LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform with over 800 million members. As a free user, you get access to basic features like creating a profile, connecting with other professionals, searching and applying for jobs, and joining groups. However, LinkedIn also offers premium subscriptions that unlock additional benefits.
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s subscription service that gives you access to premium features not available to free users. There are three tiers of LinkedIn Premium:
- Premium Career – focuses on job seeking tools
- Premium Business – focuses on sales tools
- Premium Hiring – focuses on recruiting tools
Some of the key premium features include:
- See who viewed your profile
- Send unlimited InMails to contact anyone (even if you’re not connected)
- Advanced profile filtering and search
- See full profiles of your 3rd degree connections
- Take unlimited advanced LinkedIn Learning courses
- Premium message targeting for sales
- Candidate insights for hiring
How much does LinkedIn Premium cost?
LinkedIn Premium is a paid subscription service. Here are the current monthly costs for each tier:
| LinkedIn Premium Plan | Monthly Price |
|---|---|
| Premium Career | $29.99/month |
| Premium Business | $64.99/month |
| Premium Hiring | $99.95/month |
Annual subscriptions are also available at a discounted rate. For example, Premium Career is $239.88/year if paying annually rather than $29.99/month.
Does LinkedIn ever offer Premium for free?
LinkedIn does sometimes offer free Premium trials for a limited time. Here are some of the ways you can access free Premium:
- New user offer – New LinkedIn members may be eligible for 1 month of free Premium access when they first join.
- Student offer – College students can get 6 months of Premium Career access for free by verifying their active student status.
- Referral offer – Some Premium accounts come with the ability to invite another user for 1 month free Premium via referral.
- Reactivation offer – Canceled Premium members may get a 1 month free Premium offer to reactivate their subscription.
- Sponsored free trials – Occasionally sponsored campaigns will offer a few weeks or months of free Premium to promote the service.
However, besides limited free trials, you can’t get ongoing unlimited Premium access for free from LinkedIn. After the trial ends, you need to pay to continue Premium benefits.
How to maximize LinkedIn for free
While Premium unlocks the full potential of LinkedIn, you can still get value from the free version. Here are some tips to maximize basic LinkedIn for free:
- Craft a compelling, keyword-rich profile that sells your skills and experience to stand out.
- Proactively connect with professionals in your industry, especially leaders and recruiters.
- Join active groups related to your field and engage in discussions.
- Follow companies you’re interested in to get their latest content in your feed.
- Publish your own regular updates to build your professional brand and credibility.
- Use advanced search filters even in the free version to find relevant jobs and people.
- Export your LinkedIn network to excel for free to organize your key connections.
- Use built-in tools like Open Candidates to identify job openings and potential recruiters.
While Premium has more perks, consistency and effort using the free tools can still help you advance your career and business goals.
Can you get Premium features without paying?
Unfortunately, there is no legitimate way to unlock full Premium access indefinitely without paying. However, there are some limited workarounds:
- Use a Premium trial offer – Take advantage of any temporary free Premium offers for as long as possible.
- Access Premium on someone else’s account – If you know someone willing to share their login.
- Use Premium at work – Many companies pay for Premium access for employees.
- View profiles in incognito mode – You can view full profiles of 3rd connections in incognito without connecting.
- Use browser extensions – Unofficial browser plugins can unlock one-off Premium features.
However, these options only provide limited, temporary access to Premium. The only way to fully unlock all Premium features is by paying for a Premium subscription yourself.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn does occasionally offer free Premium trials, there is no way to get unlimited, ongoing Premium access without paying. Premium provides valuable advanced features, especially for job seekers, sales professionals, and recruiters. However, consistency using LinkedIn’s free tools can still benefit your career and business. If the Premium features are important for your goals, the paid subscription is likely worth the investment. But maximize the free version first, and take advantage of any temporary Premium trials when possible.
