SEO Report Tools

Content & Text · Runs in your browser · Free

Character Counter

Count characters, graphemes and UTF-8 bytes, and see how many remain before your limit.

What this tool does

Counts characters three ways (code points, visible graphemes, and UTF-8 bytes) and compares the result with a limit you set, such as an SMS, ad headline or meta description length.

Who should use it

Anyone writing to a strict limit: ad copy, product titles, social posts, form fields with database column limits.

How it works

Code points are counted by iterating the string, graphemes use the browser's Intl.Segmenter so a flag or family emoji counts once, and bytes come from a UTF-8 encoder. The limit comparison is simple subtraction.

How to use it

  1. Enter or paste your text in the form.
  2. Adjust the options below the main box if you need to; the defaults suit most cases. Use "Load example" to see how input should look.
  3. Press the run button. Processing happens instantly in your browser.
  4. Review the result panel, then copy or download the output if the tool offers it. Use Reset to start over.

Practical example

The text "café 👍" has 6 code points, 6 visible graphemes and 10 UTF-8 bytes (é uses 2 bytes, the emoji 4).

Understanding the results

Use graphemes for what readers see, bytes when a database or API limits storage, and code points when a platform counts "characters" the Unicode way.

Limitations

Platforms count characters differently (some count emoji as two, some weight URLs). Always confirm with the target platform if the limit is hard.

Accuracy and report transparency

Results are computed in your browser from exactly what you enter. Deterministic steps (counting, parsing, encoding, validation) are verified by an automated test-suite with known answers. Where a method is a heuristic, the result panel says "estimated". No external data is used and nothing is invented.

Privacy

Your input never leaves your device for this tool. We count anonymous events (tool opened, run, copied) without storing what you typed. See the Privacy Policy.

Try these next

Word CounterCount words, characters, sentences, paragraphs and estimated reading time as you paste text.Title Tag Length CheckerCheck title tag length in characters and estimated pixels to see which titles may be truncated in Google results.Meta Description Length CheckerCheck meta description length in characters and estimated pixels and spot ones that are too short or likely to be cut off.

Frequently asked questions

Why are bytes higher than characters?

In UTF-8, accented letters use 2 bytes, many symbols 3, and emoji 4. Only plain ASCII is one byte per character.

Is my data sent to your server?

No. This tool runs entirely in your browser, so the text or files you enter stay on your device. We do record anonymous counts of how often each tool is opened or run (no input data) to see which tools are useful.

How accurate are the results?

Counting, parsing, encoding and validation steps are deterministic and covered by automated tests with known answers. Anything based on a heuristic is labelled "estimated" in the result panel.

Is this tool really free?

Yes. There is no account, limit or paid plan. The site is supported by advertising, which is disclosed on our Advertising Disclosure page.

References