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SMS Length & Segment Calculator

Check SMS character count, encoding (GSM vs Unicode), and how many segments your message will use.

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SMS Segment Calculator & GSM-7 Counter

Stop wasting money on multi-part SMS messages. The SMS Length Calculator counts characters accurately according to GSM-03.38 standards. It detects if your message contains Unicode characters (like emojis or special accents) that force the encoding into UCS-2, drastically reducing the character limit from 160 to 70 per segment. Use this to optimize your marketing copy and reduce Twilio/SNS costs.

How it Works

  • 1Type your SMS message.
  • 2The tool analyzes every character against the GSM-7 charset.
  • 3It calculates the total usage and number of segments (parts).
  • 4If Unicode is detected, it warns you and shows the reduced limits.
  • 5See which specific characters are triggering the split.

Key Features

Segments Count: See exactly how many billable messages you are sending.
GSM vs. Unicode verification.
Smart Highlighting: Finds the specific emoji or accent costing you money.
Concatenation Logic: Handles header overhead for multi-segment messages.
Twilio/Plivo compatible logic.

Common Use Cases

SMS Marketing: Optimize campaign copy to fit in 1 segment (160 chars).Cost Estimation: Predict API costs for bulk messaging.Developer Debugging: Understand why users are receiving broken messages.Notification Systems: Ensure alerts aren't cut off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about using this tool effectively and securely.

Q.Why did my 71 character message become 2 segments?

If you use a single Unicode character (like an emoji 🚀), the entire message switches to UCS-2 encoding, where the limit drops to 70 characters per segment. Your 71 characters required a second segment.

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SMS Length & Segment Calculator (GSM vs Unicode) | CleanTextLab