OpenQR

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](https://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](https://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.

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

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 component is self-contained and configurable:

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

// Full page (default OpenQR logo header):

// Embedded widget, your own branding, no default header: } />

// Inject your own post-download call-to-action: } />

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.