QR Code technology has been around for over two decades now. From inventory management to restaurant menus—QR Codes are being used everywhere.
And you are planning to use them too. But here’s the thing—you want to integrate QR Code generation into your own information system or mobile application. It can be for document authentication, giving away coupon codes, or product tags.
So you’re looking for a suitable QR Code API provider. For this, you may want to do a quick Google search. And doing so will give you pages of results. But how do you know which QR Code API service provider will suit your purpose best?
To make your task easier, we have done a comparative analysis of the best QR Code API providers. This will help you decide the best one for your use case.
Keep reading to know more.
A. How to spot the right QR Code API service provider
When choosing a QR Code API provider, you will obviously have some requirements in mind.
These would include details such as the number of API requests allowed and request rate. And a good tool should complete the required task in an easy and cost-effective way.
So, while choosing the best QR Code API provider for you, keep the following features in mind:
1. Availability of multiple QR Code content categories
QR Codes come in multiple content categories. And depending on the
You choose a QR Code category according to the content you want to add. For example, if you want it to take users to a website, you will need a Website URL QR Code. Likewise, if you want QR Codes for sharing contact details, you will need VCard QR Codes.
So look for an API service provider that offers you relevant QR Code categories. For example:
- Website URL
- Simple Text
- Vcard (Business card)
- WiFi
- Google Maps
- Phone Number
- SMS
2. Create custom-designed QR Codes
Will your QR Codes be promotional in nature or have a customer-facing role? Then why go for those plain black-and-white QR Codes? After all, QR Codes, unlike barcodes, can be customized for their design.
And custom-designed QR Codes attract more scans than black-and-white ones. In addition, they also help you build brand recognition among your audience.
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You can customize your QR Code design in two ways. First is by adding your brand colors, logo, and background color to it. The second is by adding a background image to it.
So make sure your QR Code API offers this feature.
Related : Best QR Code Generator
3. Add error correction to QR Codes
Do you know that QR Codes can sustain damage? Yes, they scan perfectly despite being damaged by up to 30%.
This is due to a feature called error correction. It adds additional rows of data to the QR Code to increase its scannability.
In fact, error correction becomes very important if you are adding a logo to your QR Code. Why? Because adding a logo introduces an error in the QR Code by removing some data modules from the centre. Hence, error correction becomes necessary to keep it scannable.
There are four levels of error correction that you can choose from:
L: up to 7% error correction
M: up to 15% error correction
H: up to 15% error correction
V: up to 30% error correction
You can choose a suitable level depending on your use case. You can go through this detailed guide to know which one will be ideal for you (link to error correction article).
So choose a QR Code API provider that allows you to add error correction as per your needs.
4. Export QR Codes in high-resolution format
Any common QR Code API will help you export QR Codes in raster formats such as PNG and JPG. Only advanced service providers will facilitate QR Code export in vector formats such as SVG.
For the uninitiated, vector images do not pixelated despite any resizing. Hence, they are especially recommended if you want to use QR Codes for printing purposes.
Vector formats are also sought after by designers while working on promotional creatives.
So, ensure that your QR Code API provider allows you to export QR Codes in high-resolution formats.
5. Adequate API requests and request rate
You’d have to send API requests to your service provider to get the QR Codes in return. And the maximum number of API requests that can be sent per second is called the request rate.
Say you want to integrate QR API for QR Code generation via your mobile app. And you’d like to generate a QR Code for the user profile every time someone joins the app.
To ensure a good user experience, you’d want QR Codes to be generated without exhausting the number of API requests and request rate.
So make sure you have a service provider that offers adequate requests and response rate limits.
6. Customer Support
Say you need assistance from the service provider due to some technical issues.
Here, your QR Code API provider must be up for the job. Look for a service provider that can provide you with any help you require. This could be over email, chat, or call.
7. Keep your data secured
Whenever you use a tool or a service, you share data with the service provider. And ensuring that the data is in safe hands is important.
Hence, your QR Code API provider must safeguard the data you share. So make sure the tool you select is GDPR compliant and ISO 27001:2013 Certified. Not sure what it means?
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is a regulation on data protection and privacy. It ensures that the EU residents have control over how their personal data is stored and processed by organizations.
ISO 27001:2013 is a certification that signifies the organization has met quality standards for its information security management system.
These conditions are requirements for establishing, implementing, maintaining, and continually improving its system. It indicates that the organization knows how to manage its data with utmost security.
8. Allow flexible payment options
The biggest advantage of a web app over licensed software is flexibility. You can subscribe to the tool only when you need it.
But many QR Code API providers need you to subscribe for at least a year. This does away with the whole point of flexibility.
So make sure your QR Code API provider offers subscription plans as per your convenience.
B. Best QR Code API—A Comparison Chart
Now you know what features to look out for while finding an online QR Code API provider. Doing a quick query search on a search engine will give you many options. But going through each one of them for comparison will consume a lot of your time. Don’t worry!
Our team of experts has conducted exhaustive research on the best QR Code API services.
So here’s a quick comparison chart to save your day. This will make your work easier and help you make an informed decision.
That’s it. That’s all you need to know about the best QR Code. And if you are looking forward to the next step—here is a detailed guide on how to create QR Codes via API.
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