use and small print. The Pro plan (£3.99/month) unlocks sizes up to 1000px, which is suitable for A3 posters and large-format print without pixelation.

QR codes are generated as PNG files with a dark background and purple foreground — clean and distinctive. You can also request them directly via the API at any size your plan supports, making it easy to automate QR code generation in bulk.

2. TinyURL — Basic QR generation

TinyURL added QR code generation in recent years. You can download a QR code as SVG or PNG in one click from your link dashboard — and it's free. The SVG option is particularly useful as it's resolution-independent and scales to any print size cleanly. The downside: no click-through analytics on free, and the QR codes use TinyURL branding in the colour scheme.

3. Bitly — QR codes on Growth plan ($29/month)

Bitly offers QR code generation but it's behind the Growth plan at $29/month. For a feature that should be free, this is a significant paywall. The QR codes Bitly generates are customisable with colours and logo overlays on higher plans — a genuinely useful feature if you need branded QR codes. But for most users, paying $29/month just to get a QR code is hard to justify.

4. Rebrandly — QR codes on all plans including free

Rebrandly generates QR codes for free including on the free plan (10 links/month). The QR code quality is good, but as with all Rebrandly free features, you hit the 10-link-per-month wall quickly. For occasional use, it works fine.

QR code resolution guide for print

Choosing the right QR code resolution for your use case avoids blurry prints:

• Business cards (5cm × 5cm) — 300px PNG is sufficient at standard print DPI
• A4 flyers — 500–600px for a QR code taking up roughly a quarter of the page
• A3 posters — 800–1000px minimum. yourshortsite.link Pro delivers 1000px.
• Large format / banners — Use SVG if available, or request the largest PNG and upscale with a vector tool
• Always test scan your QR code before printing. Print a small test page and scan it from the intended viewing distance.

Tracking QR code scans

Because yourshortsite.link QR codes point to your short URL, every scan is tracked as a click on your link. Your dashboard shows total clicks over time — no separate QR analytics tool needed. If you're running a print campaign across multiple locations, create a separate short link (and therefore a separate QR code) for each location, and you'll be able to see which physical location drove the most scans.

Dynamic vs static QR codes

A QR code generated through yourshortsite.link is effectively a dynamic QR code — the QR code always points to the same short link URL, but you could (in theory, with a Pro account's editable destination) change where that URL redirects without reprinting the QR code. This is a significant advantage over static QR codes that point directly to a destination URL — if you ever need to update the destination (new landing page, seasonal offers), you can do so without replacing printed materials.