How to track QR code scans
Updated 4 November 2026
A QR code can’t report anything by itself. It’s just a printed pattern. Tracking works because a dynamic code sends each scan through a short link, and the service running that link can count the visit before forwarding it to your page. That’s why a static code, which goes straight to its destination, gives its maker no scan data.
Knowing how the count is made helps you read the numbers properly, so here is what you get, what you don’t, and how to get something useful out of it.
What you can see in Host Dada
Analytics are shown per code, on every plan:
- •Total scans by people, with suspected bots counted separately and left out
- •Estimated unique scans
- •Scans today, over the last 7 days and over the last 30 days
- •Devices, operating systems and browsers, over the last 30 days
- •Top countries and cities, over the last 30 days, where location data is available
- •A list of the 25 most recent scans, showing the time, device and browser
- •The code’s destination history, so you can line up a change in numbers with a change of page
What you can’t see
You can’t see who scanned your code. People scanning a code don’t sign in to anything, we don’t try to identify them, and their full IP addresses aren’t kept in our scan records. Location is approximate at best, because it comes from network information rather than GPS, and a phone on mobile data can appear some way from where it really is.
You also can’t see what happens after the scan. The count stops at the redirect, so it can’t tell you whether someone read the page, filled in a form or bought anything. That part belongs to the analytics on your own website.
Why “unique scans” is an estimate
To spot repeat scans without keeping IP addresses, we make a one-way token from the phone’s network address and browser details, using a secret that changes regularly. If the same token appears on the same code on the same day, the scan is counted as a repeat.
That has limits in both directions. The same phone scanning on two different days normally counts as two unique scans. Two identical phones on the same Wi-Fi may look like one. So use the figure to compare and watch for trends, and don’t treat it as a headcount.
Why scans and website visits don’t match
Your scan total will rarely match the visits in your website analytics. A scan is counted at the redirect, before your page has loaded. If someone closes the browser, loses signal or has blocked analytics, the scan is counted but the visit isn’t. Bot filtering differs between tools too, and it’s also based on what the visitor’s browser says about itself, so neither figure is perfect. During a very heavy burst of traffic from a single network address, we keep redirecting but may stop counting.
How to compare one placement with another
All the figures are per code, so the most useful thing you can do is use a separate code for each thing you want to compare: one for the shop window and one for the flyer, or one per town. Each code counts towards your plan’s limit, so choose comparisons that would actually change a decision.
To carry that through to your own analytics, add campaign tags (UTM parameters) to each code’s destination, for example ?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=print&utm_campaign=spring. The tags stay on the destination when we redirect, so your website analytics can tell these visitors apart and show what they went on to do. On a dynamic code they don’t make the pattern any denser, because they aren’t stored in the code itself.
When you set up a run of leaflets or posters, note which code went where and when. A number means much more when you can tie it to a date and a place.
How long the data lasts
Individual scan records are deleted automatically after the period given in our privacy notice. Viewing analytics needs an active plan, and you can download your daily totals as part of your data export from your dashboard settings.
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Frequently asked questions
- Can I see how many times my QR code has been scanned?
- Yes, if it is a dynamic code from a service that hosts the redirect. Host Dada shows total scans, estimated unique scans, and figures for today, the last 7 days and the last 30 days. A static code can’t report scans to you.
- Can I see who scanned my QR code?
- No. Host Dada shows totals and general device information, not individuals. People scanning a code aren’t identified and their full IP addresses aren’t kept in our scan records.
- Do people need an app to be tracked?
- No. They just scan with their phone’s camera. The count happens at the short link, and no cookie is needed for the scan.
- Why is my scan count higher than my website visits?
- A scan is counted at the redirect, before your page loads. People who leave early, lose signal or block analytics are counted as scans but may not appear as website visits.
- Can I track scans by campaign?
- Yes. Use one code per campaign or placement. You can also add UTM tags to each destination so your own website analytics can follow those visitors.