InMail messages are a great way to directly contact other LinkedIn members, even if you’re not connected to them. But how much does it cost to send an InMail? The pricing depends on the type of LinkedIn account you have.
InMail Credits for LinkedIn Free Accounts
If you have a free LinkedIn account, you don’t get any InMail credits automatically. To send InMails, you’ll need to purchase InMail credits. Here are the options for buying InMail credits with a free account:
- 3 InMails for $10
- 5 InMails for $15
- 10 InMails for $25
- 20 InMails for $45
- 50 InMails for $100
- 100 InMails for $175
As you can see, the per-InMail cost decreases as you buy more credits. Buying 100 InMails at once gets you the lowest per-message cost at $1.75 per InMail.
InMail Credits for LinkedIn Premium Accounts
If you upgrade to a Premium LinkedIn account, you’ll automatically get a monthly allotment of InMail credits. The number of credits depends on which Premium plan you choose:
- LinkedIn Premium Career – 5 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium Business – 15 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium Sales – 25 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium Hiring – 25 InMails per month
- LinkedIn Premium – 30 InMails per month
Any unused InMail credits will roll over for up to 12 months. So if you don’t use all your credits one month, they’ll accumulate to use the next month. With a Premium account, you’re buying InMail credits as part of your monthly subscription cost. Here’s how the per-InMail cost breaks down:
Premium Plan | Monthly Cost | InMails per Month | Effective Cost Per InMail |
---|---|---|---|
Career | $29.99 | 5 | $6.00 |
Business | $64.99 | 15 | $4.33 |
Sales | $79.99 | 25 | $3.20 |
Hiring | $79.99 | 25 | $3.20 |
Premium | $79.99 | 30 | $2.67 |
As you can see from the table, the more InMails you get with your Premium plan, the lower your effective per-InMail cost is. The Premium plan gives you the lowest cost at just $2.67 per InMail when you buy a full month’s subscription.
Buying Extra InMail Credits
If you use up your monthly allotment of InMail credits, you can always buy more credits at any time. Here are the options for purchasing extra credits with a Premium account:
- 5 extra InMails for $15
- 10 extra InMails for $25
- 20 extra InMails for $45
- 50 extra InMails for $100
- 100 extra InMails for $175
The per-InMail pricing for these add-on packages is the same as for LinkedIn Free accounts. Again, you get the lowest per-InMail cost if you buy the 100 pack for $175.
Sending InMails via Sales Navigator
If you use LinkedIn Sales Navigator rather than regular Premium, the InMail pricing is slightly different. Here are the InMail credit allotments and costs with Sales Navigator:
- Sales Navigator Professional – 10 InMails per month for $79.99/month ($8 per InMail)
- Sales Navigator Team – 25 InMails per month for $109.99/user/month ($4.40 per InMail)
- Sales Navigator Enterprise – 50 InMails per month for $249.99/user/month ($5 per InMail)
Compared to regular Premium plans, Sales Navigator offers fewer InMail credits at a higher per-InMail cost. But Sales Navigator focuses specifically on sales prospecting and outreach features.
Sending Via Recruiter Licenses
If you have a Recruiter license on LinkedIn, this gives you unlimited InMail sends to reach out to potential job candidates. Recruiter licenses provide two tiers:
- LinkedIn Recruiter – $10,000/year
- LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate – $15,000+/year based on company size
With Recruiter, you get unlimited InMails to tap into LinkedIn’s talent pool for your recruiting needs. This can save your business money compared to paying per InMail credit.
Conclusion
To summarize the various InMail pricing options:
- Free accounts must purchase InMail credits starting at 3 for $10
- Premium accounts get monthly InMail credit allotments starting at 5 per month
- Additional InMail credits can be purchased at the same rates if Premium credits run out
- Sales Navigator offers fewer credits at a higher per-InMail rate
- Recruiter licenses provide unlimited InMails for annual fees starting at $10,000
When looking at the packages, buying Premium or higher plans offer the lowest per-InMail costs. But free members can also access InMail capabilities by purchasing credits. Sending messages directly to prospects is a key part of networking on LinkedIn. Understanding the InMail pricing helps you choose the right plan based on your outreach needs.