Character Counter

What it does

A free character counter that tracks what actually matters: total characters (with and without spaces), word count, and live progress bars against real platform limits — tweets (280), SMS (160), meta titles (60), meta descriptions (160), LinkedIn posts (3,000), and Instagram captions (2,200). Paste any text and the numbers update instantly. Everything runs in your browser, so your draft never leaves the page.

Character limits are a surprisingly large part of the job for anyone writing for the web. Meta descriptions that run long get truncated in search results; tweets that sneak past 280 quietly lose the last word; SMS messages over 160 get split into two billable segments. The bars go amber at 90% and red when you cross — a visual cue that’s faster than counting.

How to use it

1. Paste or type your text into the box.
2. Read the headline counts: characters, no spaces, words, lines.
3. Scan the platform limit bars to see where you stand for your target platform.
4. Trim the text if any bar turns amber or red, or use Copy when it's ready.

When to use this tool

• Drafting a meta description and need to stay under 155-160 characters.
• Writing a tweet, SMS, or LinkedIn headline with strict character ceilings.
• Filling out a job application or form field with a stated max length.
• Crafting product titles or category descriptions for ecommerce platforms with display limits.

When not to use it

• You need word frequency or readability analysis — use a content analyzer.
• You need code metrics (LOC, function counts) — use a static analyzer.
• You're optimizing for search keywords — use an SEO content audit tool.

Common use cases

• Hitting Twitter/X 280-character limit while keeping all hashtags.
• Cutting meta description from 200 down to 155 characters.
• Verifying SMS marketing message stays under 160 (one segment) instead of being split.
• Sizing an Instagram caption to display fully before the 'more' truncation.