Deep Linking Platforms With QR Codes Compared

Linkrunner, Branch, AppsFlyer (OneLink) and Kochava (SmartLinks) can all create QR codes that open your app if it is installed and send the scanner to the right App Store or Google Play page if it is not. Deferred deep linking then carries the user to the intended screen after install. The differences sit in desktop scans, editing a destination after the code is printed, bulk generation and how each scan is attributed.

Those differences matter because a QR code is the one channel you cannot patch after it ships. A poster, a packaging run or a shop-window sticker stays in the world for months. Pick the platform on what happens after print, not on how nice the code looks.

Disclosure: the author builds Linkrunner. Every other platform's details below come from that vendor's own pages, read on 10 Nov 2026. Where a page was silent, this post says so.

How does a QR code open the app or the store?

A deep linking QR code encodes one short link that, when scanned, opens the app on a specific screen if it is installed, or the right app store page if it is not, then restores the destination after install.

• Scan. The phone camera reads the code and opens the short link in a browser or camera handler.
• Resolve. The link checks the platform: iOS, Android or desktop.
• Installed. The OS hands the link to the app through a Universal Link or App Link, and the app routes to the screen.
• Not installed. The user goes to the correct store page. After install and first open, the saved destination is restored by a deferred deep link.

This is deep linking on a printable surface. The mechanics of the install step are covered in deferred deep links explained.

Which deep linking platforms can create these QR codes?

Cells reflect what each vendor's own page says. Adjust, Singular and Airbridge are left out because their QR pages could not be read when this was written.

1. Linkrunner

• Every link is dynamic and deferred by default, can sit on your own branded domain, and the dashboard lets you download its QR code.
• Linkrunner's dashboard QR has no colour or style options and no bulk generation, and any QR generator can encode a Linkrunner link if you need those. The QR holds the short link, so you can change the campaign's destination, deep link and redirects after printing.
• Pricing: Free covers the first 25k attributed installs with every feature included. Linkrunner is a mobile and web attribution platform (Web SDK in beta), so the same link family covers app and website campaigns. See Linkrunner Deep Links.

2. Branch

• Strongest on QR volume and the desktop path: dashboard creation, bulk generation through SDK or API, and QR codes that can feed a desktop banner.
• Destination or redirect logic can be changed at any time, so the printed code keeps working.
• Branch's QR page does not state a price. See Linkrunner vs Branch for a wider comparison.

3. AppsFlyer (OneLink)

• Dashboard QR codes with your colours and logo, bulk generation described as thousands in minutes, and an API endpoint that returns a QR image (size up to 3000 pixels, PNG or JPG).
• The API endpoint carries a "Premium" badge on AppsFlyer's reference page, so check it is in your plan.
• Dynamic links can be updated without reprinting, and a real-time dashboard shows scans, installs and post-install events.

4. Kochava (SmartLinks)

• Kochava's pricing page lists "SmartLinks (Deep Linking + QR Codes)" on the Free plan, with 10k conversions a month included.
• Its SmartLinks page also covers QR codes for in-store signage, print, and linear and connected TV, with a Scalable Deep Link API for managing hundreds or thousands of links.
• Strong where QR meets TV and out-of-home measurement.

What about Firebase Dynamic Links?

Firebase's FAQ said Dynamic Links would shut down on 25 August 2025. Do not plan a printed QR code on a page.link domain. For free options that remain, see free deep linking tools.

What should you check before printing a QR code?

• Destination can change. If the platform cannot edit where a link goes, you are one typo from a reprint. Ask before you buy, because a vendor page that is silent is not a yes.
• Short or branded domain. Shorter links produce simpler, easier-to-scan codes, and your own domain keeps trust high.
• Universal Links and App Links on that domain. Without them, the installed-app case opens a browser. Use the Universal Links and App Links setup guide and the AASA validator.
• A desktop fallback. Someone will scan from a laptop screen. Send them somewhere useful, such as a web page or a store-page QR.
• One link per placement. A shared code cannot tell you which poster worked.
• Test four states. iOS and Android, each with the app installed and not installed. The deep link QA checklist covers the full run.

Across more than 10 customer groups in Linkrunner's support history, the most common early deep link failure was on the app side: the app received the link but never passed it to the SDK. Testing the installed state on a real build catches this before print.

How do you set up a QR code that opens the app or the store?

Steps for Linkrunner, using documented features only. The pattern is the same on other platforms.

1. Create the link. In the dashboard, open App Campaigns, click Create Link and name the campaign after the placement, for example one name per poster or shop. See Create a trackable link.
2. Turn on deferred deep linking and set the destination. Enter the screen on your Linkrunner domain that new installers should see. See deferred deep linking.
3. Set the fallbacks. Add a Desktop URL for laptop scans, and use a custom store listing if you want a dedicated store page.
4. Download the QR code. Use the Download QR Code option on the link. Linkrunner's docs say the code carries your app logo in the centre.
5. Test both states. Scan with the app installed and uninstalled, on iOS and Android, before you send it to print.

How do you measure scans and installs from QR codes?

• Scan, install, event. Treat these as three steps. QR code attribution credits the install to the code that preceded it, and the event tells you if the user mattered.
• Delayed installs. A scan on a street may become an install hours later. Keep the attribution window long enough to catch it.
• Per-placement naming. Consistent link and campaign names let you compare posters, shops and flyers. The QR and offline attribution guide covers UTM naming and weekly validation.
• Customer example. abcoffee tracks every offline user from a QR code through to the app on Linkrunner.

FAQ

Which deep linking platforms can create QR codes? Linkrunner, Branch, AppsFlyer OneLink and Kochava SmartLinks each describe QR creation on their own pages. They differ on bulk generation, API access and desktop handling.

What happens when someone scans the QR code and does not have the app? They are sent to the right store page for their device. After install and first open, a deferred deep link restores the intended screen.

Can I change the destination of a printed QR code? On Linkrunner, yes: the QR encodes the short link, so the campaign's destination, deep link and redirects stay editable. Branch and AppsFlyer say yes on their pages. For Kochava, check with the vendor, because the page read did not say so directly.

Are QR code scans tracked as installs? A scan is a click. It becomes an attributed install only when the user installs and opens the app within the attribution window.

Want one dashboard that links QR scans, installs and in-app events? Request a demo from Linkrunner.