Free tool

SMS character counter.

Paste your text. See the characters, the segments, and which characters make it cost double.

Counted as you type, the way phone networks count it.

0Characters
0SMS segments
-Left in this segment
GSM-7160 characters for one SMS, 153 per segment after that.

Each segment is billed as one SMS. Made in your browser, nothing is sent or stored.

How it works

Why 160 becomes 70.

A text message holds 160 characters when every character is in the GSM alphabet. One character outside it, a curly apostrophe, an emoji or an accent like ê or ç, switches the whole message to Unicode, which holds 70. Longer messages are split into segments of 153 or 67 characters, and each segment is billed as one SMS.

  1. 1Paste your message

    Write it as you would send it, event link included.

  2. 2Check the segments

    The counter shows the encoding and the characters left in the current segment.

  3. 3Fix what costs double

    Replace curly quotes and unsupported accents in one click.

How many characters fit in one SMS?
160 in the standard GSM alphabet, 70 in Unicode. Above that, the message is split into segments of 153 or 67 characters, because each segment keeps a few characters to put the message back together on the phone.
Why does my message count as two SMS?
Usually because of one character outside the GSM alphabet. Curly apostrophes and quotes that phones insert on their own, emojis, and accents such as â, ê, î, ô, û, ç, á, í, ó or ú switch the whole message to Unicode and cut the limit from 160 to 70.
Which accents are safe?
é, è, à, ù, ì, ò, ñ, ä, ö, ü, É and Ç are in the GSM alphabet. Most other accented letters are not, so check a message in French, Spanish, Italian or Portuguese before you send it.
Do some characters count twice?
Yes. In the GSM alphabet, ^ { } [ ] ~ | \ and € each take two characters, because they come from an extension table.
Does the link count?
Every character of it. A short link saves characters, and a link to your own page keeps the click, and the contact, on your side.
How much does an SMS cost on HIIPE?
An SMS takes credits from the same balance as email, from 15 credits per segment depending on the destination zone. This counter tells you how many segments to plan for, and the pricing page has the full grid.

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