Type or paste your text message to see exactly how it will be sent: GSM-7 or Unicode (UCS-2) encoding, characters used, the number of SMS segments, and which characters push you over the limit. Replace them with GSM-safe ones in one click and estimate the cost of a bulk send.
Last updated:
GSM-7
0SMS segments
0Characters (septets)
160Limit per segment
0Non-GSM characters
Character check
Unicode forces UCS-2 (70 characters per SMS) · Extended GSM counts as 2 characters
Cost estimate
$
The default price is only an example. Enter your provider's current per-segment rate for your destination country; carrier fees and long-number or short-code surcharges may apply on top.
How your message is split
Advertisement
Advertisement
How to use the SMS Character Counter
Type or paste your message. The encoding, character count and segments update as you type.
Check the highlights: orange characters force Unicode; blue ones are extended GSM characters that count twice.
Press Replace with GSM-safe characters to swap curly quotes, long dashes, ellipses and accented letters for GSM equivalents (Undo is available).
Enter your price per segment and number of recipients to estimate the cost.
Review the segment split for long messages, then copy the text into your SMS platform.
SMS limits at a glance
Encoding
When it is used
1 SMS
Per segment (long message)
Example: 2 segments
3 segments
GSM-7
Only GSM-7 characters
160
153
161 to 306
307 to 459
UCS-2 (Unicode)
Any character outside GSM-7 (emoji, curly quotes, most non-Latin scripts)
70
67
71 to 134
135 to 201
The formula: if the message fits in one SMS, it is 1 segment; otherwise segments = ceil(characters ÷ 153) for GSM-7 or ceil(UTF-16 units ÷ 67) for UCS-2. The tool also keeps an escape pair or emoji together in one segment, so a message right on the boundary can need one more segment than the simple formula suggests.
The GSM-7 alphabet
These characters each count as one: A–Z, a–z, 0–9, space, line break and
@ £ $ ¥ è é ù ì ò Ç Ø ø Å å Δ _ Φ Γ Λ Ω Π Ψ Σ Θ Ξ Æ æ ß É ! " # ¤ % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < = > ? ¡ Ä Ö Ñ Ü § ¿ ä ö ñ ü à
These extension characters count as two: ^ { } \ [ ~ ] | €
Common characters that force Unicode
Character
Where it comes from
GSM-safe replacement
’ ‘ (curly apostrophes)
Word processors, phones' smart punctuation
'
“ ” (curly quotes)
Word processors, CMS editors
"
– — (en and em dash)
Auto-formatting of "--"
-
… (ellipsis)
Auto-correct of "..."
...
á í ó ú ç ê
Names and words in Spanish, French, Portuguese
a i o u c e (é and è are already GSM)
Non-breaking space
Copied web text
Normal space
Emoji 😊
Emoji keyboards
None: remove it or accept Unicode
Frequently asked questions
How many characters fit in one SMS?
One SMS holds 160 characters when every character is in the GSM-7 alphabet, or 70 characters when the message needs Unicode (UCS-2) because it contains an emoji, a curly quote or another character outside GSM-7. Those limits come from the 140-byte payload of a single SMS.
Why do long messages use 153 or 67 characters per segment?
When a message is longer than one SMS, it is sent as several segments that the phone stitches back together. Each segment carries a 6-byte header (the User Data Header) describing the order, which leaves room for 153 GSM-7 characters or 67 Unicode characters per segment.
Which characters count as two?
The GSM-7 extension characters ^ { } \ [ ~ ] | and € each take two septets, because they are sent as an escape code plus the character. They do not switch the message to Unicode, but they use two of the 160 (or 153) spaces.
Why did one character make my message twice as expensive?
If even one character is not in the GSM-7 alphabet, the whole message is encoded as UCS-2, which cuts the limit from 160 to 70 characters. A single curly apostrophe (’) copied from a word processor can turn a 150-character message from 1 segment into 3. Use the replace button to swap it for a straight apostrophe.
How do emoji count in an SMS?
Emoji force Unicode encoding. Most emoji use 2 UTF-16 units, and combined emoji such as flags, skin tones or family emoji can use 4 to 11 or more, so they eat into the 70-character limit quickly.
How is SMS cost calculated?
Providers bill per segment, not per message. Cost = segments per message × price per segment × number of recipients. The default price in the tool is only an example: enter your provider's current rate for the destination country, and remember that carrier fees may be added.
Does every phone and provider count the same way?
The GSM-7 and UCS-2 rules are standard, but some providers apply "smart encoding" that replaces characters automatically, and some countries use national language shift tables (for example Turkish, Spanish or Portuguese) that add extra GSM characters. Check your provider's documentation for the final word.
Are all the tools on FreeToolCabin tested for quality and accuracy?
Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.