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SMS Segment Counter: Message Length and Segments

This free SMS segment counter tells you how many text-message parts your message will use. It detects GSM-7 or Unicode encoding, counts the characters and shows which characters force the more expensive Unicode.

By Debmedia Technologies LLP · Kolkata, India · Updated

What Is It and When Do You Need It?

An SMS is limited to 140 bytes, and your provider bills by the segment. One emoji can change the encoding and cut the limit from 160 to 70 characters, which doubles or triples the cost of a long message.

Paste your message and the tool shows the encoding, the characters used and the number of parts.

How to Use This Tool

  1. Paste your SMS text.
  2. Press Count.
  3. Read the encoding and the number of segments.
  4. Check the list of characters that force Unicode, if any.

How the Calculation Works

Each character is tested against the GSM 03.38 basic and extension tables. If all characters are in them, the message is GSM-7 with a limit of 160 (153 per part when split), and extension characters count as two. Otherwise it is UCS-2 (Unicode), where each character is two bytes, with a limit of 70 (67 per part), and emoji count as two.

Worked Example

A message of 150 plain characters uses 1 segment. Adding a single emoji makes it Unicode, and the same 151 characters now need 3 segments.

Common Uses

  • Marketing and alert messages.
  • Controlling SMS costs.
  • Testing templates.
  • Checking OTP messages.

Tips and Common Mistakes

  • Avoid emoji and curly quotes in cost-sensitive messages.
  • Check how your provider counts segments.
  • Keep codes and links near the start.

Next, you may need the character counter, reading time calculator, text repeater, line sorter.

Everything runs in your browser. Nothing you type is uploaded, stored or sent to any outside service.

Frequently Asked Questions

With the standard GSM-7 alphabet, 160 characters. If the message has a character outside that alphabet, such as an emoji or a curly quote, it switches to Unicode and the limit drops to 70.
They are split into parts, each with a small header, so each part holds 153 GSM-7 characters or 67 Unicode characters.
In GSM-7, the characters ^ { } \ [ ] ~ | and the euro sign use two character spaces each.
Remove emoji and special quotes, shorten the text, or swap curly quotes for plain ones.

Disclaimer: results are calculated in your browser from the numbers you enter. Check important results before you rely on them for money, health, safety or legal decisions.