Custom Domain QR Code: Put Your Brand in Every Scan

A custom domain QR code encodes a link on a web address you own, such as go.yourbrand.com, instead of a generic short link. People who preview the link before opening it see your brand, and the scan resolves on your domain with HTTPS. In QRelix, custom domains are part of the Team plan: connect up to 3 domains with one DNS record each, and every analytics and security feature keeps working.

This guide explains why a branded QR code link builds trust, how to set up a QR code with your own domain step by step, what happens to codes you already printed, and what happens if the Team plan ends.

Why a branded QR code link builds trust

Most phones show the link inside a QR code before opening it. That preview is the scanner's one chance to decide whether the code is safe. As more people learn about QR code phishing (fake codes stuck over real ones, or codes that lead to look-alike login pages), more of them pause at that preview and check where they are going.

A link on your own domain answers that question at a glance. A diner who sees go.yourbrand.com under the camera knows the code belongs to the restaurant whose name is on the door. A generic address gives them nothing to recognize.

A custom domain also keeps your brand consistent from print to page. Team workspaces never show a QRelix screen on scans, so the whole path from scan to destination is yours.

What a custom domain QR code gives you

• Your domain in every link. New codes can use your domain automatically, and you can move existing dynamic codes onto it.
• Up to 3 domains per workspace. Use a subdomain like go.yourbrand.com or a dedicated short domain like yourbrand.link.
• Automatic HTTPS. QRelix issues and renews the certificate once DNS is in place. You never buy or upload one.
• Hosted pages on your domain. Codes on your domain open their hosted pages there too, for example go.yourbrand.com/pages/menu.
• Nothing else changes. Analytics, password protection, expiration dates, geofencing, scheduling, round robin URLs, and webhooks all work the same.

Before you start

• A QRelix Team workspace. Only owners and admins can add or remove domains; editors can choose which domain a code uses.
• A domain you control and access to its DNS settings at your registrar or DNS provider.
• A subdomain you are not using for anything else. Short ones like go., qr., or scan. work well on printed material.

How to set up a QR code with your own domain

1. In the dashboard, open Domains.
2. Click Add domain and enter the domain, for example go.yourbrand.com. Leave out https:// and any path.
3. QRelix shows the DNS record to add. Copy it into your DNS provider exactly as shown: a CNAME record for a subdomain, or an A record for an apex (root) domain.
4. If QRelix also shows a TXT record, add that too. It appears when the domain is already connected somewhere else and proves you own it.
5. Back in QRelix, click Check DNS. When the record is found, QRelix verifies the domain and issues an HTTPS certificate automatically.
6. Optionally make the domain the workspace default and add a root redirect.

Verification usually takes a few minutes, but DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to spread. If the first check fails, wait and try again. QRelix also checks pending domains once a day for two weeks, so a domain connects on its own once DNS catches up.

Two tips from the custom domain docs: if you use Cloudflare, set the record to DNS only rather than Proxied, and remove any other records on the same name before adding yours. A subdomain is the most common setup, because it leaves your main website untouched.

Default domain

One verified domain can be the workspace default. Every new QR code created in the workspace then uses it, whoever creates it. Changing the default later does not move existing codes.

Moving existing codes

Any dynamic QR code can be switched to your domain, or back, from the Scan link card on its Configure page. Switching changes the link inside the code, so QRelix regenerates the QR image:

• Copies you already printed keep the old link, and the old link keeps working. Scans from old prints still land in the same analytics.
• Download the new image and reprint wherever you want your domain to appear.
• The code keeps its destination, settings, and scan history, and the previous image stays in its design history.

Static codes, such as static Wi-Fi codes, do not use a domain, so the option does not appear for them.

Root redirect

Someone who types the bare domain, such as go.yourbrand.com with nothing after it, sees a plain not-found page by default. Add a root redirect on the Domains page to send those visitors somewhere useful, like your homepage.

Worked example: a real estate team brands its yard signs

A real estate team with three agents prints a QR code on every yard sign. Each code opens the listing page for that house.

1. The team lead connects go.harborhomes.com (a hypothetical brand) on the Domains page, adds the CNAME record at the registrar, and clicks Check DNS. A few minutes later the domain shows as ready with HTTPS.
2. She sets it as the workspace default, so every sign code the agents create from now on carries the team's domain.
3. She adds a root redirect from go.harborhomes.com to the team's main website.
4. For the open house flyers, an agent builds a hosted page with the listing photos and floor plan. Scanners land on go.harborhomes.com/pages/maple-street, so the address matches the sign.
5. Three older signs still use qrelix.com links. Those keep working, so she moves them to the new domain and reprints only when each sign is replaced.

Buyers see the team's name in the link before they tap, and the team still gets every scan in its analytics. When a house sells, an agent edits the destination to the next listing, and the printed sign keeps working. Our guide on how to edit a QR code after printing covers that part.

What happens if the Team plan ends

• The Team plan ends. Codes that use your custom domain keep working. Scans are forwarded through qrelix.com, so printed codes do not break. You cannot add domains or move codes onto them until you return to Team.
• You remove the domain, or its DNS stops pointing at QRelix. Codes printed with that domain stop resolving, because the domain no longer reaches QRelix. Before you remove a domain, the dashboard shows how many codes use it, and on removal those codes move back to qrelix.com links with new images to reprint.

The practical rule: keep the DNS record in place, and keep the domain renewed, for as long as codes printed with it are in use. QRelix re-checks every connected domain daily and shows DNS needs attention if the record changes, while scans keep being served.

Limits and when not to use it

• Team plan only. Free and Pro do not include custom domains.
• Three domains per workspace.
• Your main domain only works if nothing else uses it, because the apex record must point at QRelix. Most teams use a subdomain.
• Already printed codes keep their old link. A custom domain only appears on images you download and print after the switch.
• If you might let the domain lapse, a qrelix.com link is the safer choice for codes that will stay in circulation for years.

What it costs

• Free plan (no credit card): unlimited dynamic QR codes, full scan analytics, custom colors and logo, and the whole security suite. Each free code works for its first 50 scans, then pauses until you upgrade, and free scans show a brief QRelix screen.
• Pro, $5.99 a month or $59.99 a year: unlimited scans, no QRelix screen, Smart Routing, and a Brand Kit.
• Team, $19 a month with 3 seats ($6 a month per extra seat): everything in Pro plus custom domains (up to 3), a shared workspace with roles, bulk creation from CSV, up to 10 Brand Kits, the developer API, and Zapier and Make.

Compare plans on the pricing page.

Frequently asked questions

Which plan includes custom domain QR codes?

The QRelix Team plan, at $19 a month with 3 seats included.

Do I need to reprint my existing QR codes?

Only if you want them to show your domain. Existing codes keep working on qrelix.com.

Does scan tracking still work on a custom domain?

Yes. Scans appear in the same analytics, scan log, and webhooks as any other scan.

Do password protection and geofencing work on my domain?

Yes. Passwords, expiration dates, scan limits, geofences, and schedules apply exactly as they do on qrelix.com. See how password protected QR codes work.

Can hosted pages use my domain?

Yes. Codes on your domain open their hosted pages there, for example go.yourbrand.com/pages/menu.

What happens if I cancel the Team plan?

Codes on your custom domain keep working, with scans forwarded through qrelix.com, as long as the DNS record still points at QRelix.

Put your brand in every QR code

A branded link is half the picture; the other half is the code itself. Pair your domain with a Brand Kit so every code carries your colors and logo. See the custom domain QR codes overview, read how a QR code generator for teams keeps everyone on brand, and start on the pricing page when you are ready for Team.