SMS Character Limits

Character limits and message parts apply when sending SMS through Notifyre. It is important to be aware of text message characters, as this can affect your total message cost.

When sending SMS through Notifyre, character limits affect how many message parts are used and this can impact your total cost.

What is a standard SMS? 

How do personalisation fields impact character count?

How does Unicode impact the character count? 

What is the maximum SMS part limit in Notifyre?

Setting account character limits

Standard SMS (GSM-7)

• A single SMS allows up to 160 characters.

• Messages longer than 160 characters are split into parts.

• Each additional part allows 153 characters (7 characters are used to rejoin the message).

Example:
A message with 300 characters will send as 2 parts (153 + 147), and be charged as 2 SMS.

Using Personalisation Fields

When you use personalisation fields (like {firstName }, {organization } or a custom field {cf1}), the final number of characters may vary based on the actual contact data being merged into the message. This means:

• The character count and SMS parts shown in the app are estimates.

• The final cost may increase depending on the length of the personalised content.

Learn more about personalisation fields and how to use them

Unicode Messages (emojis & special characters)

If your message includes emojis or characters outside the standard GSM-7 set, it becomes a Unicode SMS:

• Limit is 70 characters per part.

• If longer, it’s split into parts of 67 characters each.

Example:
A message with 149 characters and an emoji will send as 3 parts, even though it looks like it fits under the 160-character limit.

📘 Learn more about how Unicode affects SMS character count and costs in our Unicode & Emojis SMS Guide.

What is the maximum SMS part limit in Notifyre?

The maximum SMS part limit is 8 parts.

To avoid exceeding this, we recommend reviewing your message length and content, especially if you’re using emojis, special characters, or personalisation fields, as these can increase the number of parts used.