A small note from the family behind qr-cow.
qr-cow is a free QR code generator with logo, colors, gradients, dynamic codes, scan analytics, and a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server — built by the HSN family, a small group of engineers who ship honest tools for the open web. There is no VC deck, no growth team, no marketing department. Just one project among many that we ship with love.
Who we are
The HSN family is a real family. All of us work in tech. Between us we ship side projects across the web, small, focused tools that try to be honest about what they do. qr-cow is one of those.
We are not a brand pretending to be a person, and not a person pretending to be a brand. We are a family that likes building things, and shipping them where they will be useful.
How qr-cow started
In late 2025 a friend opened a small café. She paid a designer to print her menu with a QR code on the bottom. Two weeks later she changed the menu, but the QR still pointed at the old PDF. She paid the designer again. Then again. After the third reprint we wrote her a script, one short URL she could edit herself, and the printed code kept working.
That script became this site. The mascot is a cow because the placeholder we drew while testing the studio happened to look like one, and removing it felt wrong.
What we care about
- Cheap. Real analytics for $3 a month, not $19 a month. Indies and small teams should not be subsidising sales reps they will never talk to.
- Portable. Static codes work with no account. Designs export as SVG. If you ever outgrow qr-cow, you take everything with you.
- No third-party trackers. We run our own analytics. Nothing leaks to Google, Facebook, or anyone else.
- Crypto-only. Cards do not really work where some of us live, and chargebacks on three-dollar subscriptions are not a business worth running.
What is next
A few things on the list, in rough order:
- Bulk CSV import, five people have asked and we want it too.
- Brand kits, save a palette and a logo, reuse across codes.
- A real iOS app, not just the installed PWA.
- An "is this code still scannable" checker.
If you have a QR-code problem qr-cow does not solve, write to [email protected]. We read everything.
The alternatives exist. They're just priced for someone else.
The category is full of fine tools. They are also $19 to $39 a month for the things we think should be in the box — analytics, dynamic codes, API access. qr-cow is what is left when you take that feature set, strip the sales overhead, and price it for an indie's budget.