Pricing Explainer · 8 min read
Do Bitly QR Codes Expire? Plan Limits and Prices
Short answer: no, Bitly QR codes do not expire. What catches people out is the monthly creation allowance, meaning how many new links and QR codes you can make in a billing period. Here is what each plan gives you, with Bitly's own pages as the source.
Quick answer
Bitly QR codes do not expire. They stop only if you delete the code or its short link, or set an expiry date yourself. What is capped is creation: Free gives 5 short links and 2 QR codes per month. Core ($10/mo billed annually) gives 100 links and 5 QR codes. Growth ($29/mo billed annually) gives 500 links and 10 QR codes. Premium ($199/mo billed annually) gives 3,000 links and 200 QR codes. Scans are not capped.
Do Bitly QR codes expire?
No. Bitly's help center states that the QR Codes you create in Bitly never expire, just like Bitly links. Three things end a code early: you delete the code, you delete the short link it points to, or you turn on Bitly's expiry setting and pick a date. If you change the destination of the short link, the code follows it to the new address.
What happens to your QR codes if you downgrade or cancel?
Bitly says QR codes behave the same way short links do. Links on the default bit.ly domain keep working after a downgrade, but you lose the paid features, such as editing and data history. Links on your own custom domain keep working while the domain's DNS still points to Bitly, though the certificate is not renewed and visitors may see a security warning. Links on a complimentary domain stop working when that domain's registration runs out. If you are printing, check which domain your codes use.
Bitly plan limits: links and QR codes per month
| Plan | Price | Links / mo | QR codes / mo | Data history |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 | 2 | None |
| Core | $10/mo billed annually ($120) | 100 | 5 | 30 days |
| Growth | $29/mo billed annually ($348) | 500 | 10 | 4 months |
| Premium | $199/mo billed annually ($2,388) | 3,000 | 200 | 1 year |
| Enterprise | Custom quote | Custom | Custom | Not stated |
Figures from bitly.com/pages/pricing, checked 15 October 2026, using the annual-billing prices shown there; monthly billing costs more. Expiry and downgrade statements come from Bitly's help center articles "Do Bitly Codes ever expire?" and "What happens when I downgrade to a lower subscription plan?". Confirm with Bitly before you print.
Why the QR code number is the one to watch
The short-link allowances are generous enough for most digital marketing. The QR code allowances are much tighter: 2, 5, 10, then a jump to 200. Anyone generating a unique code per physical item runs into that ceiling almost immediately, and the gap between Growth (10/month) and Premium (200/month) is $170 per month on annual billing.
A few cases where it bites:
- ·Product lines. A 40-SKU range with one code per product needs 40 codes in a single month. Growth caps at 10.
- ·Property signage. 500 listings with individual codes exceeds every tier below Premium.
- ·Event badges. A few hundred personalized codes for one conference — a genuinely one-off need that a monthly plan prices badly.
- ·Asset tagging. Equipment or inventory labeling is front-loaded: you tag everything once, then add a trickle.
The pattern is the same in each: demand is lumpy. You need many codes in one month and almost none afterwards, but a subscription prices you on peak monthly volume and then keeps billing at that rate.
What happens when you hit the cap
Creation stops until the cycle resets or you upgrade. Existing links keep working — the limit restricts new codes, not live ones. In practice that means the cap rarely breaks anything already printed; it just blocks you mid-project, which is its own problem when a print deadline is fixed.
Clicks and scans are unlimited. It's the act of creating a code that's rationed.
When a monthly plan is the right shape
To be fair to the subscription model: if you're creating links continuously — campaign URLs, social posts, email sends, week after week — a monthly allowance fits how you actually work, and Bitly's link management, analytics history and team features are built for that. Steady, recurring demand is what these plans are designed around, and they're reasonable at it.
It fits badly when demand is one-off. Paying monthly, indefinitely, for codes you created once and printed once means the cost keeps accruing long after the work stopped.
The alternative shape: pay per code
Per-code pricing removes the monthly quota. Each permanent short link or QR code is bought once, for $49, and stays editable and live with no recurring bill and no cap on how many you create in a given month. For a 40-SKU product line or a one-time signage run, you buy exactly what you print.
Which model is cheaper depends entirely on shape, not on price alone. Continuous link creation favors a subscription. A large one-off print run favors paying per code. Our volume calculator works out the crossover for a given quantity.
Related reading
Frequently asked questions
Do Bitly QR codes expire?
No. Bitly's own help center says the QR Codes you create in Bitly never expire. A code stops working if you delete it or delete the short link behind it, and you can choose to set an expiry date yourself. If you downgrade or cancel, bit.ly links and the QR codes that point to them keep working, but you lose the paid features. Codes on a custom or complimentary domain depend on that domain staying attached to a Bitly account.
How many QR codes can you create with Bitly?
It depends on the plan, and the limit is per month rather than total. Bitly Free allows 2 QR codes per month, Core allows 5, Growth allows 10, and Premium allows 200. Enterprise is custom. The allowance resets monthly — it is a cap on how many new codes you can generate in a billing period, not a cap on how many can exist.
How many short links does Bitly allow per month?
Bitly Free allows 5 short links per month, Core 100, Growth 500, and Premium 3,000. Custom back-halves (the editable part after the slash) follow the same per-month allowances on each tier.
What happens when you hit the Bitly link limit?
You cannot create new links or QR codes until the next monthly cycle begins, or until you upgrade to a higher tier. Links you already created continue working — the cap restricts creation, not existing links.
Do Bitly QR code scans count against a limit?
No. Bitly lists unlimited clicks and scans on all tiers. The constraint is on how many links and QR codes you can create each month, which is why large one-off print runs hit the ceiling well before high-traffic campaigns do.
Is there a QR code service with no monthly creation limit?
Yes. Per-code pricing removes the monthly quota entirely: you buy each permanent QR code or short link once, for $49, and create as many as you need whenever you need them. It suits one-off print runs better than a recurring plan sized around a monthly allowance.