Unqode SmartQR vs Bitly
Bitly is a link-management platform that also does QR codes. We only do QR codes. That difference shows up most in how each one meters them — and in what a year of scan history costs.
Plans & limits
Where the QR limits and the analytics ladder actually bite
Bitly's figures come from their own public pricing page, checked 19 August 2026. Note that Bitly counts QR codes as a monthly allowance rather than a total you hold onto.
| Unqode SmartQR | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | 3 dynamic QR codes + unlimited static | 2 QR codes per month |
| Entry paid tier | $9/mo — Pro | $10/mo — Core (billed annually) |
| QR codes at that tier | Unlimited dynamic | 5 per month |
| Analytics retention there | 1 year | 30 days |
| Cost of 1 year of history | $9/mo | $199/mo — Premium |
| Scans | Unlimited on paid plans | Unlimited |
| Custom domain for links | Not yet | Growth and above |
The number to check against your own usage
On Bitly's own pricing page, a year of click and scan history sits on the Premium plan at $199/month. Growth ($29/mo) retains 4 months, and Core ($10/mo) retains 30 days. If you print a code and want to compare this quarter against the same quarter last year, retention — not scan volume — is what sets your price.
Unqode SmartQR's Pro plan is $9/month and keeps a full year of daily scan history, with no cap on how many QR codes you create or how many times they're scanned.
That said: if you also need branded short links on your own domain, Bitly does that today and we don't. If link management is the actual job, they're a link company and we aren't pretending otherwise.
Source: bitly.com/pages/pricing, checked 19 August 2026. Bitly changes plans and limits from time to time — please confirm on their site before deciding, and tell us if anything here has gone stale.
Feature by feature
What each platform actually offers
Including the parts where Bitlyis ahead of us. You should know what you'd be giving up, not just what you'd gain.
| Feature | Unqode SmartQR | Bitly |
|---|---|---|
| Dynamic QR codes (edit destination after printing) | ||
| Unlimited QR codes on a paid planBitly's paid tiers include a set number of QR codes per month — 5 on Core, 10 on Growth, 200 on Premium. | ||
| 1 year of scan history under $200/monthBitly lists 1-year retention on Premium ($199/mo); Unqode SmartQR includes it on Pro ($9/mo). | ||
| Free plan that includes dynamic QR codesBitly's free tier lists 2 QR codes a month with basic customisation; we could not confirm from their pricing page whether those are editable after creation. | ||
| Branded short links on your own domainBitly includes a custom domain from the Growth plan up. We don't support custom domains yet — your links live on unqode.com. | ||
| Single sign-on (SSO)Bitly lists SSO on Enterprise. We don't offer it. | ||
| Mobile deep linkingListed on Bitly Premium and above. | ||
| Bulk QR creation via CSVBitly lists bulk creation from Growth up; ours is on paid plans. | ||
| Smart routing by device, location or timeOurs is on the Business plan; Bitly lists dynamic routing from Growth. | ||
| REST API accessBoth gated to paid tiers. | ||
| White-label scan pagesOurs is on the Business plan. Bitly's pricing page doesn't describe an equivalent white-label scan page. | ||
| Digital business cards for a teamNot part of Bitly's product line. | ||
| Password protection and expiry on a QR codeBitly lists link expiration from Growth; password protection isn't described on their pricing page. | ||
| Uptime SLABitly publishes a 99.99% uptime SLA on Enterprise. We don't offer a contractual SLA. |
Questions
Before you decide
That's exactly the right question. Bitly is a link-management platform with QR codes attached; we're a QR code platform. If your main job is shortening and managing links at scale, with branded domains and deep integrations, Bitly is built for that and we're not. This page compares the two on QR codes specifically, because that's where people actually weigh us against each other.
Try it before you switch anything
The free plan includes 3 dynamic QR codes, indefinitely. No credit card, no countdown.