Should I make a barcode or a QR code?
Make a barcode when you have a number or a short text to draw, such as a product number or a code for your own labels, and a QR code when you want a website address, Wi-Fi details or a contact stored in the code. The barcode tool takes Code 128, UPC-A, EAN-13 or EAN-8; the QR code tool takes the boxes of ten kinds of content. For a barcode (UPC, EAN, Code 128) on its own, use Varnip's barcode generator; for a QR code on its own, use Varnip's QR code generator.
Do I need a barcode or a QR code to sell a product?
To sell in stores or on marketplaces, you need GTINs from GS1, and neither tool on this page gives you one. The barcode tool draws the barcode for a number you already have, and the QR code tool stores in a code the details you type.
Is a QR code a barcode?
Yes: GS1 US gives QR Code as an example of a 2D barcode, which uses a grid pattern, and a UPC as an example of a 1D barcode, drawn as vertical lines and spaces (GS1 US). On this page the two words stay apart: Barcode draws bars, and QR code draws a grid of squares.
What type of barcode is a QR code?
A QR code is a 2D barcode, according to GS1 US, which names QR Code as an example of the kind that uses a grid pattern (GS1 US). The barcode tool makes bars instead, in four types: Code 128, UPC-A, EAN-13 and EAN-8.
What is the difference between a barcode and a QR code?
The difference you can see is the shape and what goes inside: a barcode is a set of bars for a number or a short text, and a QR code is a grid of squares for one of ten kinds of content. The table sets the two tools side by side: what each holds, where each is used, and which file and size you get.
| What it is about | Barcode | QR code |
|---|---|---|
| Shape | Vertical bars | A grid of squares |
| What it holds | A number or a short text: letters and basic symbols in Code 128, up to 80 characters; digits only in UPC-A, EAN-13 and EAN-8 | One of ten kinds of content: Website, Wi-Fi, Contact, Email, Phone, SMS, WhatsApp, Location, Event or Text; up to 7,089 digits at level L, and less for letters and symbols |
| Where it is used | As GS1 describes them, retail products with UPC-A (mostly North America) and EAN-13 (Europe and the rest of the world), and your own labels with Code 128 | Anywhere you want a link, Wi-Fi details or a contact stored in the code, at a printed size named for business cards, flyers and menus, posters and shop windows, or banners and signs |
| File | PNG or SVG; PNG at 600 dpi by default and 300 dpi on request | PNG or SVG; PNG at 600 dpi by default and 300 dpi on request |
| Size | A Size menu of 80%, 100% or 200% of the 0.33 mm bar, the range GS1 Canada gives for UPC-A and EAN-13 | Four printed sizes: 2, 3, 5 or 10 centimeters |
| Blank margin | Built into every file, the quiet zone | Four squares wide on every side of every file, which DENSO WAVE says a QR Code requires |
| Many at once | Bulk: one value per line, one ZIP with up to 1,000 SVG files or 100 PNG files | One code at a time |
Is there a free barcode generator that can create QR codes?
Yes, on this page, which has two tools: a free barcode generator and a free QR code generator, with a switch above them. The barcode tool makes barcodes only and the QR code tool makes QR codes only, and neither tool turns one code into the other: you type your number in the barcode tool, and your link, Wi-Fi details or contact in the QR code tool. Each tool here works as it does on its own page.
Can I put a barcode with a QR code on the same label?
You can make both files here and place them yourself, because each tool downloads its own file, PNG or SVG. The page does not put the two codes on one label or one inside the other. To put a product's GTIN, batch number or date in a QR code, use Varnip's GS1 Digital Link generator.
Can I make barcodes and QR codes in bulk?
Bulk is a barcode feature here: open Bulk in the barcode tool, paste your values one to a line, and download a single ZIP of up to 1,000 SVG files or 100 PNG files. The QR code tool makes one code at a time. There is no CSV or Excel import: paste the list.
Are the barcode and QR code tools free, and do I need to sign up?
Both tools are free, and neither needs a sign-up or an account. The files carry no watermark. What you type is encoded in your browser and is not sent to our servers. Varnip does count how the generators are used, such as which format was downloaded, never what you type. The privacy page has the details.