Free social media character counter
This free tool — built by a Singapore marketing agency — counts your post in real time and shows how it fits every major platform’s limit and truncation point, from X and Threads to LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube and Google Business Profile. It counts characters the way platforms do (emoji-aware), plus words, sentences, lines, hashtags and mentions. Everything runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.
2026 character limits by platform
- X (Twitter): 280 characters on a free account — a hard limit, so write tight.
- Bluesky: 300 characters.
- Threads: 500 characters.
- Instagram caption: 2,200 max, but only the first ~125 characters show before “more” — front-load the hook.
- TikTok caption: up to 2,200 characters.
- LinkedIn post: 3,000 max, with a “see more” fold around 210 characters on the feed — your first two lines do the heavy lifting.
- Facebook post: effectively unlimited, but truncates with “See more” near 477 characters.
- Google Business Profile post: 1,500 characters — important for local Singapore visibility.
- YouTube description: 5,000 max, with only ~157 characters visible above the fold.
- Pinterest description: 500 characters.
Why the truncation point matters more than the limit
Most platforms let you write far more than anyone reads. What actually matters is the truncation point — the “more” or “see more” fold. On Instagram that’s ~125 characters; on LinkedIn ~210. Your hook, your value, and any call to action should land before that fold, because most people never expand the post. This tool colours each platform amber once you pass its truncation point so you can see exactly where the fold falls.
Writing for Singapore social audiences
For a Singapore audience, the same discipline applies with a few local notes: lead with the hook (Singaporeans scroll fast), keep hashtags focused and relevant rather than piling on twenty, and remember that WhatsApp and Telegram — where a lot of sharing actually happens here — show your link’s Open Graph preview rather than your caption, so pair a tight caption with a strong share preview.
Front-load the message before the fold
Every social platform hides part of your text behind a “more” link, and the cut-off point matters far more than the theoretical maximum. On most feeds the reader sees only the first 125 to 140 characters before deciding whether to expand or scroll past. Treat that opening as a headline in its own right: put the hook, the number, or the tension in the first line, and let the detail live below the fold. A LinkedIn post that opens with “We cut our cost-per-lead by 62% — here’s the one change that did it” earns the expand click; one that opens with “In today’s fast-paced digital landscape…” does not.
The same discipline helps with AI-driven feeds and answer engines that increasingly summarise or resurface social content. A clear, self-contained first sentence is easier for both a human skimmer and a model to parse into a useful snippet, so the truncation point doubles as your answer-engine hook.
Match the length to the platform’s intent, not just its limit
Hitting a character limit is not the same as using the space well. X gives you 280 characters, but posts around 70–100 characters consistently earn more engagement because they read fast and leave room for a quote-retweet. Instagram allows 2,200 characters, yet the strongest captions either stay punchy or commit fully to a mini-story — the awkward middle length performs worst. LinkedIn rewards 1,300–1,900 characters of genuine substance, while a Google Business Profile update should stay tight and keyword-aware because it can surface directly in local search results. Use the counter to check you’re within limits, then ask the harder question: is this the right length for how people read on this platform?
For brands running paid social, length also interacts with the ad format. Primary text, headlines and link descriptions each truncate differently across placements, so a caption that looks perfect in the composer can clip badly in a Stories or Reels placement. If you’re scaling paid campaigns, our paid media team can help you build copy that holds up across every placement.
Frequently asked questions
How does this tool count emojis?
It counts characters using Unicode-aware logic, so a single emoji counts as one character in the display. Note that some platforms (like X) internally weight certain characters differently, but for practical post-writing this count matches what you see.
What’s the ideal length for a LinkedIn post?
There’s no single answer, but put your hook and core message in the first ~210 characters (before “see more”). Longer posts can perform well when the opening earns the expand — the fold, not the limit, is what to optimise for.
Do hashtags count toward the character limit?
Yes — hashtags and mentions are part of the character count on every platform. This tool counts them separately too, so you can balance reach against readability.
Why does my Instagram caption get cut off?
Instagram shows only about 125 characters before the “more” link. Anything important — your hook or call to action — should appear before that point, with detail and hashtags after.
Does the character limit include the link I paste in?
On most platforms, yes — the raw URL counts toward your total as you type it, even though X and some others display a shortened version. LinkedIn and Facebook typically strip the URL from the visible text once a link preview generates, but it still counts while you’re drafting, so use the counter with the link included to be safe.
Should I write different lengths for the same post across platforms?
Almost always. Cross-posting one identical caption everywhere means it’s too long for X, too short for LinkedIn and formatted wrong for Instagram. Write the core message once, then trim or expand each version to suit the platform’s truncation point and reading style — it takes minutes and noticeably lifts engagement.
