"Free QR menu" means three different things online, and only one of them is genuinely free to use.
Worth separating them, because what happens in six months depends on which one you took.
Three things under one name
A QR code generator. Free, and it will stay free — the QR code is an open standard and producing the image costs nothing. The generator does not create a menu, though: you still need an address for the code to point at.
A menu builder with hosting. It makes a menu page and keeps it at its own address. A free plan usually exists but cuts on limits — most often 20–30 items, no photos and a watermark.
A free tier inside a paid system. A full menu with no time limit, restricted by features — usually no online ordering and no custom domain.
The first is free always, the second up to a certain size, the third until you need a feature from the paid plan.
Where free ends
The limits that in practice force the move to a paid plan, in the order you hit them:
| Limit | When it bites |
|---|---|
| Number of items (often 20–30) | at the first full restaurant menu |
| No photos | when it turns out photographed dishes sell better |
| Provider's watermark | when the menu starts representing the venue |
| One language | at the first tourist season |
| No allergens at the item | at the first inspection |
| No online ordering | when takeaway sales arrive |
| Address on the provider's domain | when the code is already printed on 40 tables |
The last row is the most expensive and the least obvious.
A static code: the trap nobody warns about
A free generator burns the address into the image permanently. As long as the address does not change, everything works.
It changes in three situations: you move the menu to another system, the provider changes its address structure, or the free plan ends and the page disappears. Then the code on the table leads nowhere — and everything is already printed: stands, stickers, menu inserts.
Reprinting 40 stands costs €150–400. Usually more than a year's difference between the free plan and the paid one.
How to avoid it is in QR code on the table: the code should point at an address you control.
When free genuinely is enough
Not every venue needs a paid plan. A free solution is enough when:
- the menu has up to 20 items and does not change monthly — a small café, a food truck with one set, a bar with a drinks list;
- you do not sell takeaway through your own channel;
- your guests speak one language;
- you treat it as a test for one season, and print the codes on card rather than acrylic.
It is a sensible way to find out whether guests scan at all. There is no reason to pay for what you do not yet know you need.
When free starts costing
The other way round — a free plan works out dearer when:
- the menu runs past 30 items and the limit starts cutting;
- prices change several times a year and editing is restricted;
- you serve international guests and need several languages;
- you have to mark allergens at the items — that is a duty, not an option;
- takeaway orders arrive and you want to avoid platform commissions.
How to choose without risking a reprint
An order that does not close off the way back:
- Start on the free plan, but print the codes on card, not acrylic.
- Check that the code points at an address that can be redirected later.
- Give it one season and count how many times you wanted to change something you could not.
- Only when moving to a paid plan should you order durable stands.
The questions worth asking a provider before deciding are collected separately: how to choose a QR menu system. Our own free plan is described on the free QR menu page.
Frequently asked questions
Can a QR menu be made completely free?
It can, if the menu is short and rarely changes. The limits start to get in the way with a larger menu, several languages and takeaway sales.
How does a code generator differ from a menu system?
A generator only produces the code image. The menu, hosting and editing have to come from somewhere else — the code by itself leads nowhere.
What happens to the codes if I change system?
If the code was static and pointed at the provider's address, it stops working and has to be reprinted. Which is why, when printing on a durable material, it is worth having an address you control.
Can I mark allergens on a free plan?
It depends on the provider — many free plans have no such field. The duty to inform applies regardless of the plan, so you then have to keep the list separately.
