SMS segment calculator
Enter your message text to count segments and estimate cost. A standard long-code SMS holds 160 GSM-7 septets or 70 Unicode code units in one part, and a Twilio US toll-free option applies its own multipart counts.
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Count your segments and price the month
- Segments billed per text
- 1
- Encoding
- GSM-7
- Characters
- 134 (134 septets)
- Left before the next segment
- 26 septets
- A month in message charges
- $83
Sent as GSM-7. 160 septets fit one text, 153 per segment after that.
10,000 segments a month at Twilio's long code (10DLC) rate, 0.83c each, before number rental and carrier fees.
US destinations. Twilio documents different multipart limits for toll-free numbers.
Segment estimate only. Check your provider's maximum SMS length before sending.
How SMS segments are counted
| Encoding | Units in one text | Units per multipart segment | Bits per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 | 160 | 153 | 7 |
| UCS-2 | 70 | 67 | 16 |
Standard long-code multipart SMS carries 153 GSM-7 septets or 67 Unicode code units per segment, as Twilio's documentation records, checked October 28, 2026. These are segment capacities. Provider maximum accepted message lengths are a different measurement, and our SMS character limit page covers them.
Characters that change the encoding
| Character | Effect |
|---|---|
| Any emoji | Moves the whole text to UCS-2 |
| Curly apostrophe or curly quotation marks (U+2018, U+2019, U+201C, U+201D) | Moves the whole text to UCS-2 |
| Long and short dashes (U+2014, U+2013) | Moves the whole text to UCS-2 |
| Accented letters outside the GSM-7 alphabet, such as á, í, ó, ú | Moves the whole text to UCS-2 |
| Euro sign, square brackets, curly brackets, caret, tilde, backslash, vertical bar, form feed | Stays GSM-7; each uses 2 septets |
One non-GSM character switches the whole message to Unicode, which cuts the per-segment capacity. The segment count may rise, though a short message can still fit in one segment. Many emoji take two Unicode code units, and some symbols combine several code points. GSM extension characters such as the euro sign and brackets cost two septets each, per Twilio's encoding documentation, checked October 28, 2026. A limited replacement tool swaps some punctuation and accents, so review the wording and encoding after any swap.
Twilio toll-free segment limits
Twilio US toll-free multipart SMS holds 152 GSM-7 septets or 66 Unicode code units per segment, per Twilio's SMS character limit page, checked October 28, 2026. The Twilio number selector changes both the count and the applicable rate, so compare toll-free texting options before you commit.
| Message example | Long-code segments | Toll-free segments |
|---|---|---|
| 305 ordinary GSM-7 letters | 2 | 3 |
| 133 single-unit Unicode characters | 2 | 3 |
What segments cost at your volume
| Provider | 1 segment | 2 segments | 3 segments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bird (formerly MessageBird) | $350.35c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $700.35c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1050.35c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| Bandwidth | $400.40c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $800.40c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1200.40c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| Telnyx | $400.40c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $800.40c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1200.40c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| Clickatell | $75.100.751c per segment0 to 10000 | $150.200.751c per segment10000 to 50000 | $225.300.751c per segment10000 to 50000 |
| Plivo$1,000 a month minimum (Enterprise plan) | $770.77c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1540.77c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $2310.77c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| Sinch | $780.78c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1560.78c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $2340.78c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| TrueDialog | $790.79c per segmentgraduated bands, blended | $1580.79c per segmentgraduated bands, blended | $2370.79c per segmentgraduated bands, blended |
| Infobip | $81.800.818c per segmentone rate at any volume | $163.600.818c per segmentone rate at any volume | $245.400.818c per segmentone rate at any volume |
| Twilio | $830.83c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1660.83c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $2490.83c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| Vonage | $860.86c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $1720.86c per segmentlong code (10DLC) | $2580.86c per segmentlong code (10DLC) |
| CallHub | $1901.90c per segmentone rate at any volume | $3801.90c per segmentone rate at any volume | $5701.90c per segmentone rate at any volume |
| SMSGlobal | $1901.90c per segmentone rate at any volume | $3801.90c per segmentone rate at any volume | $5701.90c per segmentone rate at any volume |
| Notifyre | $2002.00c per segmentone rate at any volume | $4002.00c per segmentone rate at any volume | $6002.00c per segmentone rate at any volume |
| ClickSend | $2032.03c per segmentGrowth (when you top up from $100) | $4062.03c per segmentGrowth (when you top up from $100) | $6092.03c per segmentGrowth (when you top up from $100) |
| BulkSMS | $3353.35c per segment10000 Credits bundle | $6603.30c per segment20000 Credits bundle | $9903.30c per segment20000 Credits bundle |
| Textmagic | $4904.90c per segmentone rate at any volume | $9804.90c per segmentone rate at any volume | $1,4704.90c per segmentone rate at any volume |
| Salesmsgentry plan, $25 a month for 500 credits; Salesmsg says credits start at 4 cents on higher plans | $5005.00c per segmentBasic plan, $25 a month for 500 credits | $1,0005.00c per segmentBasic plan, $25 a month for 500 credits | $1,5005.00c per segmentBasic plan, $25 a month for 500 credits |
| Text-Em-All | $7007.00c per segment10,000 to 24,999 credits bundle | $1,4007.00c per segment10,000 to 24,999 credits bundle | $1,9506.50c per segment25,000 to 49,999 credits bundle |
Each segment is billed as one message by the provider. Vonage states "You are charged for each SMS part in a concatenated SMS" (read September 28, 2026). Three segments use three billable units. The total is three times the cost only when the same rate applies. A higher volume or a larger credit purchase can change the rate.
For the 18 providers in this table, 20,000 segments cost from $70 to $1,400 in message charges under the published rate rules. Rate sources were read 8 September 2026 to 21 October 2026. Additional fees are excluded where charged.
Full provider rates sit in our SMS gateway prices guide.
SMS segment questions
Does Twilio have its own segment calculator?
Twilio publishes a free Message Segment Calculator (twilio.com, read September 28, 2026). This counter prices the month on 18 providers' published US rates. See our Twilio review.
What is the maximum length of a long text?
The SMS character limit page carries the maxima for GSM-7 and UCS-2 texts, by provider and encoding.
Why did my text become 3 segments?
Message length and encoding determine how many segments a text needs. Sender type can also change multipart capacity, so the same content can split differently across sender types.
Which characters count as two?
GSM extension characters, such as the euro sign and the square brackets, use two septets each in GSM-7. Many emoji require two Unicode code units each.
How much does a 2 segment text cost?
A two-segment message bills as two units per message. Multiply your message count by two, then apply the provider-specific monthly rate bands. Higher volume can change the rate, so the total is not always a simple doubling.
Do Twilio toll-free texts use different limits?
Yes. Twilio US toll-free multipart capacities are 152 GSM-7 septets or 66 Unicode code units, per Twilio's SMS character limit documentation, checked October 28, 2026.