Free QR Code Menu: 5 Options Compared (2026)

You can run a QR code menu for free. Acuolina, Menubly, MENU TIGER and GloriaFood all have free plans with no time limit (GloriaFood is closing on April 30, 2027), and a WhatsApp Business catalog costs nothing either. The difference is the catch: an order cap, missing features, or a paid add-on the moment you want something more.

This comparison lists what each free plan actually includes, with a link to the vendor's own pricing page for every claim. Acuolina is our product.

What should a free QR code menu include?

Before you compare tools, check that a free plan gives you these four things:

• A menu page you control. The QR code should point to your menu in your own account, not to a short link the generator can switch off.
• A menu that fits the phone, with photos, not a PDF.
• Unlimited edits. Price changes shouldn't need a new code or a paid plan.
• Ordering without commission, or at least a clear upgrade path to it.

If a free plan misses the first one, skip it, however generous the rest looks. For the bigger picture of what a digital menu should do, start with our pillar guide.

Which free QR menu plans are worth it?

Here's what each free plan includes, as listed on each vendor's pricing or help page, rechecked on October 25, 2026:

Plans change often. Check the source link before you decide, and look again before a big print run.

What's the catch with "free"?

Free plans pay for themselves somehow. These are the ways to watch for:

• Dynamic codes that expire. Many general QR generators make a "dynamic" code that redirects through their site. When the free trial ends, the code stops working, and every table card you printed is useless.
• Order caps. Acuolina's free plan takes 50 orders a month and MENU TIGER's 75. That's enough for a small place or a test, and tight for a busy delivery month. Check what happens at the cap: on Acuolina, the menu stays online and new orders pause until the 1st.
• Paid payments. Taking card payments online often costs extra on free plans, or comes with processing fees.
• No ordering at all. A menu you can only read still leaves guests waiting for a waiter.

Is a WhatsApp Business catalog enough?

For a food truck with ten dishes, it can be. For a restaurant, it gets awkward:

• WhatsApp caps a catalog at 500 items, and each one has to be approved before it shows.
• Guests have to open WhatsApp and find your profile to browse it.
• There's no table number, pickup time or delivery address built into the flow.

A menu link with a cart that sends the finished order to your WhatsApp gives guests the familiar chat at the end, without making them browse inside it. That's how Acuolina's WhatsApp ordering works.

How do you choose?

Match the free plan to what you'll do with it in the first three months:

1. Only replacing paper? Any tool with a menu page you control will do. Follow our guide on how to make a QR code menu.
2. Taking orders at the table? Check how orders reach the kitchen. Our QR table ordering guide explains the options.
3. Taking pickup or delivery orders? Avoid order caps and anything that takes a commission. Compare with delivery apps to see what you'd keep.

Then open the menu on your own phone, on mobile data, before you print anything.

When is it worth paying?

Upgrade when the free plan costs you more than the upgrade: when you outgrow an order cap or want to bring guests back with discounts by email or SMS. On Acuolina, reports and kitchen printing are already free, and the Chef plan, at $19 a month, adds unlimited orders and those discounts, with no commission on any plan. Every new restaurant gets Chef free for 14 days, with no credit card, so you'll see whether you need it before you pay. The details are on the pricing page.

Ready to try it? Create your free menu, or browse more QR menu guides on the Acuolina blog.