Three different kinds of free
The free tools are free permanently and unconditionally. They run in your browser, generate a downloadable code, and ask for nothing — no account, no watermark, no expiry on the image you download.
The platform is free during launch. Billing has not started, so a paid tier is a published rate rather than a charge you are paying today.
And there is a free tier for afterwards. When the launch period ends, nothing breaks and nothing is deleted: you either stay on the free plan or move to a paid one. The plan comparison, including what each tier actually enforces, is on the pricing page.
What free does not mean here
It does not mean advertising. Qrindo never puts an ad, an interstitial or a promotional page between a scan and its destination, on any plan, including a lapsed one. That is a written policy, not a current practice.
It does not mean your codes stop working if you stop paying. Serving a redirect does not depend on your plan by design, so a printed code keeps resolving whatever your billing status is.