Can you track scans of any QR code?
No. A static QR code stores its content, such as a web address, directly in the pattern. The phone opens that address without passing through any server, so there is nothing to count. Your website analytics may see the visit, but they can't tell it came from the code.
A dynamic QR code holds a short link like qr.linkom.app/AB3DE9K. When someone scans it, the link records the scan and then redirects them to your real page. That redirect takes a fraction of a second and is where all the statistics come from. If you plan to measure results, create a dynamic code before you print.
What you can measure with QR code tracking
| Metric | What it tells you | Example decision |
|---|---|---|
| Scans per day | How many times the code was opened, day by day | See whether the weekend flyer drop actually worked |
| Unique visitors | How many different people scanned, not repeat scans | Tell real reach apart from one keen customer |
| Countries and cities | Where scans happen, approximately | Check that a Jeddah campaign isn't drawing scans from elsewhere |
| Devices, systems, browsers | iPhone or Android, phone or tablet | Test your landing page on the devices that matter |
| Sources | The referring page, when there is one | Spot a short link that was shared on social media |
| Time × weekday heatmap | The hours and days people scan most | Schedule staff or offers for the busy hours |
| Comparison with previous period | Whether scans are rising or falling | Notice a poster that has stopped working |
One detail on sources: a phone camera scan usually has no referring page. Sources appear mostly when your short link is also clicked from a website, an app or a social post, which helps you see where people shared it.
How to track QR code scans, step by step
- Create a dynamic QR code and choose its type: website link, menu, PDF, coupon, WhatsApp and so on.
- Give the code a clear name, such as "Riyadh branch, table tents, Ramadan", and put it in a folder for the campaign.
- If it points to your website, add UTM tags with the built-in UTM builder.
- Design it, check the scannability score, download SVG or PDF and print.
- Open the code's analytics page to follow scans, visitors, places, devices and peak hours.
Your own test scans are counted too. Write down the day the code went live, and read your results from that day on.
Use one QR code per placement
Tracking is only useful if you can compare. If the same code is on your menus, your shop window and your delivery bags, you'll know the total but not which placement brought the scans.
Instead, make one code per placement and send them all to the same page. A café in Dubai might use three codes: one on the table tents, one on the window sticker and one on the takeaway cups. After two weeks, the numbers show which spot earns its space. A clinic in Cairo can do the same with the reception desk, the waiting room poster and the appointment cards.
For many branches or products, bulk creation helps: upload a list or CSV and create the codes in one go, up to 50 at once on Free, 500 on Pro and 10,000 on Business.
Add UTM tags to see QR scans in your website analytics
QRaft counts the scan. Your website analytics, such as Google Analytics, counts what happens next: pages viewed, sign-ups, purchases. UTM tags connect the two by labelling the visit, for example utm_source=qr, utm_medium=table-tent and utm_campaign=ramadan.
Expect the two numbers to differ. A scan is counted the moment the short link opens. Your website only records a visit if the page loads fully and, in many cases, if the visitor accepts analytics cookies. A gap between scans and sessions is normal; a very large gap may mean a slow page.
Reports that come to you
- A weekly email report with your scans and unique visitors, compared with the week before.
- Milestone emails when a code reaches 100, 1,000 and 10,000 scans.
- CSV export of your scan data, for your own spreadsheets or reports to a client.
- History: the Free plan shows the last 7 days of scans; Pro and Business keep the full history.
On Pro, you can also run an A/B split with smart routing: half the scans go to one page and half to another, and you compare the results in your website analytics.
Privacy: what scan tracking records
Scan analytics are anonymous. QRaft records the time, an approximate country and city worked out from the network, the device type, operating system, browser and referring page. It does not store the visitor's IP address. Unique visitors are counted with a one-way code that changes every day, so nobody can be followed from one day to the next.
You never see names, phone numbers or accounts of the people who scan. If you need contact details, ask for them openly, for example with a feedback page that has an optional contact field.
Questions
Can I track a static QR code?+
No. A static code opens its content directly, without any server, so scans can't be counted. Use a dynamic code for anything you want to measure.
Can I see who scanned my QR code?+
No. Tracking is anonymous: you see counts, approximate places, devices and times, but not names or phone numbers.
How long is scan history kept?+
On the Free plan you see the last 7 days. Pro and Business keep the full history of every dynamic code.
Why does my website show fewer visits than QR scans?+
A scan is counted when the short link opens. Your website only records a visit when the page loads and, often, when the visitor accepts analytics cookies. Some difference is normal.