What is a Word Counter? 5 Top Free Online Word Counters to Use in 2024
Editor / June 5, 2025
A word counter is a tool that counts the total number of words in a written document. Modern word counters, however, do more than just counting words.
In this FastLinky blog post, I’ll discuss this tool, its benefits and suggest 5 top free word counters that you can use in 2024.
Let’s roll.
What Does a Word Counter Do?
Today you’ll hardly find a writing software that doesn’t have an inbuilt word counter. But maybe you need something that does more than an ordinary word counting.
For example, you may want to check your write-up for its readability score, or count how many sentences are there in your piece.
No worries. I’ve got you covered.
There are a number of free online word counters offered by reputed companies that not only count words, characters and sentences, but provide readability and tone insights.
A precise word and character count is important, especially where a write-up cannot exceed a certain number of words.
Benefits of a Word Counter
A good word counter is an invaluable tool for writers, especially the budding ones. It is also beneficial for effective search engine optimisation (SEO) processes.
Now I’ll discuss the key benefits of using word counters.
It Helps Meet Word Guidelines
Many times, you’ll need to limit your document to a certain word count. For example, students are often required to keep their essays and answers within a word limit.
Using a word calculator they can meet the word limit guidelines.
It helps reduce Verbosity
Inexperienced writers often use superfluous words and phrases in their writings. They take 10 words to tell something which an experienced writer can do in only 5 words.
Wordiness is a serious demerit in a writeup. It makes a written piece clumsy, confusing and boring. Here also word counters can help writers stop their pieces from being verbose.
It Encourages Logical Thinking
Verbosity is often a sign of indisciplined loose thinking.
A word counter can help a writer think logically by keeping a tab on the number of words he is using in his sentences, paragraphs and documents.
Facilitates More Effective Writing
Some modern word counters offer readability and tone monitoring. Also options like grammar checker are also incorporated in some of them.
Taking advantage of these facilities, a writer can significantly improve the effectiveness of his writing, especially during the editing phase.
Helps SEO Processes
Many latest word counters offer a facility to measure the keyword density in a content. This helps SEO executives identify keyword frequency and enhance content optimisation processes.
Who Needs a Word Counter
Taking cues from the discussion in the previous section, we can easily identify the major target audiences for word counters.
Writers and Authors
Word calculators are an essential tool for writers and authors.
With the rapid changes in the reader’s attitude and preferences, novelists and other creative writers and authors are now using fewer words to put the message across.
Though there cannot be any word limits in a creative work, there’s a trend of writing and publishing books and content with as few words as possible.
As for content writers, they need to work under tight word limit guidelines.
In both cases, a good word counter will be immensely helpful in keeping the words within stipulated or preferred limits.
Online Business proprietors
Businesses that use content to promote their brands online are one of the top users of word counters.
The tool helps them optimise their copies for better search results. It also helps them improve their copies’ quality by consulting the readability statistics and tone standards revealed by the tool.
Social Media Executives
Almost all top social media platforms put a word limit to content and comments that users post on them.
For example, X (previously Twitter), allows only 280 words for the users of its free version.
Word calculators can help social media executives to create and post high-value high-impact copies and stay within the word limit guidelines on these platforms.
Content Creators and Developers
Many content writers, especially the newcomers, tend to deviate from the search intent of the target keywords and make their copies either too lengthy or too short to be effective.
Content writing is a serious business that requires industry, patience, experience and outstanding talent.
By consulting a good word counter, these people can enhance the impact and readability of their write-ups and develop these qualities over time.
Students and Researchers
Students and researchers, by default, need to write under strict word limit guidelines. In these cases, violation of these guidelines results in adverse consequences.
Word calculators can help them compose effective essays and dissertations without violating the word limit guidelines.
Importance of Online Word Counters
Though Microsoft Word, Google Docs etc have inbuilt word counters, online word counters have a clear edge over them in creating high-impact copies and other documents.
They Provide More Options
The inbuilt word counters in MS Word and Google Docs can analyse limited file formats. But even free word counters now available online can work on many more file formats.
Besides, they provide additional options usually not found in MS Word or Google Docs like readability and tone measures, keyword density, reading time etc.
They are Free
Almost all top online marketing giants provide their users a sophisticated word counter completely free.
They don’t impose any usage limitations on you and you can count words as many times as you want.
They are Fast and Easy to Use
All the free online word counters I studied for this blog post were lightning fast and results are easy to interpret. So no time-wasting while composing your hard-hitting copies.
How to Use an Online Word Counter
The best part of these online word counters is that they have a user-friendly interface and you can clearly and easily interpret the results they yield.
Simply copy and paste your content in the input box and presto! the results will appear instantly.
Cons of Online Word Counters
Though top companies usually don’t do this, some free online word counters may store your data and use it to meet their business objectives, which may not align with your interests.
Read the terms and conditions where companies state how they handle your data to know if they store your data or not.
You’re advised to obey the following guidelines while using a free online word counter.
- Read the privacy policy to learn how the company uses your data and whether it stores data or not.
- Stay away from those who do store your data. Many companies use ‘to enhance your user experience’ syrup to sugarcoat their data storing practices. So be careful.
- Use companies that use HTTPS protocol. This data encryption technique helps keep your data safe from interception while in transit.
- Only use reputed tools developed by authority companies. They are usually safe and have excellent security systems in place.
- If your data is very sensitive, you’d better use offline word counters as they will be safer from a security standpoint.
5 Top Free Online Word Counters 2024
I’ve selected the following 5 free online word counters based on features, data processing speed and additional options.
1. Semrush Online Word Counter
The free online word counter offered by Semrush has several useful features that make it a number one choice for writers and SEO executives.
The Interface
A user-friendly interface and detailed results on the right-hand side of the input box make this free online word calculator a joy to use.
The Data Processing Speed
This tool has a truly amazing data processing speed. It almost finishes counting before you finish the copy-pasting job.
Features and Options
Semrush counts words, sentences, characters and paragraphs. It also gives a readability and tone measure so you can fine-tune your copy.
It also provides the keyword density of the copy, which may prove useful while optimising content for SEO.
Content Length Suggestions
Semrush mentions ideal copy lengths for various online platforms like Instagram, Facebook, X and Linkedin.
It also suggests the ideal length for blog posts.
Though there really cannot be any fixed length in writing, still these suggestions can be a good starting point.
2. WordCounter Word Calculator
WordCounter is another top word calculator that is completely free to use and there is no limit to how many copies you can check.
The Interface
WordCounter also has a clean, easy to use interface. Detailed results are shown on the right side of the input box.
However, we didn’t like the font size which is too small for our likings and may cause trouble for some users.
Data Processing Speed
This free online word counter has almost instantaneous data processing speed, like Semrush.
Features and Options
This tool calculates words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, reading level, reading time and speaking time. Keyword density is also calculated
There is a nifty toolbar atop the input box that may come very handy for some users who want to do some editing in their texts while calculating words. This toolbar gives this software a professional look.
WordCount also provides readability and tone measures. You can even check the copy for various writing issues like plagiarism, grammatical issues etc. But you will have to register to get the full writing issues results.
There are options you can select or deselect to fit your needs and preferences.
A Terrific Blog Section
Though not directly related to word calculation, Word Counter has a blog section which is truly appreciable. Its content is highly useful both for the rookies and the experienced.
3. QuillBot Word Counter
QuillBot word counter is another highly popular online and free word calculator, providing unlimited word counting sessions.
The Interface
This word counting tool has probably the most easy-to-use and the cleanest interface among our five top free online word counters.
The results pane is on the right of the input box and delightfully simple. All the results are placed in strategic places so a user will find no difficulty in interpreting results fast.
Data Processing Speed
This is another tool with outstanding data processing speed. Results appear instantly.
Features and Options
QuillBot calculates words, characters, characters without spaces, sentences and paragraphs. It also reveals grade level and reading time.
LIke Semrush, it also suggests the ideal copy lengths for different online platforms.
QuillBot is famous or infamous for its paraphraser, which it incorporates in its word counter. You can also check for grammatical issues in your copy.
However, you should stay away from this paraphraser unless you love stealing other people’s intellectual properties and get into trouble.
4. ZeroGPT Word Counter
ZeroGPT word counter is another good word calculator and the fourth on our list.
The Interface
ZeroGPT has a clumsy and inconvenient interface. The test results appear atop the input box which is somewhat odd.
The user experience is all but spoiled by the irritating pop up advertisements that appear at the most inconvenient places and mar the users experience greatly.
Features and Options
This tool counts words, characters, sentences, paragraphs, spaces and lines.
It also provides useful information like reading level, reading time, keyword density and speaking time.
Suggestions for ideal copy length for different platforms are also given.
5. EasyWordCount Word Calculator
EasyWordCount is the most basic word calculator on our list.
The Interface
The interface is excellent as the tool only counts the basic data.
Features and Options
Easy WordCount calculates words, characters and spaces. Story concluded. If you are in a hurry and don’t need a lot of features, this word counter seems to fit your bill nicely.
No suggestions, no options, no nothing. Just calculate words and scram. Simple.
Conclusion
To conclude, a word counter is a valuable tool for writers, creative writers, SEO executives, students and educators.
If your word processing software’s inbuilt word counter doesn’t have features you need, you can try the five online word counters I’ve suggested, for free.
But while using online word counters, make sure the software doesn’t store your sensitive data.
FAQs.
Q. What is a word counter?
A. A word counter is a tool that counts words, characters, spaces, paragraphs and sentences in a written copy.
Q. Are online word counters good?
A. Yes. Try the five of them I’ve suggested in this blog post and you should be satisfied with the results.
Q. Will online word counters steal my data?
A. They may. Check out their privacy policy to make sure they aren’t storing your data.
Q. Do online word counters have hidden costs?
A. The five word counters I’ve discussed in this blog post are completely free to use and don’t have any hidden costs.