Compare · Checked August 2026
PIXELQODE vs Bitly
Bitly is the biggest name in short links, and QR codes are one part of its connections platform alongside links and landing pages. If your QR use is an extension of link marketing — a code here and there on mostly-digital campaigns — Bitly's brand and bundle are hard to argue with.
We're the opposite shape: QR-first, print-first. The differences that matter show up when codes are the product rather than a feature — creation quotas, design depth, and what the platform knows about ink. Their plan limits change frequently; verify current numbers on their site.
Where Bitly is strong
Where Bitly is genuinely strong:
- One platform for links, QR codes and simple landing pages, with the most recognised short domain on the internet.
- Deep link-analytics heritage and integrations across marketing stacks.
- A trusted brand your security team has already approved once, somewhere.
Codes aren't a monthly ration
Bitly's published tiers cap how many links and QR codes you can create per month, with quota jumps between plans. We meter one thing — dynamic codes held, from 150 to 2,500 by tier — with unlimited static codes and never a per-month creation count.
Design that survives the printer
Seventeen patterns, twenty corner styles, logos with error-correction budgeting — every style machine-decode-verified, exported as identical vector artwork (SVG, PDF, EPS) a print house can use at any size. QR is our whole renderer, not a feature of a link tool.
Print-physics in the product
Our short domain is deliberately sized so URLs stay one character under a QR version boundary — every module prints ~14% larger than a typical shortener's URL produces. Nobody chooses a QR platform for this reason, and everyone's scan distance depends on it.
Privacy as a number
IP addresses stored: zero. If scanner privacy is in your review, that answer is simpler than any link platform's data-processing addendum.
Choose Bitly if…
- QR is a minor extension of a link-marketing programme you already run on Bitly
- You want links, codes and landing pages on one familiar invoice
- Brand recognition with procurement matters more than QR depth
Choose PIXELQODE if…
- Printed codes are the point, and design + scan distance + permanence decide
- You want codes held, not codes-per-month, and scans never metered
- A branded QR domain and print-grade vector exports are requirements
Questions to ask any QR vendor — with our answers on record
Are scans metered?
Never, on any plan. A successful campaign should never be the thing that breaks your code or your budget — we meter how many dynamic codes you hold, not how well they perform.
What happens to live codes if I cancel?
Static codes keep working forever — they never depended on us. Dynamic redirects eventually stop resolving on a lapsed account, your data and artwork stay downloadable throughout, and on request we produce a continuity file mapping every printed URL to its destination so another provider can take over. Ask every vendor this question; the answers differ more than the pricing does.
Do you store scanners' IP addresses?
No — there is no column to put one in. Location is resolved at the network edge and discarded; unique visitors are counted with a one-way daily digest. Most analytics-heavy platforms cannot answer this question with 'zero'.
What does a team seat cost?
Nothing per seat — team roles (admin, editor, view-only) are included from the Scale plan at $49/month.
Which tier gets a branded domain?
Business, at $199/month — with monthly billing available, not annual-only. Codes print as qr.yourbrand.com, and the domain stays at your registrar.
Bitly features and pricing are described from their public materials as checked in August 2026; tiers and limits change often, so verify current details on their site. Bitly is a trademark of its owner; no affiliation or endorsement is implied. Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we'll correct it.
Other comparisons
Judge us by the product, not the page
The free tools run our real renderer, the trial runs the real dashboard, and every claim above is checkable. Print it once; change it whenever.