LinkedIn provides several APIs that allow developers to integrate LinkedIn data and functionality into their own applications. The availability and pricing of LinkedIn’s APIs depend on the specific API product and usage requirements.
LinkedIn API Products
LinkedIn currently offers three main API products:
- LinkedIn Platform APIs – For accessing LinkedIn member profile data, connections, companies, jobs, groups, posts, messaging, and network updates.
- LinkedIn Ads APIs – For managing LinkedIn ad campaigns and analytics.
- LinkedIn Recruitment APIs – For accessing and managing LinkedIn Recruiter products and candidate data.
LinkedIn Platform APIs
The LinkedIn Platform APIs provide access to many of LinkedIn’s core social and professional data and services. This includes the ability to share content, retrieve profile and connection data, and leverage LinkedIn’s social graph. Here are some key things to know about Platform API pricing and availability:
- Some APIs are available for free up to a certain monthly request threshold. This includes basic Profile, Network, Company, Job, Group, and Share APIs.
- Higher usage tiers are available for purchase. Price is based on monthly call volume.
- Some premium APIs require the purchase of a paid LinkedIn platform product subscription. This includes APIs for retrieving social actions, influencers, and audience demo data.
- Application approval is required for accessing most Platform APIs. A LinkedIn developer account is needed to submit apps for approval.
LinkedIn Ads APIs
The LinkedIn Ads APIs allow advertisers and partners to programmatically manage LinkedIn ad campaigns. Key things to know:
- Ads APIs require approval and onboarding by the LinkedIn ads team.
- Usage is free up to 50M calls/month. Higher tiers are available.
- APIs are available in Sandbox (demo) mode before going live.
- API access requires a LinkedIn Campaign Manager account and agreement.
LinkedIn Recruitment APIs
The Recruitment APIs provide access to LinkedIn Recruiter products and data for staffing and HR professionals. Here are the key facts:
- Included free for Recruiter system seat licenses.
- Enable retrieving recruiter inMail messages, prospect profile data, saved jobs, pipeline management.
- Require Recruiter license and onboarding process.
- Usage subject to Recruiter product terms and conditions.
Free vs. Paid Access
In summary, some access to LinkedIn APIs is available for free, while other APIs require paid subscriptions. Here is an overview:
API Product | Free Access | Paid Access |
---|---|---|
Platform APIs | Limited monthly calls for basic APIs | Higher usage tiers available |
Ads APIs | Free up to 50M monthly calls | Higher usage tiers |
Recruitment APIs | Included with Recruiter licenses | Requires Recruiter license purchase |
As shown in the table, the extent of free access varies. While some basic Platform APIs are available for free, others require approved applications and purchased products. Ads APIs and Recruitment APIs require formal onboarding and agreements before any access is granted.
API Request Limits
For APIs with free tiers, LinkedIn enforces monthly request limits and throttling. This helps ensure fair and equitable access for all developers. Here are some of the current request limits:
- Profile API: 300,000 requests/month
- Share API: 100,000 requests/month
- Network API: 20,000 requests/month
- Jobs API: 500 requests/month
- Groups API: 500 requests/month
Higher request volumes require a paid tier. Request throttling may also be implemented if limits are exceeded to restrict traffic. This prevents overuse of resources.
Optimizing API Usage
To optimize usage of LinkedIn’s free API tiers, developers should:
- Cache API data when possible to avoid redundant requests.
- Use the latest version of each API to leverage efficiency improvements.
- Implement logic to stay within rate limits and handle throttling.
- Only retrieve required fields to minimize response size.
- Use appropriate HTTP caching headers in requests.
Well-optimized API calls can help applications maximize the free tier availability. However, higher usage will inevitably require a paid tier or product subscription.
Usage Costs and Pricing
For LinkedIn APIs that require paid access, here are some details on usage costs and pricing models:
Platform API Tiers
- Starter: $49/month for 50K calls
- Standard: $995/month for 500K calls
- Plus: $4,995/month for 2.5M calls
- Premium: Custom pricing for >2.5M calls
Higher tiers provide greater call volumes at discounted marginal rates. Custom packages are also available.
Ads API Tiers
- Select: $995/month for 10M calls
- Premier: $1,995/month for 100M calls
- Elite: Custom pricing for >100M calls
Again, volume discounts apply at higher tiers. Custom contracts required for very high usage volumes.
Recruitment API Costs
Recruitment APIs are included with Recruiter seat licenses at these price points:
- Recruiter Lite: $999/year per seat
- Recruiter Professional: $7,999/year per seat
- Recruiter Corporate: Custom enterprise pricing
Recruitment API access requires purchasing Recruiter licenses at one of these tiers.
Usage Monitoring
LinkedIn provides API usage monitoring and analytics to help developers track consumption. This allows optimization and planning for future growth. Monitoring capabilities include:
- Dashboards showing overall API request metrics
- Graphs and alerts for rate limits and throttling
- Request tracing by API endpoint
- Error monitoring and alerts
- Cost tracking against paid tier allowances
Developers should leverage the monitoring tools to get visibility into API usage. This helps avoid unexpected throttling or costs.
Getting Started
To get started using LinkedIn APIs, developers should take these steps:
- Sign up for a LinkedIn developer account
- Review documentation for desired APIs
- Submit an application for required API access
- Agree to terms of use for accessing APIs
- Implement API calls per LinkedIn guidelines
- Monitor usage to avoid exceeding limits
- Upgrade to paid tier if needed for higher usage
With the proper registration, agreements, and implementation, both free and paid access to LinkedIn APIs is available. Careful monitoring and optimization is key to controlling costs.
Conclusion
In summary:
- Some LinkedIn APIs have free tiers, while others require paid products/subscriptions.
- Higher usage requires upgraded paid tiers or custom contracts.
- Recruitment APIs included with Recruiter licenses.
- Monitoring usage is important to avoid throttling and extra costs.
- Proper API implementation, agreements, and registration are required.
So in general, while not all access is free, LinkedIn does offer free API tiers to get started. Paid upgrades or subscriptions can support more extensive usage for larger applications.