SMS Character Counter & Cost Calculator
Calculate your SMS message length, number of parts, and estimated cost in real-time. Supports both GSM-7 and Unicode encoding with automatic detection.
SMS Character Counter
Calculate message length, segments, and cost
Cost Estimate
Average price across networks
No credit card required · 50 free messages
Why segment count matters
Carriers bill SMS by the segment, not the character. A GSM-7 message fits 160 characters in one segment; a Unicode message fits only 70. Anything longer is split and you pay for each part. Counting segments before you send is the easiest way to control cost — which is exactly what this calculator shows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many characters in one SMS?
160 for GSM-7 (standard Latin), 70 for Unicode. Longer messages split into 153-char (GSM-7) or 67-char (Unicode) segments.
What is GSM-7 vs Unicode?
GSM-7 is the basic 7-bit alphabet (letters, digits, common symbols). Any character outside it — emoji, accents, Cyrillic, CJK — forces Unicode encoding, halving your per-segment capacity.
Is the SMS character counter free?
Yes — it runs in your browser. For live per-country cost, see Bulk SMS Cost.