Graklink vs Uniqode: a code you own for $7.99, or a polished platform you rent by the month.

Graklink vs Uniqode: which should you use?

Both make dynamic QR codes, but you own one and rent the other. Uniqode (formerly Beaconstac) is a mature, well-reviewed QR management platform that sells codes by the month, from $9 a month on its own plans up to $399, plus a free-facing product called The QR Code Generator (TQRCG) that starts free with two ad-supported codes. Graklink sells you the code once for $7.99, and a printed Graklink code never stops redirecting for a billing reason and never plays an ad over your link. If you want a durable code you own outright, Graklink is the pick. If you need a console to manage a fleet of codes with team seats and deep analytics, Uniqode is a genuinely capable platform.

Make a code you own at graklink.com.

Wait, is this the same as the other “QR Code Generator”?

No, and the confusion is completely fair. There are two products with almost the same name:

• the-qrcode-generator.com (often shortened to TQRCG) is owned by Uniqode, formerly Beaconstac. That is the one this page is about.
• qr-code-generator.com, without the “the-”, is a different company owned by Bitly. We compare that one separately in Graklink vs The QR Code Generator.

TQRCG’s own help center confirms they are not the same company. So before you compare prices or start a trial, check the domain in the address bar. Uniqode is the parent brand here, and TQRCG is its consumer-facing generator.

How much does each cost, and do you own the code?

Graklink charges once and you own the code. Uniqode charges every month and you rent it. Here is the plain contrast, using US pricing verified 2026-07-22.

	Graklink	Uniqode / TQRCG
Dynamic code	$7.99 once	Subscription (Uniqode from $9/mo billed yearly; TQRCG Flex from $10/mo)
Free option	Free static codes	TQRCG free plan: 2 dynamic codes, ad-supported; free static
Ongoing cost	None	Every month, to keep codes live
Trial	None needed, 30-day money-back	14-day trial, then dynamic codes deactivate unless you upgrade
Ads on your redirect	Never	On free/lapsed TQRCG codes, a 3-second ad before the redirect
Code stops if you stop paying	No, never	Yes (Uniqode deactivates; TQRCG keeps 2, ad-supported)

Graklink’s dynamic code is a one-time $7.99, or from $3.99 each in bulk ($5.99 for 2 to 9, $4.99 for 10 to 24, $3.99 for 25 and up, design fee charged once per batch). A custom design or logo adds $4.99. Pro analytics is optional at $9.99 a month or $99 a year, with 30 days free, and it never decides whether a code scans. Uniqode’s own plans run from $9 a month billed yearly (15 codes) up to $399 a month (2,000 codes), and TQRCG’s Flex plan starts at $10 a month billed yearly for a small dynamic-code allowance. There is no one-time or lifetime option on either.

What does Uniqode do better than Graklink?

Credit where it is due, and here there is real credit. Uniqode is one of the most polished products in the category. It holds a 4.8 out of 5 across more than 500 reviews on G2, which is a genuinely strong score, and the platform is deep: bulk creation, long analytics retention, team seats, custom domains on higher tiers, and a broader suite that includes digital business cards and landing pages. Its free tier even hands you two dynamic codes and unlimited static ones to start, which is more generous than most.

If you are a business running a large fleet of codes and you want an enterprise-style console to manage them, with several people on the account and detailed reporting, Uniqode is built for exactly that, and it does it well. Graklink is deliberately not that. We sell one durable thing: a code you buy once and own. For a solo operator or a small business that wants a code to just work in print without a platform or a subscription, simple is the feature. For a team managing hundreds of codes, Uniqode’s platform is a real advantage.

Do Uniqode codes stop working if you stop paying?

Yes, and this is the difference that matters the moment something is printed. It works two slightly different ways across their two products, and both are worth knowing before you laminate anything.

On Uniqode’s own product, dynamic codes deactivate outright. Their help center says plainly that “dynamic QR Codes are deactivated after your trial period expires,” and a separate doc adds that codes “will only expire if your Uniqode account is canceled. People scanning an expired QR Code will be prompted to an error page.” So a lapse or a cancellation turns a printed code into a dead end.

On TQRCG, it is softer but still costs you. When a subscription expires, most dynamic codes go inactive; up to two of them stay alive on the free plan, but those play “a short, 3-second advertisement” before sending the scanner on. So your printed code either dies or shows your customer someone else’s ad for three seconds before your own page loads.

Graklink works the other way, and here is the cardinal rule stated plainly: a printed Graklink code never stops redirecting because of a billing event, and it never plays an ad. The only two things that can ever stop a Graklink code are an acceptable-use violation (phishing, malware, fraud, illegal content) or you deleting your own account. Never money. Cancel Pro analytics and you lose the stats, not the code, and never the redirect.

$7.99 once versus a monthly plan: what does it add up to?

Over time it is not close. Uniqode’s entry plan is about $108 a year (its $9 a month billed yearly), every year, and the codes depend on those payments continuing. Graklink is $7.99 once. Over five years that is roughly $540 on Uniqode’s cheapest tier versus $7.99 on Graklink for a code you own, before you count the part where the Uniqode code deactivates to an error page if the payments ever stop. Print a code on a package, a sign, a card, or a flyer, and the one you paid for once is the one still working, ad-free, years later.

Buy your code once instead of renting it every month.

When to pick which

• Pick Graklink if you want to print a code once and trust it for years: no recurring bill, no ad over your redirect, and no way for a missed payment to switch it off. Best for solo operators and small businesses.
• Pick Uniqode if you need a platform to manage many codes with team seats, custom domains, and deep analytics, and a monthly subscription fits how you work. Best for larger teams running codes at scale.

Still deciding between static and dynamic in the first place? Start here: static vs dynamic QR codes. Comparing the whole field? See our dynamic QR generator roundup.

Own your code, don’t rent it, and never show your customer an ad to reach you. Start at graklink.com.