160 vs. 70
GSM-7 supports up to 160 units in one SMS. Unicode messages generally support 70 characters in one segment.
Write smarter campaign messages
Know how many SMS segments you will send before you launch.
Paste a message to check its character count, GSM-7 or Unicode encoding, and total SMS segments. Nothing you type is uploaded or saved.
Free tool
SMS character & segment counter
Characters
0
SMS segments
0
Encoding
GSM-7
Space in current limit
160
This message uses GSM-7. Some characters such as ^, {, }, [, ], ~, |, \ and € count as two units. Start typing to calculate the segment count.
Multipart messages
Long messages are split and reassembled on the recipient's phone. Joined segments use 153 GSM-7 units or 67 Unicode characters each.
Content still matters
A short message should still identify the sender, explain its context, and include required opt-out language when applicable.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters fit in one SMS?
A single GSM-7 SMS can contain up to 160 units. A single Unicode message generally holds 70 characters. Multipart messages use smaller per-segment limits because they include joining information.
Why did one emoji increase my SMS segment count?
An emoji changes the message from GSM-7 to Unicode encoding. Unicode supports a much wider character set but has a lower character limit per SMS segment.
Do special characters always count as one character?
No. Several GSM-7 extension characters use two units, while characters outside GSM-7 can switch the entire message to Unicode. This counter checks both conditions.
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