When sending SMS campaigns, it’s important to understand how character limits work. Knowing these limits can help you avoid extra costs and make your messages more effective.
In this article
How character limits affect your SMS
Standard messages: A single SMS can contain up to 160 regular characters (letters, numbers, spaces, and basic symbols).
Going over 160 characters: If your message is longer, it will be split into multiple parts. Each part uses another SMS credit. For example:
161 to 306 characters = 2 credits
307 to 459 characters = 3 credits
And so on.
If your message is too long, it might cost more than you expected.
Breakdown of character limits
Standard (GSM) Characters: 160 characters per SMS.
After 160 characters your message will become "multi-part" with a limit of 153 characters per part
Special (Unicode) Characters: 70 characters per SMS.
Multi-part messages are limited to 67 characters per part after the initial 70.
This applies to any message containing special characters, even if mixed with standard characters.
Find the character and message counter in the bottom right corner of the text editor box.
Multi-part message credit usage
Here's how SMS credits break down for multi-part messages:
No. of Messages | Standard Characters | Unicode Characters |
1 | 1 - 160 | 1 - 70 |
2 | 161 – 306 | 71 – 134 |
3 | 307 – 459 | 135 – 201 |
4 | 460 – 612 | 202 – 268 |
5 | 613 – 765 | 269 – 335 |
6 | 766 – 918 | 336 – 402 |
7 | 919 – 1071 | 403 – 469 |
8 | 1072 – 1224 | 470 – 536 |
What happens when you use special characters or emojis?
Adding certain symbols, emojis, or characters from non-Latin languages (like Chinese, Arabic, or some accented letters) changes how your message is sent. These are called Unicode characters, and they reduce the limit for each SMS:
A single SMS with Unicode characters allows only 70 characters instead of 160.
If the message is longer than 70 characters, it will be split into multiple parts, just like with standard messages.
Emojis and costs:
Each emoji counts as two Unicode characters.
Adding just a few emojis can quickly use up the 70-character limit, which means more message parts and higher costs.
To avoid surprises, use emojis sparingly and keep your message short when including them.
You can add emojis to your messages using the emoji button within the text editor.
How to optimize your SMS messages
Be mindful of emojis and special characters: Use them only when necessary to avoid reducing your character limit.
Check your character count before sending: Mobiz shows how many credits your message will use. Double-check this to manage costs effectively.
By understanding these rules, you can create SMS campaigns that are engaging, efficient, and cost-effective.