Over a third of smartphone users scan QR codes every week. Whether it’s using COVID-safe menus at restaurants or accessing websites these ubiquitous square patterns have become part and parcel of our daily lives.
But we’ve been scanning things for way longer than that, right? Every time we head into a supermarket, we scan endless barcodes to validate and pay for our purchases. In fact, barcodes have been around for way longer than QR codes.
So what on Earth is the difference?
Worry not, perplexed scanners of the world, we’re here to break down every aspect of the QR code vs. barcode conundrum. With our help, you’ll never have trouble choosing between squares and lines ever again.
What Is a Barcode?
Put simply, a barcode is just information, usually about whatever product the barcode is attached to.
Think of it this way: when you pick up a bottle of milk in the supermarket, you see the word “Milk”, its fat percentage, and its price all written on the bottle.
The barcode is just a different way of writing all that information. It’s a Latin alphabet for machines. Just like you glance at that milk and take in the information you need to make a decision, the scanner at the till looks at the barcode and knows what you’ve bought and how much it costs.
Of course, because there’s only so much you can do with a series of vertical lines, barcodes are fairly limited in how much info they can convey.
That’s where QR codes come in.
What Is a QR Code?
Here’s the quickest QR code guide ever: it’s like a barcode, but more.
Okay, okay, what does that actually mean? Well, it’s all about how much information you can encode into the space the QR code takes up. A barcode is a 1-dimensional series of vertical bars, and there’s only so much information you can squeeze into that space.
A QR code, on the other hand, is 2-dimensional. Information can be inscribed along the vertical and horizontal axes, which enables a massive increase in the amount of info you put into it.
So why don’t we use QR codes for everything? They’re new, and all our supermarket tech is geared towards barcodes. Making them is as simple as booting up a C# generate barcode tool. It’s that simple!
The QR Code vs. Barcode Conundrum Doesn’t Have to Be Confusing
There you go, folks, a comprehensive answer to the confusion that surrounds the QR code vs. barcode mystery. Whether you’re ordering food from a restaurant menu or buying groceries, these codes are a part of our daily lives.
Whether you’re trying to decide which to use yourself, or you’re just curious, we hope we answered all your questions.
And if you’re still hungry for barcode-related info? Well, you can probably scan a QR code that will tell you all about it.
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