Last Updated on 5 October 2024 by Lyn Sy
I’m sure your journey on LinkedIn began with a free account, like everyone else! But if you’re serious about growing your network on LinkedIn to generate more leads or recruit talents, you may want to consider upgrading to a LinkedIn premium plan.
LinkedIn offers a wide range of account types so choosing the right one can be a challenge.
In this guide, I’ll provide an in-depth comparison of all the LinkedIn account types, in terms of their benefits and cost.
Considering the monthly subscription cost which we will describe later, you need to understand the differences of each premium plan option so you can make an informed decision for which one aligns with your specific LinkedIn goals and objectives, ensuring optimal results.
Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It?
Before we dive into the details and pricing of LinkedIn paid plans, you have to answer some basic questions to help you determine if paying for a premium plan is beneficial for you.
What are your primary goals on LinkedIn?
- Are you looking for a job or career change?
- Do you need to generate leads or grow your sales?
- Are you aiming to expand your professional network?
- Do you want to learn new skills through online courses?
How actively do you use LinkedIn?
- Are you on LinkedIn daily, engaging with posts and reaching out to connections?
- Do you frequently search for potential clients, employers, or employees?
- Do you participate in LinkedIn groups and discussions?
What features are you currently missing out on?
- Would InMail messages (sending messages to people you’re not connected with) be valuable to you?
- Do you need more advanced search filters to find the right people or opportunities?
- Are you interested in accessing detailed insights about who’s viewing your profile?
If you answer yes to most of the questions, then subscribing to a LinkedIn Premium plan may be worth it for you.
LinkedIn Premium Pricing and Benefits
At a glance, here is the current pricing of LinkedIn Plans:
| LINKEDIN ACCOUNT TYPE | MONTHLY SUBSCRIPTION | ||
| LinkedIn Premium Career | $29.99 | ||
| LinkedIn Premium Business | $59.99 | ||
| LinkedIn Recruiter Lite | $170.00 | ||
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator Core | $99.99 | ||
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced | $149.99 | ||
| LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced Plus | Custom Pricing | ||
Standard LinkedIn Account
For those new to LinkedIn, a basic FREE account is a solid starting point. It’s completely cost-free but of course, it does come with certain limitations.
While it allows you to expand your network and reconnect with old acquaintances, there are restrictions like
- You can’t send messages to those not in your network
- Visibility of profile visitors is limited
- LinkedIn Search capabilities are constrained
Given its limited recruitment features, this account type might not be ideal for recruiters or businesses utilizing LinkedIn for hiring.
LinkedIn Premium Career
The LinkedIn Premium Career plan is perfect for those looking for a job and get hired faster.
According to a LinkedIn survey, job seekers with a subscription to a Premium Career account get hired twice as fast as those with a free account.
Premium Career Features
- 5 inMail credits per month for reaching out to recruiters or hiring managers.
- See Who’s Viewed Your Profile in the last 90 days
- Open Profile
Exclusive insights
- Job and applicant insights
- Applicant Top recommendations
- Company insights
- Resume insights
Stay up-to-date on the latest skills
- Access to 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses
- Full access to Interview Preparation Tools
Pricing: $29.99/month (with a one-month free trial option).
LinkedIn Premium Business
With the Business plan, you can get an average of 4x more profile views.
Tailored for business owners aiming to promote their brand, and connect with leads, and potential partners.
It offers increased visibility, brand growth, and messaging flexibility.
Premium Business Features
- 15 InMail credits per month
- Unlimited people browsing
- See Who’s Viewed Your Profile in the last 365 days
- Open Profile
Exclusive insights
- Access to Company insights
- Job and applicant insights
- Top Applicant Job recommendation
- Resume Insights
Stay up-to-date on the latest skills
- Access to 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses
- Full access to Interview Preparation Tools
Pricing: $59.99/month (with a 30-day free trial)
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
This LinkedIn plan is ideal for medium-sized businesses and HR professionals conducting moderate-scale hiring.
The advanced search and browsing capabilities streamline candidate tracking.
Recruiter Lite Features
- Recruiter Lite platform
- 30 InMails per month
- Access to your 2nd degree and 3rd degree networks
- 20+ advanced search filters
- Candidates search alerts
- Candidate recommendations daily
- Personalized outreach with saved templates
- Post a free job
- Projects for organization and tracking
Exclusive Insights
- InMail performance insights
- Job analytics
- Company insights
Stay up-to-date on the latest skills
- Access to 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses
- Full access to Interview Preparation Tools
Pricing for LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is $170 / month when billed annually
How Much Does LinkedIn Sales Navigator Cost?
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Core
Get connected to 3.8x more decision-makers with LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
More than just a Premium profile, it’s an automated sales tool for precise lead targeting and prospecting.
This is ideal for sales professionals and business owners focusing on social selling.
Sales Navigator Core features
- Sales Navigator platform
- 50 InMails per month
- See Who’s Viewed Your Profile from the last 365 days
- Unlimited People Browsing
- Custom lead and account lists
- Advanced lead search and account search
- 10,000 saved leads
- Lead recommendations and account search
- Open Profile
Exclusive Insights
- Real-time alerts on your leads and accounts
- Company insights
- Resume insights
Stay up-to-date on the latest skills
- Access to 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses
- Full access to Interview Preparation Tools
Pricing: $99.99/month (with a 30-day free trial)
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced
This premium plan is specifically designed for companies with sales and marketing teams, encouraging collaboration and teamwork.
It offers real-time sharing, document collaboration, and CRM integrations.
Sales Navigator Advanced Features
- Sales Navigator platform
- 50 inMail credits per month
- See Who’s Viewed Your Profile from the last 365 days
- Open Profile
- Unlimited People Browsing
- Customer lead and account search
- 10,000 saved leads
- Lead Recommendations and saved leads
Exclusive Insights
- Real-time alerts on your lead and accounts
- Send Smart Links and track management
Team Collaboration Tools
- Leverage your team’s network with TeamLink
- Shareable custom lead and account lists
- Centralized account management.
- Upload and manage your book of business
Pricing: $149.99/user/month
LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced Plus
For established companies with extensive sales teams, the Enterprise version offers advanced customization and integration options.
Normally, you have to set a consultation with a LinkedIn Account manager to get a custom offer for this Ultra LinkedIn Premium Plan.
Noteworthy features include:
- Advanced CRM updates with Data Validation
- Integrated CRM contacts
- Advanced enterprise integrations
- ROI reporting
- CRM Badges and Search filters
- Automatic logging of key Sales Navigator activities to CRM
If LinkedIn is a cornerstone of your sales strategy, investing in a custom Enterprise account could prove invaluable.
Pricing: Custom Pricing, Contact LinkedIn
How to Choose Your Premium Subscription Plan
With a deeper understanding of the various LinkedIn account types, their costs, and benefits it’s time to make your decision.
Remember to start by defining your end goal on the platform.
From the free account to the premium options tailored to specific needs, each plan offers distinct benefits and advantages. Consider your objectives on LinkedIn, whether it’s expanding your network, generating leads, recruiting, or learning new skills.
Evaluate the benefits of LinkedIn premium plans, including the features and cost of each plan so you can make an informed decision.
Ultimately, investing in premium subscriptions can significantly enhance your experience and results on the platform.
How Do You Upgrade to LinkedIn Premium?
To begin exploring LinkedIn premium benefits, start by signing up for the Free 1-month trial. (Yes, you can save on subscription costs when you sign up for a free trial!)
Here’s how you can avail your FREE Linkedin premium subscription:
- Go to the “You” dropdown menu.
- Within “My account,” select “Try Premium for $0“
- Answer the guide questions accordingly and click Next
- Click Learn More on the box of your preferred LinkedIn Premium Plan to try
- Then, click on “Try Now for $0”
- Decide between an annual or monthly subscription. Opting for the annual plan, if you plan on using a premium subscription for an extended period, can save you up to 33% compared to paying monthly.
How Can I Grow My Network on LinkedIn with a Free LinkedIn Account?
Without a paid subscription to LinkedIn Premium, you can still grow your network on LinkedIn using some social media automation tools. An example of this is lempod.
Lempod is an AI-powered LinkedIn automation tool that can help you improve your reach by 10,20 or 30 times your followers by leveraging on the power of CFBR strategy within your chosen engagement pods. Groups of LinkedIn users with similar interests and goals comprise an engagement pod.
By letting other people in your pod automatically comment on your posts, your post gets a boost and signals the LinkedIn algorithm that your content is engaging and worthy of attention. Therefore, your post gets amplified for a wider reach.
Engagement can just be likes or in combination with comments. What’s great about lempod is that the comments you post are not generic and not spammy. With lempod’s integration with OpenAI, you can effortlessly select meaningful comments from AI-generated suggestions, saving you valuable time composing your own.
To get started with lempod, download and install the Lempod Chrome extension. Then, simply select the relevant pods to your business or industry and they will automatically engage on your selected post based on your post engagement settings.
Just remember that as with any social media platform, regardless of the automation tools that you use, good-quality content is king. Essentially, you have to ensure that your content gives value to your audience, it is well-written, and engaging.
Lempod is especially helpful for Digital Marketers, Influencers, and Recruiters. Learn more about Lempod LinkedIn Automation Tool.
FAQ on LinkedIn Premium Cost
How much is the cost of LinkedIn premium?
The cost of LinkedIn plans varies depending on the account type:
- LinkedIn Premium Career: $29.99/month, ideal for professionals seeking new career opportunities.
- LinkedIn Recruiter Lite: $170/month, tailored for recruiters to optimize recruitment strategies.
- Sales Navigator Core: $99.99/month, designed for sales professionals focused on generating leads and increasing revenues.
Is it worth it to pay for LinkedIn Subscription?
LinkedIn Premium provides valuable features tailored for professionals and businesses, helping them in networking and career advancement. With LinkedIn’s one-month free trial, you can explore its benefits risk-free! So, take advantage of this opportunity to assess if it aligns with your objectives and needs. Upgrading to a premium plan is an investment in your professional growth worth-considering.
Can I get LinkedIn premium free?
Yes! For one month, you can subscribe to any LinkedIn premium plan for free. Just go to your account and click on “Try Premium for $0“ to start exploring LinkedIn’s premium features risk-free!
What is the difference between LinkedIn basic and premium?
LinkedIn Basic is suitable for starting your professional network, but its limitations can restrict access to advanced features. LinkedIn Premium offers exclusive profile insights, InMail credits for outreach, and access to LinkedIn Learning, among other benefits. Upgrading to Premium provides expanded networking capabilities and enhanced tools to optimize your professional presence and outreach efforts in this platform.
What is the cheapest option for LinkedIn Premium?
The cheapest LinkedIn subscription plan costs $29.99. This is the LinkedIn Career plan that is ideal for professionals seeking new career opportunities and networking with recruiters.
