SMS character counter
Paste your message and see at once how many parts it will be sent in, which encoding it uses and how many characters are left in the current part. The counter also shows which character switched the text to Unicode.
The counter shows how many parts the message will be sent in. Your SMS provider charges per part.
- Characters
- 0
- Encoding
- GSM-7
- SMS parts
- 0
- Left in this part
- 160
How many characters fit in one SMS
| Encoding | Single SMS | Per part of a long SMS |
|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 | 160 | 153 |
| Unicode (UCS-2) | 70 | 67 |
GSM-7 is the set of Latin letters, digits and basic symbols. A single Georgian or Cyrillic letter, an emoji or a curly quote switches the whole message to Unicode. The characters ^ { } [ ] ~ \ | € count as two in GSM-7, and an emoji often counts as two in Unicode. Some carriers and services count differently, so check with your provider's counter before a large send.
The shorter the link in your SMS, the fewer parts you pay for. Shorten it on linkz.ge. Create a free account · Convert Georgian text to Latin
What you type is processed in your browser only and is not sent to linkz.ge servers.
How to use it
- Type or paste the SMS text into the field.
- Check the encoding: text with only Latin letters, digits and basic symbols is GSM-7, and one SMS holds 160 characters. A single Georgian or Cyrillic letter switches the text to Unicode, and then one SMS holds 70.
- If the text became Unicode only because of curly quotes, a long dash or an ellipsis, click "Fix typographic characters".
- Cut the number of parts: write more briefly and use a short link instead of a long one;
linkz.ge/saleis only 13 characters.
Frequently asked questions
Why does a Georgian or Cyrillic SMS hold only 70 characters?
One SMS part is 140 bytes. In GSM-7 each character takes 7 bits, so 160 characters fit. Georgian and Cyrillic letters are not in the GSM-7 set, so such text is sent as UCS-2 (Unicode), where each character takes 2 bytes: 70 characters. The same happens with emoji.
Why is each part of a long SMS 153 (or 67) characters?
The phone reassembles a long message from its parts, so each part carries a small header that takes up space: 153 characters remain per part in GSM-7 and 67 in Unicode. That is why 161 Latin characters already make 2 SMS, and so do 71 Georgian characters.
Will my SMS provider count exactly the same way?
Most providers follow these rules, but there can be differences: some replace typographic characters automatically, others count emoji and special symbols differently. Before a large send, text yourself a test message and compare the result with your provider's counter.