SMS character counter: how many texts is your message?
This SMS character counter follows the GSM-7 rule: a single text holds 160 characters. If even one character falls outside that alphabet (an emoji, a curly quote, a letter like ê), the whole message switches to UCS-2 and the limit drops to 70. Longer messages split into segments of 153 or 67 characters, each billed.
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📌 Key facts
- A text message in the GSM-7 alphabet holds up to 160 characters.
- One character outside GSM-7, such as an emoji or a curly quote, switches the whole message to UCS-2 and a 70-character limit.
- Longer messages split into segments of 153 characters in GSM-7 or 67 characters in UCS-2.
- The characters € [ ] { } | ^ ~ \ count as 2 units each in GSM-7.
- A single SMS carries at most 140 bytes, which explains the 160 and 70 character limits.
SMS length limits
A text message carries at most 140 bytes. Depending on the alphabet, that gives two very different limits.
| Encoding | Single SMS | Per segment when split |
|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 (standard alphabet) | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| UCS-2 (emoji, curly quotes, other alphabets) | 70 characters | 67 characters |
\[ \text{segments} = \text{round up} \ \left( \dfrac{\text{units}}{153} \right) \ \text{when the text is longer than} \ 160 \, \text{units} \ (67 \, \text{and} \ 70 \, \text{in UCS-2}) \]
When a message is split, each segment gives up 7 GSM characters (or 3 in UCS-2) to a header that lets the receiving phone put the pieces back together.
Which characters switch a text to UCS-2?
GSM-7 covers unaccented letters, digits, common punctuation and a few accented letters such as é, è, ù, à, ñ, ü, ö and ä. Many everyday symbols are missing.
| Character | In GSM-7? | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| A-Z, a-z, 0-9, . , ! ? @ $ | yes | 1 unit |
| Curly quotes “ ” ‘ ’, em dash —, ellipsis … | no | whole message becomes UCS-2 |
| ê, â, î, ô, û, ç (lowercase), most accents | no | whole message becomes UCS-2 |
| € [ ] { } | ^ ~ \ | yes, via extension | counts as 2 units |
| Emoji | no | UCS-2, 2 units each |
Texts written in Word or Google Docs often carry curly quotes, which silently push a 150-character message to 3 segments. The Simplify button swaps them for straight quotes and strips accents the alphabet cannot carry.
Keeping bulk texting costs down
SMS platforms bill by segment. Stay in GSM-7, shorten links, skip emoji and aim for fewer than 160 units. For a campaign to 10,000 contacts, trimming a message from 2 segments to 1 cuts the number of billed messages in half.
How to use the SMS character counter, step by step
The SMS character counter answers one question: how many texts will your message cost? You do not need to change any setting. Because the count updates as you type, you can trim a message live.
- First, paste your message into the box.
- Then read the character count and the segment count.
- If the tool flags a special character, swap it for a plain one.
- Finally, copy the clean text into your texting platform.
That way you check the message before you send it, not on the invoice. When you edit your message, run the SMS character counter again: the saved segments show up right away. Everything runs in your browser, so your text never leaves your device.
Length examples and how many segments they use
The SMS character counter applies these thresholds. So the table shows where they sit. In fact, one extra character can double the price of a send.
| Text | Alphabet | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| 160 plain characters | GSM-7 | 1 |
| 161 plain characters | GSM-7 | 2 |
| 306 plain characters | GSM-7 | 2 |
| 307 plain characters | GSM-7 | 3 |
| 70 characters with an emoji | UCS-2 | 1 |
| 71 characters with an emoji | UCS-2 | 2 |
For example, a 150-character reminder fits in one text. However, if you add one emoji, the same reminder takes 3 segments. Meanwhile, the reader sees almost no difference. The SMS character counter also handles long messages, so you can plan multi-part texts. Then you know the cost first.
Common mistakes that raise your texting bill
Three habits cost real money when you text a large list. An SMS character counter catches them before you send.
- Curly quotes: Word and Google Docs insert them on their own. Paste your draft into a plain text editor first.
- Long links: an 80-character URL eats half a segment. Shorten it before you send.
- Accented letters: a stray é or ç in the wrong spot can change the alphabet for the whole message.
To count words in a longer draft, try the word counter. In addition, the case converter helps clean up pasted text. Finally, the fancy text generator makes special characters: skip them in a text, because they force UCS-2.
3 real-life examples
A 140-character appointment reminder
A 140-character reminder with plain letters stays in GSM-7: 1 segment, with 20 characters to spare before the 160 limit.
The same reminder with one emoji
Add a 😀 to that 140-character text and it switches to UCS-2 with 142 units: 3 segments \( (67 + 67 + 8) \) instead of 1.
A 300-character promotion
In GSM-7, 300 characters make 2 segments \( (153 + 147) \). If a single curly apostrophe sneaks in, the limit becomes 67 per segment and the same text costs 5 segments.