Original research · Updated June 2026
QR Code Scan Statistics 2026: What 1,119 Real Scans Reveal
We analyzed 1,119 real, anonymous QR code scans recorded across OwnQR's network to see how people actually scan QR codes in 2026. Three findings stood out: 81% of scans happen on a mobile phone, iPhones outscan Android roughly 49% to 30%, and 93% of all scans land on a weekday, with the weekend almost silent. Below is the full breakdown, an honest note on the sample, and what each number means if you are about to print a QR code.
About this data
The numbers come from 1,119 scan events logged across OwnQR's QR codes. Each event records the device type, operating system, coarse location, and timestamp, with no personal data. This is our own network, not a representative global survey: a handful of high-traffic codes contribute a large share of the scans, so the geographic mix in particular is specific to our users. We are publishing the patterns because they line up with how QR codes are used in the wild, but the exact percentages are directional. Written by Max Liao, founder of OwnQR.
How people scan QR codes: 81% are on mobile
A QR code is built to be read by a phone camera, and the data shows that is exactly how people use it. Four out of five scans in our dataset came from a mobile phone. The remaining fifth came from desktops and laptops, mostly people scanning a code shown on one screen using a webcam or a second device.
| Device | Share of scans | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mobile phone | 81% | iPhone and Android combined |
| Desktop / laptop | 19% | macOS, Windows, Linux |
The practical lesson is simple but often ignored: the page your QR code opens has to be built for a phone first. If it loads slowly, forces a pinch-to-zoom, or buries the main action below the fold, most of the people who scan your code will give up before they do anything useful. Test the destination on an actual phone before you print a single copy.
QR code scans by operating system: iOS leads Android
Splitting the mobile scans by operating system, iPhones and iPads accounted for 49% of all scans, while Android took 30%. That is a wider iOS lead than the global smartphone market, which tilts toward Android, and it is a reminder to check who your specific audience is rather than assume the worldwide average.
| Operating system | Share of scans |
|---|---|
| iOS (iPhone, iPad) | 49% |
| Android | 30% |
| macOS | 7% |
| Windows | 3% |
| Other / unidentified | 11% |
Why does it matter? Both iOS and Android scan QR codes from the native camera app now, so basic links work everywhere. But the two platforms render web pages slightly differently, handle WiFi and contact-card codes with different prompts, and open links in different in-app browsers. If a large share of your audience is on one platform, test on that platform specifically.
When QR codes get scanned: 93% on weekdays
This was the cleanest pattern in the data. Scans cluster hard on weekdays and nearly disappear on the weekend. Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday were the three busiest days, together making up 70% of all scans. Saturday and Sunday combined came to under 7%.
If your QR code lives on something people encounter during their week, on packaging opened at work, on office signage, on a B2B flyer, on a product used during business hours, this is expected. The actionable version: do not judge a QR campaign by its weekend numbers, and if you are testing a new code, give it a full work week before you decide it is not working.
Scans happen around the clock, so your code must too
Unlike the strong weekday pattern, the time-of-day distribution was spread out. Scans arrived throughout the day and into the evening, with no dead hours. People scan codes whenever they happen to be in front of them, which is the whole point of a printed code: it works without you.
That always-on behavior has a hidden risk for dynamic QR codes. A dynamic code routes every scan through a redirect owned by a QR provider. If that redirect goes down, whether from a lapsed subscription, a free trial that ended, or a provider that shut off its short-link domain, the printed code stops working at every hour of every day, and you may not notice until a customer tells you. We wrote more about this in do QR codes expire.
Static versus dynamic: most codes start free
About 80% of the codes in this study were free static redirect codes and roughly 20% were paid dynamic codes. That ratio tells a real story about how people adopt QR codes: they start with a free code to test where it goes and how it scans, then upgrade only the specific codes that need to change after printing.
The difference matters most after you print. A static code encodes the destination directly, so it never expires but can never be edited. A dynamic QR code points to a redirect you can repoint any time, so the same printed code can send people to a new URL without a reprint. The setup to avoid is a dynamic code tied to a recurring subscription, because the printed code only works while you keep paying.
What hour of the day QR codes get scanned
We looked at the timestamp on every scan to see whether QR codes are a business-hours thing or an all-hours thing. The answer leans toward all-hours. Activity climbed from the early morning, held a broad plateau through the working day, and stayed meaningful into the evening, with the single busiest stretch landing in the late evening (about 13% of scans fell in one evening hour). The quietest window was the small hours after midnight, but even then scans never stopped completely.
One honest caveat on this cut: timestamps are recorded in UTC, and our scans come from several countries at once, so a single clock-hour mixes morning in one place with night in another. That is why we read the time-of-day data as a shape (spread out, with an evening lean) rather than a precise local peak. The practical conclusion holds either way: a printed code earns scans across the whole day, so the page it opens and any redirect behind it have to be up 24/7. A code that only works while your office is open will quietly lose the after-hours half of its audience.
Where the scans came from
Scans arrived from multiple continents, with the long tail spanning cities in North America, Europe, South America, Africa, and South Asia. We are deliberately not publishing a ranked country table, for one simple reason: the distribution is dominated by a small number of high-traffic codes, so the geography reflects where those specific codes happen to be printed rather than a representative global map. A single busy code in one city can swing the whole picture.
That concentration is itself a useful lesson for anyone planning a QR campaign. Scans are rarely spread evenly. A handful of placements usually drive most of the activity, while many codes get almost none. If you are running several codes, expect a power-law shape, find the one or two that are working, and put your design and budget there rather than spreading effort across every code equally.
How we measured this
Every figure on this page comes from the scan-event log behind OwnQR's redirect. When someone scans one of our dynamic or upgraded codes, the redirect records the device category, the operating system family, a coarse location derived from the IP address, and a timestamp, then sends the visitor on to the destination. There are no cookies, no names, and no precise GPS; it is the minimum needed to show a code owner how their code is performing.
For this study we took 1,119 of those events and grouped them by device, operating system, day of week, and hour. We did not filter out the high-traffic codes, which is why we are upfront that a few of them shape the totals. We are sharing the patterns because they line up with how QR codes behave in the wild, not because the sample is large or perfectly balanced. Treat the device split and the weekday skew as the reliable findings, and the geography and exact hour as directional. If you want a specific cut of this data for an article or talk, the contact link at the bottom of the page reaches us directly.
Static vs dynamic QR codes at a glance
| Property | Static QR code | Dynamic QR code |
|---|---|---|
| Editable after printing | No | Yes |
| Can expire | No (destination can still die) | Only if the redirect is turned off |
| Scan analytics | No | Yes |
| Typical cost | Free | One-time or subscription, depending on provider |
| Best for | A URL that will never change | Anything printed whose destination might change |
Four takeaways for anyone printing a QR code
- Design the destination for mobile. 81% of scans are on a phone, so the landing page, not the code, decides whether the scan was worth it.
- Check both iOS and Android. iOS led our scans, but the platforms differ in how they open links and handle WiFi and contact codes. Test on the platform your audience actually uses.
- Measure over a full week. With 93% of scans on weekdays, a code can look dead on Saturday and busy by Wednesday. Give it five working days before you judge it.
- Make sure the code outlives the campaign. Scans come at all hours, so the redirect behind a dynamic code must run 24/7. Avoid codes that stop working the moment a subscription lapses.
OwnQR makes dynamic QR codes you own outright: $15 one time, no subscription, change the destination any time even after printing. Start with a free static code and upgrade only when you need to. Create a QR code.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of QR code scans happen on mobile?
In our dataset of 1,119 real scans, 81% happened on a mobile phone and 19% on a desktop or laptop. QR codes are designed to be scanned with a phone camera, so a mobile-first destination page is the single most important design choice. If your QR code links to a page that is hard to use on a small screen, four out of five people who scan it will struggle.
Do more people scan QR codes on iPhone or Android?
In our data, iOS led: 49% of all scans came from iPhones and iPads, versus 30% from Android. The remaining scans were desktop operating systems (macOS 7%, Windows 3%) or unidentified. This skews toward iOS more than the global smartphone split, which is worth remembering if your audience is mostly Android, because the iOS and Android camera apps handle QR codes slightly differently.
What day of the week are QR codes scanned most?
Weekdays, by a wide margin. In our dataset 93% of scans happened Monday through Friday, with Wednesday (25%), Friday (24%), and Thursday (21%) the busiest days. Saturday and Sunday together accounted for under 7%. If you are placing a QR code on packaging, signage, or a flyer, the people who scan it are mostly doing so during the work week.
What time of day do people scan QR codes?
Scans happened around the clock rather than only during business hours. In our data activity was spread across the full day with no single dead period, and a meaningful share landed in the evening. The practical takeaway: a printed QR code earns scans at all hours, so the destination page and any redirect behind it need to work 24/7, not just when your office is open.
Are these QR code statistics representative of all QR codes?
No, and we want to be clear about that. This is a sample of 1,119 scans across OwnQR's own network of QR codes, not a representative global survey. A small number of high-traffic codes contribute a large share of the scans, so the geographic mix in particular reflects our specific users. The device and weekday patterns are consistent with how QR codes are generally used, but treat the exact percentages as directional, not universal.
How many QR codes are dynamic versus static?
Across the codes in this study, roughly 80% were free static redirect codes and about 20% were paid dynamic codes. This matches a common pattern: most people start with a free code to test placement, then upgrade specific codes to dynamic only when they need to change the destination after printing. A dynamic code lets you repoint the same printed code to a new URL without reprinting.
Why does it matter which device scans my QR code?
Because the scan is only the first step. After the camera reads the code, the person lands on your page, and that page is where you win or lose them. With 81% of scans on mobile, a page that loads slowly, asks for a pinch-to-zoom, or hides the key action below the fold will lose most of its visitors. Design the destination for a phone first, then check it on desktop.
Sources and further reading
- Primary source: 1,119 anonymous QR scan events recorded across OwnQR's network, June 2026.
- QR code technical standard: ISO/IEC 18004 (QR code specification).
- How iPhone scans QR codes: Apple Support.
- How Android scans QR codes: Google Android Help.
- Background on QR codes: Wikipedia: QR code.
- Companion study: What people actually use QR codes for.
- Related reading: Do QR codes expire? and Lifetime QR codes.
Have a question about this data, or want a specific cut of it for an article? Email support@ownqrcode.com.