🔳 Scantrail
Dynamic QR codes you print once and re-point forever — with scan analytics you own.
QR Tiger charges $15+/month — and if you stop paying, your printed codes die. Scantrail generates dynamic QR codes that route through your own domain, so you can swap the destination any time without reprinting a single menu, poster or business card. Every scan lands in a SQLite file you own.
Scantrail, as it actually looks — a real screenshot, not a mockup.
Features
Dynamic codes
The QR encodes /q/your-slug on your domain and 302-redirects to an editable destination. Reprint nothing, ever.
Scan analytics
Total + unique scans, scans-over-time chart, device/OS/browser breakdown, country, hour-of-day heatstrip and a recent-scan log.
Every QR type you need
URL (dynamic + tracked), vCard (serves a .vcf download, also tracked), WiFi, plain text, email and phone.
Design studio
Foreground/background colors, square / rounded / dots module styles, error-correction level, center logo upload, live preview.
Print-ready export
PNG at 512 / 1024 / 2048 / 4096 px and true vector SVG.
Batch CSV → zip
Paste or drop a name,destination CSV and get a zip of print-ready PNGs — every row a tracked dynamic code.
Folders & tags
Organize hundreds of codes per client, campaign or location.
100% local & private
SQLite on disk, no telemetry, no external services.
Scantrail vs QR Tiger
QR Tiger at $15/mo runs roughly $180/year — $360 over two years. Scantrail is $24, once.
| Scantrail | QR Tiger | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $24 once | $15/month, forever |
| Dynamic (editable) QR codes | Unlimited | Capped by plan |
| Codes if you stop paying | Always work — you host them | Die with your plan |
| Scan analytics | Included | Included |
| Custom colors, dot styles, logo | Included | Included |
| Batch CSV generation | Included | Higher tiers |
| Redirect domain | Yours | Theirs (qrco.de) |
| Scan data | Your SQLite file | Their cloud |
Under two months of QR Tiger pays for Scantrail — and your printed codes can never be held hostage again.
Three steps, no subscription
Buy once on Whop
One-time $24 for the packaged Windows installer with 1-click setup and updates.
Deploy where your codes will live
For printed, distributed codes, a $5 VPS with your domain and PUBLIC_URL set — that URL is what ends up inside the QR. Desktop mode covers design and testing.
Print once, edit forever
Swap destinations any time without reprinting. Put free Cloudflare in front and country analytics light up automatically.
Honest answers
Is it really free on GitHub?
Yes — MIT source at github.com/bensblueprints/qr-tracker. $24 buys the signed installer, 1-click setup and updates.
Why do dynamic codes need a server?
Because the QR encodes a URL on your domain that redirects to the real destination — that's what makes it editable after printing. A $5 VPS covers it; desktop mode is fine for designing, testing and static codes.
What happens to my codes if I stop using Scantrail?
Nothing — they point at your domain, not ours. As long as your server answers, every printed code keeps working. That's the whole difference from hosted services, where codes die with your plan.
How does country tracking work?
It reads Cloudflare's free CF-IPCountry header — put free Cloudflare in front of your VPS and country analytics appear. Without it, country data degrades gracefully to unknown. No paid geo API.
Is the QR output actually tested?
Yes — the smoke test decodes generated PNGs with jsQR (including rounded and dots styles with a center logo), hits the redirect, and asserts the scan rows and analytics land.
Deep-dive comparisons:
Own Scantrail forever
$24 once. Deploy on your own server — your data never leaves it. No renewal, no account with us, no meter. Or build it yourself from the MIT source — it's the same app.