# SMS Segments

## **How SMS & MMS Segments Affect Pricing**

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📡 The info on this page isn’t a RoboCent thing—it’s [**how carrier networks handle SMS and MMS at a system level**](https://medium.com/@agarwal.mohit_95215/understanding-sms-segments-1a7dc12e92af), way above our pay grade! We’re just here to break it down so you know exactly how messages are segmented to provide [**transparent pricing**](https://docs.robocent.com/explore/pricing).
{% endhint %}

### **How SMS Pricing Works**

SMS messages are sent in **segments**, each with a character limit. If your message is short, it fits in **one segment**. If it’s longer, it’s broken into **multiple segments**, which increases the cost.

**What Counts as a Special Character or Emoji?**

Most regular letters, numbers, and punctuation use **standard SMS encoding (GSM-7)**, which allows **160 characters per segment**.

However, if your message includes **special characters** such as:

✅ Emojis (😊, 🎉, ✅)\
✅ Smart quotes (“ ”) instead of standard quotes (" ")\
✅ Long dashes (—) instead of hyphens (-)\
✅ Certain accented letters (é, ñ, ü)\
✅ Symbols like ®, €, or Chinese/Japanese characters

Your message switches to **Unicode encoding**, which lowers the segment limit to **70 characters** instead of 160. This means your message may require **more segments**, increasing the cost.

**Example Pricing Impact:**

* A **200-character standard text** → **2 segments**
* A **200-character text with an emoji** → **3 segments**

Since pricing is based on segments, **longer messages and special characters increase costs.**

***

### **How MMS Pricing Works**

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to send **images, GIFs, videos, and longer text messages**. Instead of segment-based pricing, **MMS messages are billed as a single message, up to 1,500 characters**—but they cost more than a single SMS.

**When to Use MMS vs. SMS?**

* **Use SMS** for short, text-only messages
* **Use MMS** when you need to include an **image, GIF, video, or a long message (500+ characters)**

#### **No Guesswork – We Do It for You!**

When you create a new script in RoboCent, **we automatically calculate the number and type of characters for SMS and MMS** so you’ll always know exactly what you’re paying before sending.