Terms of service

Last updated: July 18, 2026

1. Scope

These terms govern your use of short-code.io ("the service"), operated by the party named in our imprint. By creating an account or using the service, you agree to these terms.

2. The service

short-code.io lets you create short links and dynamic QR codes, redirect them to destinations you control, change those destinations at any time, and view click analytics. The features available to you depend on your plan as described on the pricing page.

3. Your account

You must provide accurate information when signing up and keep your credentials confidential. You are responsible for all activity that happens under your account. You must be at least 18 years old, or use the service under the supervision of someone who is.

4. Plans, billing, and cancellation

The Starter plan is free. Paid plans are billed in advance, monthly or yearly, through our payment provider Stripe. Prices are shown on the pricing page and may differ by region. You can cancel at any time on the Billing page of your dashboard; your plan then remains active until the end of the paid billing period and does not renew. Consumers additionally have a statutory right to withdraw from the contract within 14 days — see our withdrawal instruction.

5. Free plan link expiry

Links created on the free Starter plan using a shared short domain expire 30 days after creation. When a paid subscription ends, existing links on shared domains expire 30 days after the downgrade. Links on custom domains do not expire, but they are disabled while the account is on Starter. Upgrading before a deadline removes it. Expired links stop redirecting and are deleted automatically.

6. Acceptable use

You may not use the service to create links or QR codes that point to, or to otherwise distribute:

• phishing pages, malware, or any content designed to deceive or harm visitors;
• content that is illegal in Germany or in the visitor's jurisdiction;
• spam, or destinations promoted through unsolicited bulk messaging;
• content that infringes the intellectual property or privacy rights of others.

You may not attempt to disrupt the service, circumvent plan limits, or access accounts or data that are not yours. We may disable links and suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules, without prior notice where necessary to protect visitors or the service.

7. Your content and destinations

You are responsible for the destinations your links and QR codes point to, at all times — including after you change a destination. We do not review destinations and are not responsible for their content. You retain all rights to your content; you grant us only the technical rights needed to operate the service (storing links, generating QR codes, performing redirects).

8. Custom domains

If you connect a custom domain, you confirm that you are authorized to use it. You are responsible for its registration and DNS configuration.

9. API

Plans with API access may use the HTTP API within the documented limits. API keys are confidential; we may throttle or revoke access that degrades the service for others.

10. Availability

We aim for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted operation. Maintenance, outages of upstream providers, or events outside our control may temporarily affect the service, including active redirects.

11. Liability

We are liable without limitation for intent, gross negligence, and injury to life, body, or health. For simple negligence we are liable only for breaches of essential contractual obligations, limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this kind of contract. Liability under mandatory statutory provisions remains unaffected. The free plan is provided as-is to the extent permitted by law.

12. Termination

You can delete your account at any time. We may terminate free accounts with reasonable notice, and any account with immediate effect for serious violations of these terms. Upon termination, your links stop redirecting and your data is deleted in accordance with our privacy policy.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms as the service evolves. We will announce material changes to account holders by email at least 30 days before they take effect; if you do not agree, you may cancel before the changes apply.

14. Governing law

These terms are governed by German law, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. For consumers, mandatory consumer protection provisions of your country of residence remain unaffected.