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Character counter for SMS, X, YouTube, Google Ads and more

Count characters the way each platform does. See SMS parts and cost (and which characters force Unicode), X weighted length, YouTube and Google Ads limits, and how your title fits in Google. Tamil, Hindi and emoji are counted correctly.

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How to use this tool

  1. Type or paste your text Characters, words, lines and bytes update as you type. Emoji and Tamil or Hindi letters count as one character each.
  2. Pick your platforms Tick X, YouTube, Google Ads, Instagram, LinkedIn or Google results. Each shows used, left and the part that does not fit.
  3. Check SMS parts See if your SMS is plain (160 per part) or Unicode (70 per part), how many parts it needs, and the cost.
  4. Fix Unicode characters Curly quotes, dashes or ₹ switch SMS to Unicode. Replace them with plain characters in one click.
  5. Preview in Google See roughly how your title and description fit in a Google result.

SMS

  • Plain English SMS: 160 characters, or 153 per part when longer. Unicode (Tamil, Hindi, emoji, ₹): 70, or 67 per part.
  • Characters like { } [ ] ~ ^ | € count as 2 in plain SMS.
  • Your SMS provider’s DLT template rules still apply; check with them.

Social and ads

  • On X, every link counts as 23 and every emoji as 2.
  • Google Ads: headlines 30, descriptions 90, paths 15 characters (official).
  • Limits marked “widely used” are not on an official page; check the app before you publish.

Google titles

  • Google has no fixed character limit; it cuts titles by width. Put the important words first.
  • The preview is an estimate. Google may rewrite titles and descriptions.
  • Write for people, not for a number.

Questions about this tool

Why does my Tamil SMS cost more?

Tamil, Hindi and emoji need Unicode, which fits 70 characters per SMS part instead of 160. A long message needs more parts.

How does X count characters?

Up to 280 weighted characters. Most letters count 1, emoji and some scripts count 2, and every link counts 23.

What is the YouTube title limit?

100 characters for the title and 5,000 for the description, as YouTube Help states.

How long should a Google title be?

There is no official limit. Titles are cut by pixel width, around 600 px on desktop. Use the preview as a guide.

Is my text sent anywhere?

No. Everything is counted in your browser.