A Mastodon character counter that checks your post against the 500-character default, counting links and mentions the way Mastodon does.
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Every character you see, with each link written with https:// as 23. 500 is the default; your server may allow more.
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This free Mastodon character counter checks your post against Mastodon's 500-character default, counting links and mentions the way Mastodon does. But 500 is only the default: each server can set its own limit.
It shows every other platform beside it, so you can see where else the same post fits.
Here's Mastodon's limit, how Mastodon counts, and how to check your own server's limit.
What is a Mastodon character counter?
A Mastodon character counter is a tool that counts your post the way Mastodon does, against the 500 characters most servers allow.
Mastodon counts every link as 23, however long it is, and a mention of someone on another server counts only their username, not the server's name. This one counts Mastodon's way as you type, and shows the same post on X, Bluesky and the rest.
How to use the Mastodon character counter
Mastodon's character limit
| Text | Limit | How it counts |
|---|---|---|
 Mastodon post | 500 by default | Characters, links 23 |
The default and the link rule come from Mastodon's own docs, where each server reports its limit and how many characters a link takes.
What Mastodon counts as a character
| What you type | How it counts |
|---|---|
| Letters, numbers, punctuation and spaces | 1 each |
| Any emoji | 1 each |
| A link written with https:// | 23, however long |
| A mention like @name@other.server | Only @name |
| The whole post | 500 by default; your server may allow more |
All of this comes from Mastodon's own docs.
How Mastodon counts
- Links: every link written with https:// counts as 23, however long it is.
- Bare domains: navid.me without https:// counts letter by letter, because Mastodon doesn't turn it into a link.
- Mentions: @name@server counts as @name, so a long server name costs nothing.
- Emoji: a skin tone or a family emoji counts as 1.
Check your server's limit
Some servers allow more than 500. If yours does, the counter's 500 is a safe floor: a post that fits here fits on your server.
Who the Mastodon character counter is for
It's for anyone who posts on Mastodon or across the fediverse:
- Bluesky character counter – people who post on Bluesky too
- X character counter – people moving posts over from X
- Threads character counter – writers who post the same words on Threads
- UTM builder – anyone who tracks their links, since a long tracked link still counts as 23
Every platform has its own page too, listed below.
Post it everywhere
The counter above checks the same post on every platform at once, and each has its own page too: X, LinkedIn, Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube.
When it's ready, turn it into an image for the feeds that want one with my post image generator, and schedule it with the tools on my creator tools page.
Ready to post it?
Or post from your AI with my open source MCP servers and CLIs
Mastodon Character Counter FAQs
Questions about Mastodon's character limits? Here's what to know.
A Mastodon character counter is a tool that counts your post the way Mastodon does, against the 500 characters most servers allow.
Mastodon counts every link as 23, however long it is, and a mention of someone on another server counts only their username, not the server's name.
The Mastodon character limit is 500 characters by default. Each server can set its own, as Mastodon's docs describe.
Mastodon counts a link written with https:// as 23 characters, however long it is. A bare domain like navid.me counts letter by letter.
No, a mention of someone on another server counts as just @name, so the @server part costs nothing.
Yes, you can post to Mastodon from Claude with my open source Mastodon MCP server and CLI, linked under this post.
No, nothing you type leaves your browser: the counting runs on your device, and your draft is kept in this browser only.
The Mastodon character counter is for anyone posting on Mastodon, and anyone cross-posting to Mastodon from X, Threads or Bluesky.
I did. I'm Navid Moazzez, and I made the Mastodon character counter as one of my free tools on navid.me.
More about me.
Navid Moazzez
AI business strategist & AI OS builder
Navid Moazzez helps creators and founders master AI and build their own AI Operating System (AI OS) to automate their business and life.
Navid.me is reader-supported. When you buy through links on this site, I may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more.
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