Free tool
SMS character counter
Paste a message to see its character count, whether it uses GSM-7 or Unicode encoding, and how many segments it costs to send. Emojis and special characters change the math, and this shows you exactly how.
Last reviewed July 2026.
0
Characters
GSM-7
Encoding
0
Segments
160
Left in segment
GSM-7 fits 160 characters per segment (153 when a message spans several). A single emoji or special character switches the whole message to Unicode, which fits only 70 per segment (67 when split).
Common questions
- How many characters is one SMS segment?
- A single SMS segment holds 160 characters when the message uses standard GSM-7 characters. If the message includes an emoji or special character, it switches to Unicode and a segment holds only 70 characters.
- Why did my text split into multiple segments?
- Once a message passes the single-segment limit, it is split and sent as multiple segments. Each segment is slightly smaller when split (153 characters for GSM-7, 67 for Unicode) because part of each segment is used to stitch them back together. Every segment counts toward your cost.
- Do emojis cost more in a text?
- Often, yes. A single emoji forces the whole message into Unicode encoding, dropping the per-segment limit from 160 to 70 characters. A short message that was one segment can become two or three just by adding one emoji.
Know the cost before you send
Vesperbell shows the segment count on every message as you write it. Estimate a full send with the cost calculator, or read SMS vs. MMS.