COMPARE:
Uniqode or Bitly for QR codes that get tracked
Uniqode against Bitly for printing a QR code and knowing what happens after the scan, with the same seven questions asked of each and neither one flattered. Mamba Labs builds Apify actors. We have nothing of our own in this category, so this page is two products and no pitch.
The short answer
Bitly is fine for a QR code or two on top of the short links you already use. Uniqode is the tool for a campaign of codes with analytics, custom domains and a team behind it. Volume decides it.
Side by side
| Uniqode | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| What it actually does | Generates QR codes whose destination you can change later, tracks every scan, and manages them across a team. | Shortens and tracks links, generates QR codes for them, and hosts a simple link in bio page. |
| Coverage and hit rate | Dynamic and static codes, bulk generation, custom domains, landing pages, digital business cards and an API. | Links, QR codes, branded domains, a link page and click analytics across all of them. |
| What it costs | Per plan by number of codes and users, with enterprise features behind a sales conversation. | Free for a small number of links and codes, then per plan by volume and branded domain. |
| How it fits a workflow | Create, design, print, then read the scan analytics and change the destination without reprinting. | Paste a URL, get a link and a code. Most people use it for links and add codes as an afterthought. |
| Where the data comes from | Your own destinations. Scan data comes from the redirect it controls. | Your own destinations, measured through its redirect. |
| What it takes to set up | Minutes for one code. A bulk campaign with custom domains takes an afternoon. | Seconds. It is the most familiar tool in the category. |
| Where it stops | A single static code needs none of this. The value is in tracking and changing codes after they are printed. | The QR features are lighter than a dedicated QR platform, and bulk work is thin. |
The same seven questions are asked on every compare page here, in this order, so two of these pages can be read against each other.
Who wins what
- Uniqode wins on what it actually does, coverage and hit rate, how it fits a workflow. Dynamic QR codes with tracking, landing pages and controls for a team.
- Bitly wins on what it costs, what it takes to set up. Short links first, QR codes second, in one tool most people already know.
- Nobody wins on where the data comes from, where it stops. Uniqode and Bitly give the same answer on those, and we are not going to invent a difference.
Where to get them
What is best for you
If you need one code for a poster and you already have a Bitly account, use it and stop reading. If you are printing codes across packaging, signage or a campaign, somebody will ask what the scans did. Uniqode's dynamic codes, bulk tools and landing pages are built for that question, and the price is fair for what you get. Both let you change the destination after printing, which is the only feature that matters once the ink is dry.
Some of the links on this page are affiliate links.