# Twitter (X) character counter: run it free, or from your agent

The X character count of a post, with links as 23 and emoji as 2, and what is left of 280.

## Prompt

Use looot to check my X drafts before I post them: [drafts]. 1. Set up https://looot.ai/skill.md. 2. Count each draft the way X does: a link counts as 23, an emoji as 2, Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters as 2, everything else as 1. 3. Flag drafts over 280. 4. Return each draft with its count and a shorter version of any that run over.

## What it needs

The text of a post

## What comes back

- X character count
- characters left of 280
- characters left of a long post
- links
- emoji
- characters counted as 2

## Endpoints and providers

None. The tool on the web page runs in the browser and calls no endpoint.

## What it costs

Nothing. The tool on the web page runs in the visitor's browser: no account, no API call and no limit per hour. The prompt above runs the same job from your own looot account with current data, billed per call.

## Fit in one post

Trim a draft until it fits, without guessing how X counts the link.

## Plan a thread

Check each part of a thread before you schedule it.

## Write in any script

See how Chinese, Japanese or Korean text eats the limit twice as fast.

## Agent drafts

Paste what your agent wrote and check it fits before you post.

## How many characters can a tweet have?

A standard post holds 280. Accounts on X Premium can write long posts of up to 25,000 characters. The counter shows what is left against both.

## Why does my count differ from a normal character counter?

X weights characters. A link counts as 23 whatever its length, an emoji counts as 2, and Chinese, Japanese and Korean characters count as 2. A plain counter counts each of those as typed.

## How do links count on X?

Every link counts as 23, because X wraps it in a t.co link. A long link and a short one cost the same. A bare domain counts as a link only for common endings such as .com or .io.

## How do emoji count?

Each emoji counts as 2, even one built from several parts, such as a family or a flag.

## Do @mentions count?

This counter counts a mention like any other text, one per character. X can leave mentions at the start of a reply out of its count, so a reply may have a little more room than shown.

## Does it work for other platforms?

The weights here are X's. Other platforms count characters their own way, so use it for X posts.

## Is it free and private?

Yes. It runs in your browser with no account and no limit, and the text never leaves your device.

## Related tools

- /free-tools/twitter-search
- /free-tools/twitter-profile-viewer
- /free-tools/linkedin-headline-generator
- /free-tools/hashtag-generator

## Last reviewed

2026-10-14.