Track every QR code scan: location, time, device

QR code tracking means every scan goes through a short redirect link that records the scan before sending the person to your page. QList does this for free: you get a dynamic QR code, a scan log with country, city, time and device, a map, and a destination you can change after the code is printed. There is no scan limit and no credit card.

What you can see for each scan

Every scan of a QList code adds one row to the scan log for that code:

The scan table can be grouped by country, city, IP or date, filtered to a date range, and shown as a map. Bot hits are flagged so your totals reflect people, not link-preview crawlers.

How QR code tracking works

A trackable QR code does not contain your website address. It contains a short link such as qlist.io/qr/abc123. When someone scans it:

1. Their phone opens the short link.
2. QList looks up the code, sends the redirect to your real destination immediately, and records the scan afterwards. The person is never kept waiting on analytics.
3. The scan appears in your dashboard within seconds.

This is the difference between a static and a dynamic QR code:

• A static QR code encodes the final URL directly. Nothing sits in between, so nothing can count scans, and the destination can never change. Once it is printed, it is fixed.
• A dynamic QR code encodes a redirect link. The redirect can be counted and the destination can be edited. All QList codes are dynamic.

Change the destination after printing

Because the printed code only ever points at the short link, you can edit the destination in the dashboard at any time. The same sticker, poster or packaging keeps working when:

• a campaign landing page moves,
• a menu PDF is replaced with a new one,
• a product page changes URL,
• you want to send scans somewhere else for a week.

Codes can also be archived. If a code belongs to a Project Group with a fallback URL, scans of an archived code go to that fallback instead of a dead end.

Organise codes by client or campaign

Project Groups keep codes for one client, one venue or one campaign together. Each group can have its own fallback URL. The dashboard shows scan totals per code, and the details page shows the full scan history for one code with a date filter.

QR code types you can track

• URL codes that redirect to any web address.
• File codes that serve a PDF, image or other file up to 50 MB (menus, brochures, manuals).
• vCard codes that save a contact card on scan (business cards, name badges).

Where tracked QR codes are used

• Print campaigns. Put a different code on each flyer, poster or newspaper ad and see which placement actually gets scanned. There is a longer guide in How to track QR code scans.
• Restaurant and café menus. Swap the PDF without reprinting table cards, and see which hours get the most scans. See How to make a QR code menu.
• Product packaging. Point to instructions, warranty registration or a reorder page, and change it per batch.
• Events and trade shows. One code per stand or talk; compare them afterwards.
• Business cards. A vCard code that saves your details with one tap.

Privacy and data

Scan data is stored in the EU. QList records the IP-derived location and device type of a scan but never the identity of the person scanning. There is nothing to opt into for the person scanning and nothing is installed on their phone. Details are in the privacy policy.

Tracking without a dedicated tool

If you only need a rough count of visits from print and already use Google Analytics, you can put UTM parameters on the destination URL and generate a static code. You will see sessions from that source in Analytics. What you lose: the ability to change the destination later, per-scan location and device, and the separation of scans from other traffic to the same page. For anything that will be printed in quantity, a dynamic code is the safer choice.