What is the difference between total scans and unique visitors?
Updated September 14, 2026 · 2 min read
Total Scans counts every scan by a person inside the date range you selected. Unique Visitors counts the distinct network addresses those scans came from, so one person who scans the same poster three times on the same phone is three total scans but one unique visitor. Unique Visitors is therefore always the smaller of the two, and the gap between them tells you how much repeat scanning a placement is getting.
What the four summary cards actually count
| Card | Definition |
|---|---|
| Total Scans | Every scan in the range that passed the People filter. Switching the traffic filter to All recorded relabels it "(all requests)" and shows raw request volume instead. |
| Unique Visitors | The number of distinct IP addresses behind those scans. |
| Avg Scans/Day | Total scans divided by the number of days in the range. |
| Active Devices | How many device categories showed up — mobile, tablet, desktop. It is a count of categories, not of phones. |
Active Devices is the most misread card. Its value is almost always 1, 2 or 3, because there are only three device categories.
How a visitor is recognised as the same person
A unique visitor is one distinct IP address in the range. There is no cookie, no login and no device fingerprint on the scan path, so the count is an estimate — an accurate one for most placements, but worth understanding before you quote it:
- One person, several networks. Someone who scans on mobile data and again on office WiFi is counted twice.
- Several people, one network. Ten colleagues scanning a poster over the same office WiFi can look like one visitor.
- Scanned again next week? Still one unique visitor, as long as the address has not changed and both scans are inside the same date range.
Change the date range and the number changes with it: uniqueness is measured only within the range on screen, never for all time.
Reading the gap between the two
- Total far above unique — the same audience keeps coming back. Normal on a table tent, a menu or a staff noticeboard.
- Total close to unique — mostly first-time scans. Normal on packaging, flyers and street posters.
- Both tiny while the placement is busy — check the Engagement card before concluding anything, because the default view already excludes repeats within seconds and machine traffic. See People vs Not counted.
Why one code's numbers differ from the Analytics page
A single code's page shows the same four card names, but Avg Scans/Day is calculated differently there: it divides total scans by the number of days that actually had a scan, not by every day in the range. A code scanned 20 times across 4 busy days reads 5 on its own page and about 0.7 on the Analytics page for a 30-day range. Neither is wrong — they answer different questions.
Everything else lines up. Both views default to the People filter, and both respect the date range you have selected.
Common problems
Unique Visitors is higher than I expected
Mobile networks reassign addresses, so one person moving between networks during the range can appear more than once.
Unique Visitors is lower than the number of people I watched scan
They were probably on the same WiFi or behind the same mobile gateway.
The two cards are identical
Every scan came from a different network — the usual pattern for a printed code in a public place with no repeat visitors.
I need per-person figures
We do not provide them. If you need visitor-level identity, send scans to your own analytics with UTM parameters and measure on the destination site.
Frequently asked questions
Is a unique visitor the same as a unique device?
No. It is a distinct network address in the selected range, which is usually one device but can cover several people on shared WiFi.
Does the number reset each month?
It is recalculated for whatever date range you have selected, so it changes whenever you change the range.
Which number should I report to a client?
Report both. Total Scans measures activity; Unique Visitors approximates reach.
Do repeat scans by the same person inflate Total Scans?
Only after a short gap. Repeat fires within about ten seconds are separated out as Repeats.
Related articles
Why are my scan numbers lower than expected? People vs Not counted
Analytics counts people by default. Bots, chat-app link previews and repeat fires within seconds go to Not counted, and known bots are never stored.
How do I read my QR code scan analytics?
Open Analytics in the sidebar, pick a date range, and read Total Scans, Unique Visitors, Avg Scans/Day and Active Devices. Only dynamic codes report scans.
How do I export scan data to CSV?
Click Export CSV on the Analytics page for account totals, or on a code's page for a row per scan. It covers the date range on screen, up to 365 days.
Still stuck?
Email support@qrcodestack.com with the email on your account and, if it is about one code, its name or short link. A person replies within one business day, usually sooner.