SmartLinks vs QR-Squared
Everything QR-Squared locks behind Enterprise, SmartLinks ships on day one.
Free trial — no payment until you go live · ESPR / DPP Ready
Feature comparison
Side-by-side on the capabilities that shape a connected product programme.
| Feature | SmartLinksUs | QR-Squared |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Free tier · transparent plans · no payment until live | Free (basic) · £20 / £40 per month · Enterprise from ~£2K/yr |
| Free Trial | Yes | 30-day trial on paid plans |
| Serialised / Unique QR | Included | Enterprise only |
| Digital Product Passport (ESPR) | Built-in, self-service | Enterprise only |
| Supply-Chain Traceability (EPCIS) | Yes | Enterprise only |
| API Access | Included | Enterprise only |
| AI Product Assistant | Per-product RAG/MCP | Support chatbot only |
| NFC Support | Yes | No |
| RFID Support | Yes | No |
| Warranty Automation | Yes | No |
| Ownership Capture | Yes | No |
| B2B Catalogue & Stockist Finder | Yes | No |
| GS1 Status | GS1 UK Approved Partner (official) | GS1 certified |
SmartLinks vs QR-Squared: the real cost
| SmartLinks | QR-Squared | |
|---|---|---|
| Free tier | Yes — fully functional | No |
| Entry paid plan | Free tier · paid plans transparent | Free (basic) · £20 / £40 per month · Enterprise from ~£2K/yr |
| Year-one cost | £0 to start, scale when ready | Serialisation, DPP & API only on Enterprise |
| Pay before you're live | Never | Yes — upfront |
| Public, transparent pricing | Yes | No |
Start free. Only pay when you go live and you're happy with your setup.
The quick verdict
Three differences that matter most for enterprise buyers.
Full features at every tier
QR-Squared caps serialisation, DPP, API access and traceability to Enterprise — which routes back to Polytag sales. SmartLinks includes them at every plan.
Real AI product assistant
QR-Squared's 'AI' is an in-app support chatbot. SmartLinks ships a per-product AI assistant trained on your product data, MCP- and RAG-ready.
QR + NFC + RFID
QR-Squared is QR-only. SmartLinks supports QR, NFC and RFID — one identity across every carrier and audience.
“SmartLinks are our GS1 Approved Partner, supporting businesses in implementing GS1 standards with innovative SmartLinks solutions.”
A GS1 UK Approved connected product platform.
Trusted by brands across food & beverage, apparel, health & beauty, and outdoor industries — from first product to full DPP rollout.
Key differences
The story behind the table — why enterprise buyers pick SmartLinks.
You'll outgrow the QR-Squared free tier before your first launch
On QR-Squared, the features that actually differentiate a connected-product programme — serialised QR, DPP, EPCIS traceability, API access — sit behind the Enterprise tier, which routes back to Polytag sales. The free and £20/£40 plans are effectively a trial for the upgrade. SmartLinks ships those features at every plan, so you prototype and scale on the same feature set.
Serialisation, DPP and API included at every SmartLinks tier — starting free.
A scan destination is not a product identity
QR-Squared is a self-serve GS1 QR and branded-page generator — a scan destination, not a persistent identity. Warranty, ownership, resale, B2B catalogue, stockist finder have nowhere to attach. SmartLinks is a product-identity platform: all of those attach to the same identifier and travel with the unit for its whole life.
Persistent per-product identity — core to SmartLinks, from day one.
A support chatbot in the admin panel is not a product AI
QR-Squared's only 'AI' feature is an in-app multi-lingual support chatbot for its own admin users — it talks to your team, not to your customers. SmartLinks ships a per-product AI assistant that answers customer, retailer and technician questions from your own product data — MCP- and RAG-ready for LLM agents on every scan.
AI product assistant included at every SmartLinks tier — no upsell.
One carrier = one touchpoint. Three carriers = every touchpoint.
QR-Squared is QR-only. If you need NFC for premium tap experiences or RFID for warehouse and retail workflows, you're stuck bolting on a second vendor. SmartLinks supports QR, NFC and RFID from the same platform — one identity across shelf tags, service-tech readers, warehouse scans and consumer phones.
One identity, every carrier — included on every SmartLinks plan.
Who should choose SmartLinks over QR-Squared?
- If serialisation, DPP, API and traceability are gated behind an Enterprise upsell, you'll outgrow the entry tier before your first launch.
- Every product question a customer can't self-serve is a £5–15 support ticket — a support chatbot in the admin panel doesn't change that unit economic.
- If you need NFC or RFID alongside QR and your vendor is QR-only, you'll end up paying twice for one product identity.
- Regulators won't accept 'DPP sits behind our Enterprise tier' as an ESPR compliance plan when the deadline lands.
Digital Product Passport obligations are live.
Batteries and textiles are first. All product categories follow by 2030.
Brands on SmartLinks are already compliant. Brands still evaluating vendors will scramble.
Start free today — your first product can have a live DPP in under an hour.
GS1 UK Approved Partner · ESPR compliant · No payment until live