SMS Character Counter
Characters, SMS parts and encoding as you type — and the hidden characters that double your cost.
= 1,000 SMS
Operators bill every part as one SMS.
- Keep OTPs and alerts under 160 characters — one SMS each.
- Type quotes and dashes on the keyboard, not from a document.
- Indian SMS must match an approved DLT template — check yours.
How SMS length is counted
An SMS isn’t limited by words but by the character set it uses. Phones and networks support two:
| Encoding | Used for | One SMS | Each part of a longer SMS |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 | English letters, numbers, common symbols | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| Unicode (UCS-2) | Hindi and other Indian scripts, emoji, curly quotes | 70 characters | 67 characters |
A message longer than one SMS is sent in parts that the phone joins back together. Each part carries a small header, which is why the limit per part is lower — and every part is billed as one SMS.
The characters that cost you more
One curly apostrophe (’), a long dash (—), an ellipsis (…) or the ₹ sign switches the whole message to Unicode, cutting it from 160 to 70 characters per SMS. They usually arrive by copy-and-paste from a document or chat. The counter flags them and replaces them with plain characters in one click.
The characters ^ { } [ ] ~ | \ € stay in GSM-7 but count as two each.
Before you send in India
Commercial SMS in India must match a template approved on the DLT platform. Check yours with the DLT template checker, and read our guide to faster OTP delivery.
Frequently asked questions
How many characters are in one SMS?
Why does my long message count as more SMS than I expected?
Why do some characters count as two?
Why did my English message become Unicode?
Is this the same count TextNation uses?
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