Who each one is for
Shortcuts ships with every iPhone, iPad and Mac. Among its actions is one that turns text into a QR code image; older releases called it “Generate QR Code”, and Apple’s “What’s new in Shortcuts for iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS, and visionOS 26” page calls it “Create QR Code” and says it “can now specify colors and styling”. Chain it after “Get Clipboard” or “Get URLs from Input” and you have a two-step shortcut that makes a code from whatever you share to it.
For a plain link on a slide, that is all many people need. QR Studio is for the code that has to carry a brand, survive a print run, or change destination later.
Where QR Studio is better
- Design control. Dot and eye shapes, logo placement, colour with a live contrast and scannability check, and an AI partner. Apple documents “colors and styling” for the action; we did not find logos, shapes or error-correction options in its documentation.
- Export. SVG and print-ready PDF with bleed and crop marks. The action returns an image.
- Types. Wi-Fi, vCard, SMS, email, geo and event codes built from forms. In Shortcuts you type the raw payload yourself.
- Dynamic codes and analytics. Not possible in Shortcuts.
- Library and sync. QR Studio keeps every code and syncs it across your devices. Shortcuts hands you an image and forgets it.
Where Shortcuts is better
- Cost. Nothing to buy or install.
- Automation. Trigger from the Share sheet, Siri, a Back Tap or a schedule; loop over a list to make many codes.
- Trust. Apple’s own app, no third-party privacy label.
- Offline. Runs on the device.
Pricing side by side
| QR Studio | Shortcuts action | |
|---|---|---|
| Static codes | Free, unlimited, no ads | Free, included |
| Design, SVG, print PDF, dynamic codes, analytics | Pro $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year | Not available |
| One-off | Lifetime $69.99 | Nothing to buy |
Switching
Codes made in Shortcuts are static images of text you already have. Paste the text into QR Studio, or decode the image, then add design and export a print file. Keep the shortcut for quick throwaway codes; nothing conflicts.
Note
Apple revises Shortcuts with each OS release. We read Apple’s version 26 release notes (support.apple.com/125148) on 7 September 2026. We could not find a per-action reference page for this action, so parameters beyond “colors and styling” are not claimed here.
Try it yourself