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SMS Character Limits and Your Costs

When you send a text message, the number of characters you are allowed depends on the type of characters you use. If you stay within the standard limit, you save money and send messages faster.

The 160 vs. 70 Rule

Every text message is sent in "segments." Think of a segment as a single "page" of a text message.

Message Type Limit per Segment Characters Included
Standard 160 Characters Normal letters (A-Z), numbers, and basic punctuation.
Special 70 Characters Accented letters, special symbols, and emojis.

The Bottom Line: Including even one "Special" character drops your limit from 160 to 70. This can instantly double the cost of your message.

The Hard Limit: 2 Segments Max

Smarter Contact supports a maximum of 2 segments per message. If your message exceeds this limit, the system will prevent it from sending.

Maximum Total Characters allowed:

  • Standard Text: Up to 306 Characters total.

  • Special Text: Up to 134 Characters total.

Why the odd numbers? When a message is split into two segments, the carrier uses a small amount of data (a "header") to link them back together. This slightly reduces the usable space per segment (down to 153 for Standard, and 67 for Special).

What triggers the shorter 70-character limit?

Using any of the following will automatically shorten your message limit:

  • Accented Letters: á, é, í, ó, ú, ñ, ü, ç

  • Inverted Punctuation: ¿, ¡

  • Emojis: A single emoji can count as up to 4 characters on its own.

  • Non-Latin Scripts: Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, etc. 

Example:

A message that says "How are you?" is standard.

A message that says "How are you? ¿" is special and has a much smaller character limit.

Why this matters for your business

  1. Double the Cost: Smarter Contact (and all carriers) charge you per segment. A message with 2 segments costs twice as much as a message with 1.

  2. Slower Sending Speed: Multi-segment messages take longer to process. A 2-segment message sends at half the speed of a standard message.

  3. Automatic Splitting: Smarter Contact allows up to 2 segments per SMS. If your message is too long, it will be split, and you will see the counter in your message editor reflect this.

Tips to keep your costs down

  • Watch the Counter: Always check the segment counter in the message editor before sending.

  • Skip the Accents: In many cases, you can replace accented letters (like "ó") with standard letters ("o") to stay within the 160-character limit.

  • Check Your Macros: Remember that {First Name} or {Address} will be replaced by real data. If a lead has a very long name, it might push your message into a second segment, increasing the cost for that specific contact.