Platform Character Counter
The Platform Character Counter checks a single piece of text against the published limits of twelve platforms at once, and counts the way each platform actually counts.
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That matters more than it sounds: X charges a flat 23 characters for any link and 2 for every emoji or CJK character, while Bluesky and Threads count what a reader sees. A post that fits in one editor is rejected by another, and this shows you which before you paste it in.
Embed This Tool
Add this tool to your website with customizable styling
How to Use
Write or paste your post
Every count updates as you type, including words, lines, emoji, links, hashtags and mentions.
Pick the platforms you post to
Twelve platforms are available with their post, bio, caption and title limits. Turn off the ones you do not use so the list stays short.
Read the bars
Each bar turns amber at 90% of the limit and red once you are over, with the exact number of characters left or the number you are over by.
Trim anything that is over
Trim to fit cuts the text to the limit on whole words and whole characters, so an emoji is never split into a broken pair.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does X count my post differently?
X uses a weighted count rather than a plain one. Latin letters, digits and most punctuation cost 1, but CJK characters and emoji cost 2, and any link is charged a flat 23 characters no matter how long the real URL is. So a 280-character post in English fits, while 280 Japanese characters is 560 and does not.
Why do the two character numbers differ?
Characters counts what a reader sees; UTF-16 units counts how JavaScript stores it. A 👩👩👦 emoji is one character to a person and eight units to a program. Most platforms count the first way, which is why a counter that reports text.length tells you that you are over the limit when you are not.
Does a link really cost the same however long it is?
On X and Mastodon, yes. Both replace links with a fixed-length form when they count, so 23 characters is what you are charged whether the URL is short or two hundred characters of tracking parameters. On the other platforms a link is counted character by character like any other text.
Is my draft sent anywhere?
No. Every count runs in your browser as you type, with no network request at any point. An unpublished post, an embargoed announcement or a client draft never leaves your machine.