Comparison
GS1 Digital Link vs proprietary QR codes
Every DPP and connected-packaging project picks a QR scheme on day one — and lives with it for the product's lifetime. The choice is between GS1 Digital Link (the open standard backed by every confirmed EU regulation) and a proprietary URL on your own domain.
Side by side
Dimension
GS1 Digital Link
Proprietary QR (your domain)
EU regulation alignment
GS1 Digital Link
Explicitly named in the Battery Regulation, CPR and ESPR Working Plan as the expected carrier.Proprietary QR (your domain)
Not aligned. Acceptable in principle, but requires a parallel GS1 identifier to satisfy traceability rules — so you ship both.Identifier model
GS1 Digital Link
Carries GS1 keys (SGTIN, GTIN, batch, serial) natively. Same code works at POS, in WMS and on the consumer's phone.Proprietary QR (your domain)
Carries whatever your URL pattern encodes. Bridging into GS1-based supply chains needs an extra mapping layer.Interoperability
GS1 Digital Link
Recyclers, retailers, customs and market surveillance can read it without your help.Proprietary QR (your domain)
Only useful inside ecosystems that recognise your URL pattern. External readers see opaque data.One QR, many destinations
GS1 Digital Link
Native. Same code returns different content per role (consumer, repairer, recycler) and per locale.Proprietary QR (your domain)
Possible, but you build the routing yourself.Hosting risk
GS1 Digital Link
Resolver pattern is standardised — multiple vendors can host the same identifier scheme. Reduces lock-in.Proprietary QR (your domain)
If your domain or vendor disappears, every QR ever printed becomes a dead link.Brand control
GS1 Digital Link
You still own the destination URL and the entire experience. The standard governs the URL pattern, not the content.Proprietary QR (your domain)
Same. There's no brand-control reason to avoid GS1 Digital Link.Our verdict
GS1 Digital Link wins on every dimension except 'we already shipped proprietary QRs'. The only reason to keep proprietary is migration cost — and that cost only grows.
Standardise on GS1 Digital Link for every new SKU. Where proprietary QRs are already in market, plan a transition aligned to your next packaging refresh.
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The full guide behind this comparison.
Read the guide SmartLinks: GS1 Digital Link
The SmartLinks take on the same decision.
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