Comparisonsbitly.com
Qex and Bitly
Bitly is a link platform that also makes QR codes. The unit on the pricing page is new QR codes per month, not a standing library of codes. Free is 2 QR codes a month. Redirects are listed on Core, not on Free.
Published figures
| Qex | Bitly | |
|---|---|---|
| How the cap works | A pool of active codes: 10 on free after an email, 1,000 on Pro. You keep them. The limit is how many are active at once, not how many you may create in a month. | A monthly creation allowance. Free: 2 QR codes/month and 5 links/month. Core: 5 QR codes/month and 100 links/month. Growth: 10 QR codes/month. Premium: 200 QR codes/month. |
| Editing the destination | On every plan, including free. Free allows 5 destination changes per code per day. | The pricing comparison lists “Link & QR Code redirects” under Core (“change the destination page”), not under Free. Core allows a limited number of redirects per month on the feature table in Bitly’s own free-plan article (5/month on Core). |
| Price | $4/month or $36/year, plus VAT, for the 1,000-code pool. | Core is $10/month, annual charge of $120, and is marked annual only. Growth is $29/month billed yearly ($348) or $35 month to month, for 10 QR codes a month. Premium is $199/month billed yearly. |
| Analytics | 30 days on free, with country, city and device. 5 years on Pro. | Free lists unlimited scans and does not list click or scan history. Core includes 30 days. Growth includes 4 months. Premium includes 1 year, and is the tier that lists city-level and device-type data. |
| What a scan opens | An instant 302. | No advertisement is listed. Scans on the free plan are unlimited, so volume alone does not turn a code off. |
| Printed size | A short link written in capitals, so the pattern is version 1: 21×21 modules. A logo in the centre steps up to 25×25. | Not published. A dynamic code has to hold their redirect address, so the module count follows the length of that address. |
What Bitly’s page lists that Qex does not sell
A full short-link product: branded domains (from Growth), custom back-halves, landing pages, UTM builder, bulk link creation, mobile deep links on Premium, and an API measured in requests per month (their free-plan article lists 1,000/month on free). Bitly’s QR code is one feature of that platform. Qex does not sell a link shortener as a separate product.
Also compared
Sources
Read on 26 September 2026, unless a sentence names an earlier date. Linked pages can change.
Make a QR codeFree to start. Change the link after you print it.Start — it’s free