SMS Character Counter
Count how many letters, special characters, and unicode symbols in your texts before sending them out. See where your messages get concatenated.
Best practices for SMS Marketing
Get the most out of your SMS communications
Keep it short and sweet
SMS messages are meant to be brief. Use as few words as possible in your messages while still being clear and engaging. The shorter your message, the more likely it will be read and understood.
Timing is key
Sending your SMS at the right time can make a big difference. Consider the time zones and habits of your audience to ensure your messages are received when they’re most likely to be read.
Personalise your messages
Personalisation increases your engagement. Use the recipient’s name or reference past interactions to make your SMS feel more personal and relevant.
Test your messages
Before sending out large campaigns, test your messages with the SMS Character Counter to ensure they are within the character count limit and formatted correctly for all recipients.
How it Works
Get the most out of your SMS communications
Input your text
Begin by typing or pasting your message into the text box provided. Our character counter will calculate your message length, including separate counts for GSM characters and Unicode symbols.
Understanding SMS character count limits
The tool shows if your SMS will be split into segments due to character limits. A standard SMS allows 160 characters, but with concatenation, you can send up to 1,224, with each part reserving space to link the message.
Check your character count
As you type the SMS Character Counter will calculate the total number of characters in each message and the maximum SMS count. This can change depending on whether you use standard Global System for Mobile (GSM) characters (7-bits each) or Unicode symbols (16-bits each) such as Emoji's.
Adjust and optimise
Based on the character count, you can adjust your message to stay within the desired SMS length. This helps ensure that your message is delivered as intended, without unnecessary concatenation.
Real-time character counts
Instantly see the character count as you type, including letters, spaces, special characters and Unicode symbols.
SMS length calculator
The tool automatically calculates the length of your message in SMS segments, helping you avoid unexpected splits that could increase costs.
Concatenation counts
Use the grid display to see when your message exceeds the standard SMS character count limit, and will be sent as multiple messages.
Detailed count breakdown
Get a clear view of how many characters, special characters and Unicode symbols are in your message, ensuring that you stay within any specific character count restrictions.
User-friendly interface
The tool is designed to be intuitive and easy to use, so you can quickly optimise your SMS content without hassle.
FAQs
How can I send more than 160 characters in a text message?
You can send longer messages by using concatenated SMS. If your message exceeds 160 characters (using GSM-7 encoding), it will be split into segments of 153 characters each and reassembled on the recipient’s device.
👉 Learn more in our guide: What is the SMS character limit?
What is the recommended SMS length?
For best results, aim for under 160 characters to ensure your message is delivered as a single SMS. This keeps costs down and improves deliverability. Short, clear messages also tend to get higher response rates.
👉 See our recommendations: Ideal character lengths for SMS, email, and social media
Why does my SMS character limit drop to 70?
When your message includes Unicode characters (like emojis, non-Latin alphabets, or certain symbols), it switches to Unicode encoding. This reduces your SMS limit to 70 characters, or 67 if it's split into segments.
👉 Full breakdown here: What is the SMS character limit?
Do emojis or special characters affect the character limit?
Yes. Emojis and some special characters aren’t supported by the default GSM-7 encoding, so your message switches to Unicode, reducing your character allowance and increasing potential SMS costs.
👉 Explore emoji impacts: Unicode emojis – full list of animals
Does a longer SMS cost more?
Yes. Longer messages are split into multiple segments, and each segment is billed separately. For example, a 300-character message using GSM encoding would be sent as 2 SMS segments, doubling the cost.
👉 More details here: What is the SMS character limit?
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