OpenQR

Free, open-source, watermark-free QR code generator. Runs entirely in your browser — no tracking, no sign-up, no limits.

Most online QR generators bait you with "free" and then add a watermark, cap your download size, hide vector export behind a paywall, or route your code through their servers so it dies when you stop paying. A QR code is just an open standard (ISO/IEC 18004) that costs nothing to generate. OpenQR keeps it that way.

This repository is the basic generator tool — the reference open-source implementation. It is deliberately small and easy to fork.

If OpenQR is useful to you, a star on the repository helps other people find it. That is the whole ask.

Hosted version: free API, MCP server and editable codes

Everything in this repo is and stays free, with no watermark and no expiry. The hosted build at openqr.uk adds an optional account layer for people who want editable codes and automation:

• Dynamic / editable QR codes with scan analytics. Change the destination after you've printed it. 1 free on a free account (7 days of scans by country); 25 editable codes on Pro at £9/month or £90/year, which also unlocks a 90-day scan-analytics window plus town and region detail, device and referrer breakdowns with CSV export, a branded subdomain, and password-protected codes. Existing subscribers keep their current plan and price.
• Free REST API. Generate codes and manage dynamic codes programmatically. OpenAPI spec at /openapi.json; interactive docs at openqr.uk/api.
• Hosted MCP server at https://openqr.uk/mcp (Streamable HTTP). Generate and manage QR codes directly from Claude, Cursor or any MCP client. Listed in the official MCP Registry. Remote-capable clients connect to that URL directly; stdio-only clients can bridge to it with npx -y @open-qr/mcp and OPENQR_API_KEY set (details).

The static generator in this repository never calls any of that. It stays 100% client-side (see Privacy), and none of it is required to use or self-host the generator.

Connecting an MCP client

Get a free key at openqr.uk/api, then point your client at the server with the key as an auth header.

Claude Code:

claude mcp add --transport http openqr https://openqr.uk/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer oqr_YOUR_KEY"

Cursor (~/.cursor/mcp.json), and any other client that speaks Streamable HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openqr": {
      "url": "https://openqr.uk/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer oqr_YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Tools

The hosted MCP server at https://openqr.uk/mcp exposes these tools (run tools/list for the live set). Every tool requires a free API key — create one at openqr.uk/api and pass it as Authorization: Bearer oqr_... on the MCP connection.

Tool	What it does
generate_qr	Generate a static QR code from any text or URL. Returns a PNG image or SVG markup.
create_dynamic_qr	Create an editable QR code whose destination you can change later without reprinting.
update_dynamic_qr	Change a dynamic code's destination, label, custom short link, tags or folder.
get_dynamic_qr	Get one code's full details: destination, short link, label, type, tags, folder, status, created date.
get_scans	Scan statistics for a dynamic code.
list_dynamic_qr	List your dynamic codes with id, short URL, destination, label and status.
delete_dynamic_qr	Permanently delete a dynamic code. Its short link stops working.
bulk_create_dynamic_qr	Create up to 200 dynamic codes at once.
list_folders	List your folders.
create_folder	Create a folder to organise codes.
delete_folder	Delete a folder. Its codes are un-filed, not deleted.
list_themes	List saved style themes. Apply one by passing its id or name as theme.
create_theme	Save a reusable style theme (colours, dot and corner styles).
delete_theme	Delete a saved theme. Codes already styled with it keep their look.
get_subdomain	Show the branded subdomain on the account, and whether it is suspended.
set_subdomain	Claim or change the branded subdomain so codes also resolve at {name}.oqr.to. Pro only.
clear_subdomain	Release the branded subdomain. Codes stay live on the plain short link.

It also exposes 5 resources and 4 prompts:

• Resources are built-in QR style presets at openqr://preset/classic, /teal, /high-contrast, /dots and /classy. Read one and pass its style to create_theme.
• Prompts are create_tracked_qr, bulk_qr_for_print, brand_a_qr and qr_scan_report.

Features

• No watermarks, no size limits, no sign-up — every feature is free
• Private by design — codes are generated entirely in your browser; the content never touches a server
• Export anywhere — PNG / WebP up to 4096px, plus true-vector SVG and PDF
• Full styling — colours, gradients, dot & corner styles, logo embedding, "Scan me" frames
• Smart input — paste a link or text and the type is auto-detected
• Rich payloads — URL, text, email, phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Wi-Fi, and a map-based location picker
• One-click copy, shareable design links, light/dark, responsive, keyboard-accessible

Quick start

pnpm install
pnpm dev        # http://localhost:3011

Build & self-host

pnpm build
pnpm start      # serves on :3011 (standalone output)

It's a standard Next.js app — host it anywhere (a VPS, a Raspberry Pi, Cloudflare, behind any reverse proxy). It needs no environment variables, no database, no secrets to run. The dev/start scripts above use port 3011; the Docker image below serves on 3000. The only configuration either way is PORT.

Deploy (Docker image)

A multi-arch image (linux/amd64, linux/arm64) is published to GHCR on every release tag:

docker run -d --name openqr --restart unless-stopped -p 3000:3000 ghcr.io/open-qr/openqr:latest

Or with docker-compose.yml:

docker compose up -d          # update later: docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Pin a version tag in production (ghcr.io/open-qr/openqr:1.0.1); latest moves with every release. The container is a prebuilt, non-root standalone server with a healthcheck, and carries LICENSE and NOTICE inside the image.

One-click deploys

Host	Link	Notes
DigitalOcean App Platform	1-click button	Reads .do/deploy.template.yaml; smallest instance, port 3000
Render	Blueprint button	Reads render.yaml; assumes a paid instance (Render's free tier sleeps)
Koyeb	Deploys from the image	Any public ghcr.io/open-qr/openqr tag, no repo build

Deploying through any of these adds no terms beyond AGPL-3.0: the source is this repository, and the image carries the licence and third-party notices.

Embedding

The <Generator/> component is self-contained and configurable:

import { Generator } from "@/components/generator/generator";

// Full page (default OpenQR logo header):
<Generator />

// Embedded widget, your own branding, no default header:
<Generator embedded header={<MyLogo />} />

// Inject your own post-download call-to-action:
<Generator renderSuccess={(variant) => <MySupportCluster variant={variant} />} />

The tool ships zero analytics. If you want anonymous UI events (e.g. which export format was used — never the QR content), inject a handler:

import { setTrackHandler } from "@/lib/analytics";
setTrackHandler((action, name, category) => myAnalytics.track(category, action, name));

Privacy

QR generation happens 100% in your browser. The only optional outbound calls are in the Location tool: map tiles from CARTO and address lookups via OpenStreetMap's Nominatim. Nothing else leaves the device.

Tech stack

Next.js 16 (App Router) · React 19 · TypeScript (strict) · Tailwind v4 · qr-code-styling · Leaflet · pnpm.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Keep it simple, accessible, client-side, and free — no feature should ever require payment to remove a watermark or unlock a format.

Licence

AGPL-3.0 © 2026 Sam Moreton.

You're free to use, study, modify, self-host, and redistribute OpenQR under the AGPL-3.0. If you run a modified version as a network service, the AGPL requires you to make your source available under the same licence. If that doesn't suit your use case, a commercial licence is available — see NOTICE.