WhatsApp QR Code Generator
Let customers start a WhatsApp chat with one scan: type your number and the message you want waiting for them. Free, no sign-up, no watermark.
Continue reading- No expiration
- No watermark
- No card
Everything a printed code should be able to do
Once a code is on a menu, a box, or a billboard, reprinting is the expensive part. Dynamic links move the decisions into your account instead.
Per-scan analytics
ProEvery scan recorded with approximate city, device, OS, and time, exportable to CSV. Free plans keep aggregate counts by day, device, and country.
Repoint any time
FreeChange where a printed code goes in seconds. 3 links free with unlimited scans; unlimited links on Pro.
Your domain on the code
ProScanners see your name, not ours, with custom endings you choose instead of a random slug.
A file behind the code
ProHost a PDF or image at the code itself and swap the file without reprinting. Menus, spec sheets, price lists.
replaced, same code
Smart routing
ProOne code, many destinations: route each scan by country, language, device platform, or time of day.
Pages
ProA hosted page of blocks behind one code, editable any time. One QR for everything you do.
How Reticle compares: vs QR Tiger vs Bitly vs Flowcode best free generator
Made in your browser
Static codes are generated entirely on your device. Nothing is uploaded unless you create a dynamic link or host a file, and we say exactly what those store.
No scan-count paywall
Free dynamic links have unlimited scans, and a link you actually use never expires. A free link with no scans at all for 90 days is reclaimed after two email warnings; one scan or one click keeps it. A code that is out in the world doing its job keeps working; we do not hold it hostage.
Data you can erase
Free plans keep aggregate counts only. Pro per-scan records are kept about 90 days, and you can export or delete them at any time.
go.yourdomain.com/sauce
Live
Describe it. Reticle AI plans the link.
Tell Reticle AI what your code should do. It drafts the dynamic link, smart routing, page, and password setup for you to review and apply.
Free to use with a Reticle account. Sign in and Reticle AI plans your link.
Start free. Go Pro to know who scanned.
- Unlimited static codes, full styling, every export
- 3 dynamic links with unlimited scans
- Aggregate scan stats and email digests
- 100 saved codes, synced to your account
- Your own domain on printed codes, with custom endings
- Unlimited dynamic links, bulk CSV, API and scan webhooks
- Per-scan analytics, exportable to CSV
- File codes, smart routing, pages, passwords, scheduling
How a WhatsApp QR code works
WhatsApp has a click-to-chat link format: https://wa.me/ plus your number. Opening it starts a conversation with that number directly, no contact saving, no typing, no searching. A WhatsApp QR code simply encodes that link, so pointing a phone camera at your sticker, sign, or package opens a chat with you in one tap. Reticle builds that link for you: type your number and, if you want, a message, and the code is ready.
Your number and your message
Enter your number in international format, including the country code (a US number starts with 1), and Reticle turns it into the wa.me link for you: no plus sign, spaces, or dashes to remove yourself, and a leading zero is dropped automatically. Add a message in the optional text box and the chat opens with it already typed in, ready for the person to send or edit as they like; leave the box empty for a plain chat window with nothing prefilled. Style the code however you like; the WhatsApp green with a white background scans beautifully, but any strong contrast works.
Static or dynamic?
A static code bakes the wa.me link into the image: free, private, permanent. If the number might change (staff turnover, a new support line, moving to WhatsApp Business), sign in and make it a dynamic link instead: the printed code encodes a short address you can repoint at any time, with scan counts included. The free plan includes 3 dynamic links.
Where WhatsApp codes earn their keep
Storefront windows ("Questions? Chat with us"), product packaging for support, service vans, restaurant takeout menus for orders, market stalls, business cards, and delivery notes. Anywhere a customer might want to reach you and a phone is already in their hand.
Test before you print
Scan the finished code with a real phone before a print run: the chat should open with the right number and, if you prefilled one, the right message. The Studio checks your design by scanning it back before download, and printing at 2 cm (about an inch) or larger keeps it reliable at arm's length.
Frequently asked questions
What link do I encode for a WhatsApp QR code?
You don't need to build one. Enter your phone number in international format, including the country code, and Reticle turns it into the wa.me link and generates the code for you: no plus sign, spaces, dashes, or leading zero to strip out yourself, since those are cleaned up automatically.
Can the chat start with a prefilled message?
Yes. Type it into the message box and Reticle encodes it into the link for you, spaces and all, so there is no need to write any of it by hand. The person scanning sees the message ready to send and just taps.
Does it work on both iPhone and Android?
Yes. On any phone with WhatsApp installed, scanning opens the chat directly in the app. Without the app, the link opens a WhatsApp page in the browser that offers WhatsApp Web or an install prompt.
Does the customer need my number saved first?
No. The chat opens directly with your number, no contact saving and no typing. That is what makes a click-to-chat code better than printing the number itself.
Can I change the number after the code is printed?
Only with a dynamic link. Sign in, open the free Studio, and choose Dynamic code to encode a short link that forwards to your wa.me address; you can then repoint it (a new number, a different team member, a support page) at any time without reprinting. The free plan includes 3 dynamic links.
Is my phone number uploaded when I make the code?
Not for a static code: it is generated entirely in your browser and the number lives only in the image you download. A dynamic link is the one exception you opt into: its destination is stored so the short link can forward scanners to it.