Our Journey Building CloudQR

How CloudQR Makes QR Codes Inexpensive, Sustainable & Free-Friendly?

We love building stuff. That's why we created CloudQR, a very simple, powerful way for anyone to generate. You can use CloudQR completely free, no payments, no hidden fees.

We build this with the belief that tools should be accessible for everyone, in order to keep it free we rely only on lightweight, non-intrusive ads. These ads cover our costs and give us space for improvement and development without having to charge the clients.

Freedom first

With CloudQR our goal is freedom. With this app we want you as a client to be free to create as many QR codes as you want, to update them anytime without any complicated limits and for us as builders to be able to maintain a service we believe in, enjoyable to improve, that doesn't depend on payments just to keep it running. No locked features, no surprise fees, no ‘upgrade now’ pressure. CloudQR stays free for everyone, and the ads help us keep it that way.

“Less Than a Byte”?

Each QR redirect costs us basically nothing to keep online…We spend more on domain renewals than on the actual traffic, generating a dynamic QR code that you can update later means you only serve a small redirect + maybe tracking. That’s very minimal bandwidth/storage.

• Suppose each scan uses [1 KB of data (redirect + minimal tracking)]
• At typical cloud data-transfer cost (for example - $0.10 per GB) that’s - $0.0000001 per scan. Even if you had 10,000 scans, the cost would be - $0.001.
• A QR image - (20 KB for storage), stored for one month in a standard storage bucket (-$0.02 per GB/month) costs -$0.0000004.

The marginal cost per code/scan is extremely low, “less than a byte” is metaphorical but it captures just how minimal the actual cost is. Because the cost is so small, we can pass that benefit to you: unlimited QR codes, the ability to update destinations anytime, and no hidden costs. CloudQR emphasizes: “Unlimited QR Codes… Create as many QR codes as you need. No limits, no hidden costs.”

We Love Building Stuff

CloudQR didn’t come from a big business plan. It started with one person, one simple problem, and the thought: ‘There has to be an easier way’.One of my clients was shelling out thousands a year for a couple of basic QR codes. Every little update cost extra. Change a link? Pay. Run a short promotion? Pay again. Watching them get nickel-and-dimed for something so simple honestly frustrated me. QR codes shouldn’t be a luxury; they're just a bridge between one page and another.

That moment was the spark. I found myself asking: Why does something so simple cost so much? And why should small businesses have to bear that burden?

So this was the inspiration into creating a solution, it began just as a simple tool to help a client then it grew into something much bigger than I expected. After I shared it, more people began using it. They told me it saved them money, solved headaches, and gave them control.

That felt good. That felt worth building. We didn’t approach CloudQR as a “startup that must maximise revenue. ” We approached it as builders who saw something broken and wanted to fix it. The goal was simple: make QR codes affordable, flexible, and accessible, the way they should be. As adoption grew, it became clear that not every tool needs to be a large, corporate-driven product. Often, the most impactful solutions come from real-world challenges and a sincere intention to make people’s lives easier.

Our values:

• Simple interface, minimal friction.
• Real-time analytics (you can see who scanned, when, from where). CloudQR
• Instant updates: Change the destination URL in seconds, no need to reprint your QR code. CloudQR
• Transparent model: “We are free now, but reserves the right to introduce paid features in future, though existing free features will remain free.” CloudQR
• Privacy & security: “Your data is encrypted and secure. We never sell your data.” CloudQR

How You Can Use CloudQR?

Using CloudQR is easy. Here’s a quick path:

Visit cloudqr.app and sign up (no credit card required). CloudQR

Create a new QR code: enter your destination link, optionally customise colours/logo.

Download the image and share/print it.

Deploy it: on packaging, in print media, on screen, at events.

Want to change it? Go back, update the destination, your printed QR remains unchanged.

Track results: see scans, locations, devices in the dashboard. Because cost per scan is minimal, you can treat QR codes as almost disposable assets, create, experiment, update. Use-cases: small business menu links, event check-ins, packaging call-to-action, digital portfolios, teacher resource links and so on.

We’ve put real care into making it easy to use, sustainable to operate, and transparent in how it works. If you’re looking for a QR solution that respects both your budget and your time, we invite you to try it and see the difference for yourself. Your feedback, your ideas, and your success help shape what we continue to build next.

So: Visit cloudqr.app, create your first QR code today and let’s see where it goes. If you have feedback, ideas, or just want to tell us how you’re using it we’d love to hear it.