QR Code & Barcode Generator
Create free QR codes for a URL, plain text, WiFi network, or contact card, plus a GS1 UPC-A barcode label maker — pick your colors, then download a high-resolution PNG or copy the SVG.
Interactive Client Prototype Sandbox
Disclaimer: This free tool is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind, and is for general informational purposes only — not professional, legal, financial, medical, tax, or engineering advice. Results may contain errors; verify anything important independently and use at your own risk. We accept no liability for any loss or damage arising from its use. See our Terms of Use for details.
Step-by-Step Guide
Pick a type (URL, Text, WiFi, Contact, or Barcode) and fill in the fields. Set your colors, then Download PNG, Download SVG, or Copy SVG. A WiFi code lets a phone join your network by scanning; a contact code saves your details; the Barcode tab turns an 11-digit product code into a scannable GS1 UPC-A barcode, with an optional SKU line and a "UPC" caption.
Barcode accuracy disclaimer
This tool correctly implements the UPC-A symbology and GS1 check-digit algorithm, but it cannot guarantee that every printed barcode will scan on every combination of printer, label material, and scanner — print quality, label stock, print size, and printer calibration all affect real-world scan reliability, and none of that is under this tool's control. It also does not issue, verify, or register GS1 numbers; only a GS1 Company Prefix licensed through GS1 US guarantees your code won't collide with another company's product. Before using a barcode from this tool on real packaging or in production, print a sample and test-scan it on your actual equipment first. This tool is provided "as is," with no warranty of scan accuracy or fitness for a particular retail use, and Utilivise accepts no liability for lost sales, rejected shipments, reprints, or any other cost arising from its use — see our Terms of Use for full details.
Choose WiFi ➔ enter your network name and password ➔ download a PNG guests scan to connect instantly. Or choose Barcode ➔ enter 03600029145 ➔ get a UPC-A barcode with check digit 2 added automatically.
Who it's for
Event promoters, small business owners, restaurant operators, digital marketers, and product/packaging teams needing a UPC barcode.
Core Features
- Five content types: URL, plain text, WiFi network, vCard contact, and GS1 UPC-A barcode.
- UPC-A barcode from an 11-digit product code, with the GS1 check digit calculated automatically.
- Custom dot/bar and background colors plus an adjustable margin (quiet zone) on QR codes.
- Download a high-resolution PNG or copy the scalable SVG.
- Generated entirely in your browser — nothing you enter is ever uploaded.
🛡️ No tracking — your inputs, keys, and details never leave this client sandbox.
How do I generate a UPC barcode?
Pick the Barcode tab and type an 11-digit product code — the tool calculates the 12th digit (the GS1 check digit) automatically and renders a standard UPC-A barcode with human-readable digits underneath. Download it as a PNG for packaging or print.
Is this barcode guaranteed to scan, and is Utilivise liable if it doesn't?
No guarantee is made either way. The tool correctly implements the UPC-A symbology and GS1 check-digit math, but real-world scannability also depends on your printer, label material, print size, and scanner — factors entirely outside this tool's control. It does not issue, verify, or register GS1 numbers, and does not certify that a GTIN is officially registered anywhere. Always print and test-scan a sample on your actual equipment before a full production run. This tool is provided "as is," with no warranty of accuracy or fitness for a particular use, and Utilivise accepts no liability for lost sales, rejected shipments, reprint costs, or any other damages arising from its use — see our Terms of Use for full details.
Can I actually sell a product with a barcode from this tool?
Only if the 11 digits you enter are built from a GS1 Company Prefix you've licensed from GS1 US (or your country's GS1 member organization). This tool generates and validates correct barcode structure locally — it does not issue, register, or reserve GS1 numbers. If you don't own a licensed prefix, treat the output as a mockup or internal-use barcode, not one that's guaranteed collision-free at retail.
What's the difference between a UPC code and a QR code?
A UPC-A barcode is a fixed 12-digit numeric code read by retail point-of-sale scanners — it's what's on virtually every packaged product. A QR code is a 2D matrix that can hold much more data (URLs, WiFi credentials, contact cards) and is read by phone cameras. They serve different purposes and aren't interchangeable.
How do I make a WiFi QR code?
Pick the WiFi tab, type your network name (SSID) and password, and choose the security type (WPA, WEP, or none). The QR code appears as you type — download it as a PNG and print it. A guest scans it with their phone camera and joins your network without typing the password.
What information does a WiFi QR code contain?
It encodes a standard string in the form WIFI:T:WPA;S:YourNetwork;P:YourPassword;; — the security type, the network name, and the password. Phones recognise this format and offer a one-tap "join network" prompt. Because it holds the password in plain text, only share it with people you'd give the password to anyway.
WPA or WEP — which should I choose?
Choose WPA for virtually all modern routers (it covers WPA, WPA2, and WPA3 networks). WEP is an old, insecure standard you'd only pick for very old hardware. If your network has no password, choose the "none" option.
Can I download a high-resolution PNG?
Yes. Download PNG renders the code at high resolution suitable for print, and Copy SVG gives you a scalable vector you can resize without blurring. You can also set custom dot and background colors and adjust the margin.
Is it safe — does my data get uploaded?
Nothing you enter is uploaded. The QR code is generated entirely in your browser, so the URL, WiFi password, or contact details you type never leave your device. You can confirm it by disconnecting from the internet — it still works.
How large can the QR code be before scanners have trouble reading it?
QR codes scale perfectly because they are based on a matrix of square modules — the PNG can be rendered at any resolution and the SVG version scales infinitely. Scanners have trouble reading QR codes that are physically too small relative to the scanner's camera, not codes that have too much data. Longer URLs or more data increase the number of modules (the QR 'version') but the code remains scannable as long as it is printed large enough relative to the density of modules.
QR codes and how they survive being damaged
Most people assume that a QR code needs to be perfectly intact to scan. The reality is that a standard QR code at error correction level H can have up to 30% of its surface completely obscured and still decode correctly. This is not a quirk — it is the designed behavior. The same error correction algorithm used in CDs, DVDs, and deep-space communication is embedded in every QR code, reconstructing missing data from redundant information distributed across the matrix. This is precisely why QR codes with logos, color gradients, and artistic designs overlaid in the center still scan: the logo destroys some modules, but error correction fills the gaps.
How experts use error correction differently than beginners
Casual users generate a QR code and assume it will always scan. Print designers and marketing professionals choose their error correction level based on the physical context. A code on a clean digital screen uses level L (7%) to maximize data density and minimize visual complexity. A code printed on a product that will be handled, scratched, or exposed to weather uses level H (30%) to survive physical damage. A code with a logo overlay requires at minimum level Q (25%), and the logo should not cover the three corner finder patterns or the timing strips — those cannot be reconstructed by error correction.
The structure of a QR code
A QR code consists of a grid of black and white square modules. The three large square patterns in three corners are finder patterns — they allow the scanner to locate and orient the code regardless of the angle it is scanned from. The smaller square in the bottom-right area (for larger codes) is an alignment pattern. Timing patterns (alternating black and white modules) help the decoder locate individual modules. The remaining modules encode the actual data using one of four encoding modes: numeric (digits only), alphanumeric (digits, uppercase letters, and a small set of symbols), byte (arbitrary binary data, typically used for URLs and text), and Kanji (for Japanese characters).
Common use cases
QR codes bridge the physical and digital worlds: restaurant menus link to PDFs, product packaging links to instruction videos, business cards encode contact information, event tickets encode authentication tokens, and retail stores link to mobile payment pages. The WiFi QR code format (standardized as the WIFI: scheme) allows phones to join a network by scanning without the user typing the password. The vCard format encodes contact information compatible with phone address book import.
GS1, UPC, and GTIN — what the terms actually mean
These three terms get used almost interchangeably, but they describe different layers of the same system. GS1 is the nonprofit global standards organization that governs product identification worldwide — it doesn't sell barcodes directly to individual products, it licenses each business a unique Company Prefix. GTIN (Global Trade Item Number) is GS1's umbrella term for the actual product identifier — it comes in a few lengths (GTIN-8, GTIN-12, GTIN-13, GTIN-14) depending on the region and packaging level. UPC-A is simply the North American name for a GTIN-12: a fixed 12-digit number (an 11-digit product code plus one check digit) rendered as a scannable barcode. So "getting a UPC" really means licensing a GS1 Company Prefix, assigning yourself an item reference number within it, and rendering the result as a UPC-A barcode — which is exactly what this tool's Barcode tab does for the rendering step.
How a UPC-A barcode actually encodes 12 digits as bars
A UPC-A symbol is built from exactly 95 vertical modules: a 3-module start guard, 42 modules encoding the first six digits, a 5-module center guard, 42 modules encoding the last six digits, and a 3-module end guard. Each digit maps to a fixed 7-module bar-and-space pattern — the left-hand digits use one set of patterns (odd parity), and the right-hand digits use the bitwise-complementary set, which is how a scanner detects whether it's reading the code forwards or upside-down. The 12th digit is never typed by hand — it's a check digit computed from the other 11 using GS1's mod-10 algorithm (triple-weighting alternating digits, summing, then taking the difference from the next multiple of ten), which is why a single mistyped digit almost always produces a check-digit mismatch that a scanner rejects instead of silently reading the wrong product.