What colors work best for a custom QR code?

A dark foreground on a light background, kept high-contrast. A phone reads the code by separating dark modules from light ones, so pale-on-pale pairs and light-on-dark inversions are the usual reason a custom code will not scan. The builder checks contrast as you pick and warns before you save a pair too faint to read. When in doubt, preview and scan it before you print.

Can I add a logo to a custom QR code?

Yes, free on every plan, using the TangoQR builder rather than this colors-only page. Drop a PNG, JPEG, or SVG up to 2 MB into the center. The code reserves a clear zone for it and relies on the error correction that is part of every QR code, which is what lets a logo cover part of the pattern without stopping the scan. Keep the logo small enough that it does not swallow the finder squares in the corners.

What size should I download a custom QR code for print?

Download the SVG for anything printed, because it scales to any size without blurring. If you must use a PNG, render it at about 300 DPI at the final printed size, and keep the code at least roughly 0.8 inches (2 cm) square for an arm's-length scan, larger for signs read from further away. Leave the quiet-zone margin around it clear.

What is the difference between a static and a dynamic custom QR code?

A static custom code has the link and the colors baked into the image, so it is a fixed picture: it cannot be changed and it cannot count a scan. A dynamic code keeps the same custom look but points at a redirect you control, so you can repoint it after printing and every scan is counted. If the destination might ever move, make it dynamic before you print.

Can I make a circular QR code?

You can make one that looks round by choosing dot modules and circle eyes, but you cannot bend the whole code into a true circle. A QR code is a square grid with three corner finder patterns and a margin the scanner needs to lock on, so a fully circular frame would fight the thing that makes it readable. Round dots and round eyes are the honest version of a circular code.

Are the shape options free?

Colors, a center logo, and the frame are free on every plan. Module shapes (rounded, dot) and eye shapes (rounded, leaf, circle) are a Pro feature, and they render in the SVG download. The default square modules and square eyes are free, so a free code is never held back from scanning, only from restyling.

Free tool

Custom QR code generator

Make a QR code in your own colors and download it as PNG or SVG. Free, no signup, no watermark.

Link or text

Foreground

Background

Type a link above and your QR code appears here.

This is a free custom QR code generator. Paste a link, then set the foreground and background colors so the code matches your design, and download it as a PNG or an SVG. It all runs in your browser, with no account and no watermark.

Two things worth knowing before you print a custom code. First, keep strong contrast: a dark pattern on a light background scans reliably, while low-contrast or inverted colors often do not, so preview before you commit. Second, a code made here is static, so the link is baked into the pattern and if the destination ever changes the printed code is dead. If you want to add a logo in the middle, change the module or eye shapes, or keep the code editable after printing, make a TangoQR code instead: same custom look, but you can repoint it later and it carries your brand.

How it works

1

Paste your link

Type or paste the URL the QR code should open.
2

Set your colors

Choose foreground and background colors to match your design, keeping enough contrast that the code stays scannable.
3

Download

Download as PNG for screens or SVG for print, and use it anywhere.

How to make a custom QR code

To make a custom QR code, paste your link into the field above, set the foreground and background colors so the pattern matches your design, and download it as a PNG or an SVG. That is the whole flow for a colored code, and it runs in your browser with no account. Two rules keep a custom code scannable. Keep the foreground darker than the background, and keep the contrast high, because a phone reads a QR code by telling dark modules from light ones. Pale on pale, or a light-on-dark inversion, is the most common reason a good-looking code will not scan.

Colors are where this on-page tool stops. For a logo in the middle, a rounded or dotted module style, or a code you can repoint after printing, build it on the TangoQR builder instead. The builder is the full customizer, and the section below is exactly what it can change.

What you can personalize

These are every customization axis, and whether each one is free:

Colors. Foreground and background, on every plan. The builder checks the contrast as you pick and warns before you save a pair too faint to read.
Logo. A PNG, JPEG, or SVG up to 2 MB dropped into the center, free on every plan. The code clears a zone for it and leans on the error correction built into every QR code, so the logo can cover part of the pattern without breaking the scan.
Module shape. The small squares that make up the code can be square, rounded, or dots. Shapes are a Pro feature and render in the SVG download.
Eye shape. The three finder squares in the corners can be square, rounded, leaf, or circle. Also Pro, also in the SVG.
Frame and call to action. A "scan me" or rounded frame around the code, free on every plan.
Wordmark. The small TangoQR mark on the image comes off on Pro.

One axis we do not offer, so you do not go hunting for it: gradient fills. A flat, high-contrast foreground scans more reliably than a gradient does, and we would rather ship the thing that works than the thing that demos well.

Can you make a circular QR code?

Partly, and the honest answer is worth understanding. You can make a code that reads as round: choose dot modules and circle eyes, and the pattern looks circular at a glance. What you cannot do here, or anywhere that cares whether the code scans, is bend the whole code into a true circle. A QR code is a square grid by specification, with three corner finder patterns and a quiet-zone margin a scanner uses to lock on. Warp that into a disc and you are fighting the one thing that makes the code readable. So round dots and round eyes, yes; a fully circular frame, no, by design rather than by omission.

Size a custom code for print

Custom colors and a logo do not change the sizing math. Download the SVG for anything printed, because it stays sharp at any size. If you have to use the PNG, render it at about 300 DPI at the final printed size so the modules do not blur, and do not drop below roughly 0.8 inches (2 cm) square for a code scanned at arm's length. Leave the quiet-zone margin around the code clear, because crowding artwork up to the edge is as good as shrinking the code. A logo raises the stakes a little, so scan the printed proof with a real phone before you commit a run.

Custom, and still changeable

A colored code from this page is static: the link is fixed in the pattern, so a new destination means a new code. A branded code from the builder is dynamic, so the look stays and the destination moves. You brand it once, print it, and repoint it later without reprinting, and because every scan runs through a redirect you can see how many people scanned it. That is the difference between a custom code that is a picture and one that is a tool.

What you can customize, and where

What you can change	Options	Plan
Colors	Foreground and background, contrast-checked	Free
Logo in the center	PNG, JPEG, or SVG up to 2 MB	Free
Frame	None, "scan me", or rounded	Free
Module shape	Square, rounded, or dot	Pro, in the SVG download
Eye shape	Square, rounded, leaf, or circle	Pro, in the SVG download
Remove the wordmark	Hide the small TangoQR mark	Pro
Gradient fills	Not offered	Not available

Source: TangoQR's own builder, verified against the QrCode model in this codebase on 26 August 2026. Module and eye shapes render in the SVG download; PNG shape parity is not shipped yet.

Common questions

What colors work best for a custom QR code?: A dark foreground on a light background, kept high-contrast. A phone reads the code by separating dark modules from light ones, so pale-on-pale pairs and light-on-dark inversions are the usual reason a custom code will not scan. The builder checks contrast as you pick and warns before you save a pair too faint to read. When in doubt, preview and scan it before you print.
Can I add a logo to a custom QR code?: Yes, free on every plan, using the TangoQR builder rather than this colors-only page. Drop a PNG, JPEG, or SVG up to 2 MB into the center. The code reserves a clear zone for it and relies on the error correction that is part of every QR code, which is what lets a logo cover part of the pattern without stopping the scan. Keep the logo small enough that it does not swallow the finder squares in the corners.
What size should I download a custom QR code for print?: Download the SVG for anything printed, because it scales to any size without blurring. If you must use a PNG, render it at about 300 DPI at the final printed size, and keep the code at least roughly 0.8 inches (2 cm) square for an arm's-length scan, larger for signs read from further away. Leave the quiet-zone margin around it clear.
What is the difference between a static and a dynamic custom QR code?: A static custom code has the link and the colors baked into the image, so it is a fixed picture: it cannot be changed and it cannot count a scan. A dynamic code keeps the same custom look but points at a redirect you control, so you can repoint it after printing and every scan is counted. If the destination might ever move, make it dynamic before you print.
Can I make a circular QR code?: You can make one that looks round by choosing dot modules and circle eyes, but you cannot bend the whole code into a true circle. A QR code is a square grid with three corner finder patterns and a margin the scanner needs to lock on, so a fully circular frame would fight the thing that makes it readable. Round dots and round eyes are the honest version of a circular code.
Are the shape options free?: Colors, a center logo, and the frame are free on every plan. Module shapes (rounded, dot) and eye shapes (rounded, leaf, circle) are a Pro feature, and they render in the SVG download. The default square modules and square eyes are free, so a free code is never held back from scanning, only from restyling.

Sources

Need a code you can change later?

A QR code made here is static, so print it and the link is frozen. A TangoQR code points at a redirect you control, so you can repoint it after it's printed, no reprint. Free to start, no account needed for your first code.

Make an editable code, free

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