Short answer: none of them can see a sticker. Not one. A fake code pasted over yours never touches the generator you paid for. What a generator can do is stop the real code being hijacked, flag traffic that looks wrong, and show you the proof afterwards. On those three jobs Uniqode finishes ahead of Scanova, Bitly, QRCodeChimp and QRCodePrime. The one exception is checking a code you didn’t make, where QRCodePrime’s free checker wins outright.

That distinction matters if you run a 30-site restaurant group and two branches have just found payment stickers over the table tents. Half the problem lives on the table, and the other half lives in the account that decides where the real code points.

Prices and features below were read from each vendor’s own site on 22 and 23 September 2026, in US dollars. Scanova’s currency was switched to USD before anything was noted down. Tiers move, so check the date on each row before you quote it to anyone.

First, the two ways a QR code goes bad

A printed code fails you in two ways, and they need different defences.

The first is the sticker: a scammer prints a code that opens a fake payment page, sticks it over your table tent, and waits for the lunch rush. Your generator is not involved at any point (the fake code isn’t yours), so no dashboard lights up and no alert fires. The only defence is physical, meaning someone checks the tents. Add a habit on the customer’s side, and that is where a free checker earns its place later in this list.

The second is the hijack, and it is built into how every dynamic code works. The scan hits a short redirect hosted by the platform, and the platform forwards it to your real page. Uniqode’s dynamic QR Code generator page describes the mechanism without any spin. The short URL “can be updated behind the scenes to point to a new destination anytime, without changing the QR Code itself”. It is the feature you pay for, and it is also the attack surface. Whoever can log in to the account can repoint every printed code in the chain in about a minute.

So the ranking below weighs three things, in this order. Who can repoint a code, whether the platform flags traffic that looks wrong, and whether you could prove any of it to an auditor afterwards.

Where is the catch with Uniqode?

Two catches. Both are about money rather than security.

Uniqode gives you no free dynamic codes at all, where QRCodeChimp gives you 10 and QRCodePrime gives you 10. Its free tier covers static codes only, nothing dynamic. Uniqode’s static versus dynamic explainer is clear about the trade: a static code can’t be edited after printing (so it can’t be hijacked), but it can’t be tracked either. The first dynamic plan is Essential at $9 a month. The pricing FAQ is blunt about the billing: “We currently only offer annual subscription plans.” A pilot on the two affected branches therefore costs $108 up front rather than $18 for two months.

The second catch is where the strongest control sits. Single sign-on with SAML lives on Business+ at $399 a month billed yearly. The cheaper route is a $500-a-year add-on to the $99 Plus plan, priced in the feature table beneath the cards. For a 30-site group that is probably the right tier anyway, and for a two-site cafe it is not.

1. Uniqode: locks the destination, flags the traffic

Uniqode wins because it answers the hijack question best, with an account model that has roles, a login that can be tied to your company’s identity provider, and analytics that filter out scans that don’t look real, which is the combination a 30-site group needs on the day a branch manager leaves. It also publishes more evidence than the other four vendors put together.

Start with who can repoint a code, because the multi-user page says an admin can set role-based access to “view, create, edit and delete QR Codes” per user. So the branch manager who prints the tents doesn’t need the right to change where they go. Above that sits SAML, and the Uniqode’s security features page puts it in one line: “Enforce SSO with SAML and role-based permissions”. SAML is the word that matters here (your identity provider decides who logs in, not the QR tool), and it switches off a leaver’s account the day they leave.

Then the traffic, where the same page describes ScanGuard as “our built-in anomaly detection feature” that filters “suspicious scans” so your reports stay accurate. That sentence deserves a careful read, because it protects the numbers rather than the codes. A wave of bot scans on the tent in branch 12 gets filtered out of your dashboard (useful). Nobody gets blocked. The page also promises to “Block malware, phishing, and unsafe links with SSL encryption and two-factor authentication at the point of engagement”. That is the closest any vendor here comes to claiming protection for the person doing the scanning.

The gaps are documentation gaps, since neither the pricing cards nor the security page say which tier carries 2FA or ScanGuard. The feature table beneath the cards does (2FA on all four tiers, ScanGuard from Plus at $99), where Scanova prints the tier for both of its equivalents right on the card. There is also no public tool for checking a code you didn’t create. On evidence, though, nothing else is close. The trust portal lists 22 documents by name, including a 2026 SOC 2 Type 2 report, a 2025 penetration test, a data processing agreement, a HIPAA business associate agreement and five named subprocessors. They are Auth0, AWS, Datadog, Intercom and Stripe. When the auditor asks how the hijack risk is controlled, you can send a PDF instead of a paragraph.

For the restaurant group, the practical setup is the Uniqode QR Code tracking page plus roles. Every tent gets its own dynamic code, scan alerts go to Slack, and only two people in head office hold the right to edit destinations. The stickers still need a human with a thumbnail to peel them off. No app fixes that.

2. Scanova: bot filtering for $5

Scanova is the cheapest way to get suspicious traffic out of your numbers, and it prints the tier for every security feature it sells, which is why it takes the bad-traffic criterion outright.

Bot Traffic Filtering sits on the Basic plan at $5 a month, and Scanova’s homepage FAQ explains exactly what it does. “Automated traffic from crawlers, link preview tools, and uptime monitors is identified by device type and flagged as Bot, and the Exclude Bot traffic filter removes it from every metric on the analytics page.” Bots are counted but labelled (so you can still see them if you want to). Basic also includes what Scanova calls a QR Code Health Center. It “shows which codes have an open issue, why, and what you can do to fix it”, covering expired codes, unpublished drafts, missing forms and unverified domains.

At $9 on the Lite plan you add multi-factor authentication and password-protected codes, both printed on the pricing card. What you don’t get below Enterprise is single sign-on or custom user permissions, and Enterprise has no published price. So the hijack defence at Scanova is a good password plus MFA rather than a role model. Fine for two people. Thin for thirty branches.

Proof is the weak spot, because Scanova’s entire public statement is the line “ISO/IEC 27001:2022, GDPR, and SOC2” on its pricing page, with no report type, no date and no portal behind it.

3. Bitly: blocks bad links at a shortener’s scale

Bitly is the only vendor of the five that says it will stop a scanner reaching a bad page. Its trust page states that “Bitly will block a link when it is flagged as suspect or known to lead to a malicious page”, and scanners see a warning page instead of the destination.

The same page says a trust and safety team enforces the policy “through a combination of internal technologies, third-party vendors who specialize in abuse detection, trusted tech partners and NGOs”. There’s a public form for reporting suspect links (and false positives). The advantage is real and so is the limit, because it applies to Bitly links. The scammer’s sticker in branch 7 won’t be a Bitly link you control, so the block protects the wider public more than it protects your tents.

On your own codes, Bitly gives you 2FA on every tier (the trust page recommends switching it on) and HTTPS on every link. Single sign-on, user management, group permissions and the activity log all sit on Enterprise with no published price. The role-based control Uniqode sells at $399 is a sales call at Bitly.

Two more things to know before you pick it. Bitly meters QR codes per month (2 on Free, 5 on Core, 10 on Growth, 200 on Premium), and it meters redirects separately (5, 20 and 110 a month on the paid tiers) on every plan below Enterprise, and that is the tier most groups never buy. A 30-site group changing destinations often can hit a ceiling well before the year is out. The Core plan at $10 is annual only, the same restriction Uniqode has, though Growth and Premium can be paid monthly. On proof, Bitly shows SOC 2 Type 2, GDPR and CCPA badges on the trust page. Its documents sit on a separate security portal that asks you to request access first.

4. QRCodeChimp: passcodes and 2FA on every tier

QRCodeChimp is the cheapest way to harden the account itself. On the QRCodeChimp pricing page the security section has a row each for two-factor authentication, single sign-on, data encryption and passcode protection, and every row is ticked in every column, including the Free plan (10 dynamic codes, 1,000 scans a month). No exceptions.

One caveat sits next to the SSO tick. A separate “SSO Integration” row under the Digital Business Card section is marked Ultima only. So treat the free-plan SSO as a login option rather than the enforced, identity-provider-driven kind Uniqode describes. Accounts also run 1, 1, 2 and 4 across the four tiers (Free, Starter, Pro, Ultima). A 30-site group would be sharing logins on anything below Ultima at $34.99.

Where QRCodeChimp goes quiet is traffic: nothing on its pricing page describes bot filtering or anomaly detection, and nothing warns a scanner before a page opens. It shows a SOC 2 Type II badge and a GDPR badge on its homepage, with no report behind either. It scores well on locking the door and poorly on watching who walks through it.

5. QRCodePrime: the checker for codes you didn’t make

QRCodePrime is last on the scorecard and first on the one job nobody else does, which is reading a code without opening it. You upload a photo, paste a screenshot or point the camera at the tent. QRCodePrime’s free safety checker then shows the full address “with warnings for link shorteners, http links and look-alike addresses”.

The page says the picture is read on your device and never uploaded. It is honest about the limit too: “It does not visit the link and it cannot promise a site is safe.” The sticker problem, handled from the customer’s side of the table. Its own FAQ even names the scenario, calling parking meters and restaurant tables “the places where scammers put stickers over real codes”. The advice is to look for a sticker edge and check the address before paying (a line worth printing on the tent itself).

As a generator, it’s thin on the other criteria, and it says so. Static codes are built in the browser and never reach a server, so there’s nothing to hijack (a static code can’t be repointed by anyone). Dynamic codes (10 free for life, with scan analytics) do pass through its server and need a free account. The site publishes no 2FA, no roles and no certifications for that account. The about page is candid about the funding, too: “Honest answer: it isn’t yet. I’m funding it myself while I build it.” Good for a free checker, and not enough for 30 sites.

So which one spots a fake code?

And the points, using the weights explained in the next section:

How the points were split

The weights add to 100, and they’re printed so you can argue with them.

• Who can change where a code points (30 points). Roles, SSO, 2FA and passcodes on the account that holds the redirect. The heaviest row, because a hijacked account is the only way a real code turns bad.
• Flagging suspicious traffic on your own codes (25 points). Bot filtering, anomaly detection and block lists. Scanova wins it on price and on saying exactly what the filter does.
• Proof that sits behind the claims (20 points). Reports and policies you can download, rather than badges on a homepage.
• Checking a code you did not make (15 points). In other words, the sticker problem on the table. QRCodePrime is the only one with a tool for it, and Bitly gets partial credit for its warning page.
• Cost to switch the protections on (10 points). What the secure setup costs per month, rather than the entry price.

Uniqode takes 50 of the 100 through the two heaviest rows plus proof, while Scanova beats it on bad-traffic flags and on cost, and Bitly is the only vendor scoring in all five columns. If you don’t care about paperwork, move the 20 proof points onto the traffic row. Scanova and Uniqode then finish within a few points of each other.

Where Scanova beats Uniqode on this

Pick Scanova if the problem you’re solving is dirty numbers rather than a dirty account. At $5 you get bots labelled and excluded from every metric. At $9 you get MFA and password-protected codes, and both tiers print the feature on the card. Uniqode makes you scroll to the feature table for 2FA and ScanGuard. Scanova also bills monthly (at a higher rate than the $5 annual price), so a two-branch trial can be cancelled after a month if the stickers turn out to be the whole problem.

And use QRCodePrime’s checker whichever generator you buy. It costs nothing, it runs on the customer’s phone, and it’s the only thing on this page that helps with a code you didn’t print.

Questions people ask about fake QR codes

Can a QR code be hacked?

A code itself is a pattern that encodes text, usually a web address, so the pattern can’t be hacked once printed. What can be attacked is the redirect behind a dynamic code (which lives in an account) or the sticker on top of a printed code. Roles, SSO and 2FA protect the first, and only your eyes protect the second.

How do I know if a QR code is safe?

Read the address before you open it. A free checker such as QRCodePrime’s shows the destination and flags shorteners, plain http and look-alike names without visiting the page. Then apply the rules you’d use for an email link: the site name should be the one you expect, and a payment page deserves a second look at the name.

Does Bitly warn about malicious QR codes?

Yes, for links on its own platform. Bitly’s trust page says it “will block a link when it is flagged as suspect or known to lead to a malicious page”, and scanners see a warning page instead. It doesn’t inspect codes made elsewhere, and its abuse form is the route for reporting a bad Bitly link.

What is quishing?

Quishing is phishing through a QR code. The code opens a fake login or payment page, and it is usually pasted over a real one on a parking meter, a table tent or a poster. The code is genuine as a code, so scanners and generators can’t spot it. The address it opens is the only tell.

Can a dynamic QR code be redirected to a scam site?

Only by someone who can log in to the account that owns it, because the redirect is edited in the dashboard, not on the printed code. That is why the ranking above weights account controls at 30 points. Uniqode publishes roles plus SAML SSO, QRCodeChimp ticks 2FA and passcodes on every tier, and Scanova adds MFA at $9.

Which QR code generator filters bot scans?

Scanova, from $5, with bots labelled by device type and an exclude filter that removes them from every metric. Uniqode’s ScanGuard filters “suspicious scans” out of analytics, from Plus at $99 according to the feature table under its pricing cards. Bitly, QRCodeChimp and QRCodePrime publish no bot filter. That leaves one open question: what does the filter count as suspicious, and would it have caught a sticker campaign in two branches before a customer did?

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