LinkedIn Learning, formerly known as Lynda.com, offers a premium subscription service that provides access to a vast library of high-quality online courses taught by industry experts. With over 16,000 courses covering business, technology, and creative skills, LinkedIn Learning is a great option for anyone looking to enhance their professional abilities and stay competitive in today’s job market.
What is LinkedIn Learning Premium?
LinkedIn Learning Premium is the paid subscription plan offered by LinkedIn Learning that unlocks full access to all 16,000+ expert-led courses on their platform. It includes features not available with the free version, such as:
- Unlimited access to all courses
- Offline viewing – download courses to watch offline on mobile apps
- Practice files to work alongside courses
- Course certificates of completion
- Exclusive access to some advanced courses
- Personalized course recommendations
With a Premium subscription, you can take any course on LinkedIn Learning as much as you want and access learning content tailored specifically to your goals, current skills, and knowledge gaps. It’s ideal for anyone who wants unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning’s massive course library.
How much does LinkedIn Learning Premium cost?
LinkedIn Learning offers a few different Premium subscription options at varying price points:
| Subscription | Cost (USD) |
|---|---|
| Monthly | $29.99/month |
| Annual | $19.99/month if paid annually ($240 total) |
| Premium Plus (annual) | $29.99/month if paid annually ($360 total) |
The most popular and cost-effective option is the Annual Premium plan at $240/year. This breaks down to $19.99 per month, saving you $10 per month compared to the monthly subscription. The Premium Plus annual plan is $29.99/month billed annually.
LinkedIn Learning also offers customized enterprise and team pricing for businesses. Volume discounts are available for teams of 10 or more people. Contact LinkedIn Learning directly for enterprise quote.
Monthly Subscription
The LinkedIn Learning Premium monthly subscription costs $29.99 and automatically renews each month. No long-term commitment is required, so it’s easy to try it out for a month and cancel anytime.
The advantages of the monthly plan include:
- Pay month-to-month with no annual contract
- Cancel anytime
- Change or pause your subscription as needed
The main disadvantage of the monthly plan is that it is the most expensive way to purchase LinkedIn Learning Premium long-term.
Annual Subscription
The LinkedIn Learning Premium annual subscription costs $240 when paid upfront annually. This breaks down to $19.99 per month, saving $10 compared to paying month-to-month.
Benefits of the annual plan:
- Saves $120 vs paying monthly
- Lowest long-term subscription cost
- One upfront annual payment
The tradeoff is that you are committing to a full year upfront. But you can cancel and get a prorated refund if needed.
Premium Plus Annual Subscription
LinkedIn Learning Premium Plus is the top-tier annual plan at $29.99 per month when paying for the full year upfront. It offers everything in the Premium annual plan plus these extra features:
- Download up to 200 courses offline per year (vs 100 with regular Premium)
- Share course certificates on social media
- Access over 275+ practice test prep questions
Premium Plus makes sense for power users who will take advantage of the expanded offline viewing and certification sharing options.
How does LinkedIn Learning pricing compare?
Compared to other leading e-learning platforms, LinkedIn Learning’s pricing is very competitive. Here’s an overview of how it compares:
| Platform | Monthly Cost | Annual Cost |
|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Learning | $29.99 | $240 |
| MasterClass | $15 | $180 |
| Udemy | $20 (average) | $240 (average) |
| Skillshare | $19 | $168 |
| Coursera Plus | $59 | $399 |
As you can see, LinkedIn Learning is very competitively priced, especially the annual Premium plan at just $19.99/month. The annual cost is on par or better than competitors like Udemy, Skillshare, and MasterClass.
Coursera Plus has a higher monthly and annual price at $59/month or $399/year. But Coursera offers accredited degrees and courses, which LinkedIn Learning does not.
Overall, LinkedIn Learning provides exceptional value compared to alternatives when you factor in the quality of courses and breadth of professional content covered.
What payment methods does LinkedIn Learning accept?
LinkedIn Learning accepts all major credit and debit cards for Premium subscriptions, including:
- Visa
- Mastercard
- American Express
- Discover
At this time, LinkedIn Learning does not accept PayPal, Venmo, bank transfers, or cryptocurrency payments.
For enterprise and team subscriptions, LinkedIn Learning may accept additional payment methods like bank/wire transfers. Contact their sales team for more details.
Can I get LinkedIn Learning Premium for free?
There are a few ways to access LinkedIn Learning Premium temporarily for free, including:
LinkedIn Learning Free Trial
LinkedIn Learning offers new users a 1-month free trial of their Premium subscription. This allows full access to all 16,000+ courses for 30 days. After the trial ends, you will be charged unless you cancel ahead of time.
Company or University Provided
Many companies and universities partner with LinkedIn Learning to provide free Premium access to their employees or students. Check with your HR department or school to see if you already have complimentary access.
Teammate Invite
If someone on your team has a Premium subscription, they can send you a teammate invite, letting you access LinkedIn Learning for free for 30 days. You can request an invite from a colleague if available.
Promotional Offers
LinkedIn Learning occasionally offers special discounted or free access promotional offers tied to specific partners, events, or marketing campaigns. These are not common but worth looking out for.
Outside of limited free trials and partner promotions, you will need a paid Premium or Premium Plus subscription to have ongoing access to LinkedIn Learning.
Can I download LinkedIn Learning courses to watch offline?
Yes, one of the key benefits of LinkedIn Learning Premium is the ability to download courses for offline viewing.
With the mobile apps for iOS and Android, you can download an unlimited number of courses with the monthly Premium plan. With the annual Premium plan, you can download up to 100 courses per year for offline access when not connected to the internet. The Premium Plus annual plan allows up to 200 course downloads per year.
Downloaded courses are available for viewing on your phone or tablet for up to 30 days before needing to reconnect online. This enables you to learn during commutes, flights, or anywhere without wifi.
To download courses for offline access:
- Open the LinkedIn Learning mobile app (iOS or Android)
- Tap on the “Download” icon on a course’s details page
- Select the video quality you prefer
- Videos will download to your device for offline viewing
Offline viewing is an extremely valuable feature of Premium that lets you learn anytime, anywhere and makes LinkedIn Learning well worth the subscription cost.
What happens when my LinkedIn Learning Premium subscription expires?
If your LinkedIn Learning Premium subscription expires, you will revert to the Free version of LinkedIn Learning. This gives you limited access to a sampling of courses rather than the full 16,000+ course library.
With the Free version you can:
- Sample excerpts from a select subset of courses
- Preview the first few chapters of certain courses
- View abbreviated versions of some top courses
However, your full course progress will be saved. If you restart your paid Premium subscription, you can pick up right where you left off in all your courses and access your full learning history.
I recommend renewing Premium if you find value in the service so you can continue expanding your skills with complete access to all LinkedIn Learning content.
Does LinkedIn offer discounts for Premium?
LinkedIn Learning rarely offers discounts directly on their Premium or Premium Plus subscriptions. However, there are a few ways you can get access to Premium for less:
Annual vs. Monthly Pricing
Paying annually rather than monthly saves you $120 per year. This essentially discounts the monthly price to $19.99 when paying annually.
Team and Enterprise Pricing
Volume discounts are available for teams of 10 or more people purchasing Premium through LinkedIn Learning’s enterprise sales team. Contact them for group quote.
Free Month Promotions
Occasionally LinkedIn Learning runs special deals where your first month is free when you purchase an annual plan. This essentially gives you 13 months for the price of 12.
Partner Offers
LinkedIn Learning sometimes partners with companies to provide discounted or free Premium trials. For example, American Express offers statement credits to cardholders who activate Premium.
Following LinkedIn’s social media accounts can help you stay on top of limited-time special offers as they become available.
Is LinkedIn Learning worth the money?
For most professionals, LinkedIn Learning Premium is well worth the investment. When you break down the annual $240 cost, it equates to just $20 per month. This gives you unlimited access to premium video courses normally priced individually at $30 or more on competing platforms.
The sheer volume of high-quality courses covering every business, technology, and creative topic imaginable makes the subscription invaluable. LinkedIn Learning is constantly producing new courses and expanding their catalog, so you’ll always have fresh content to meet your learning goals.
For context, if you were to purchase courses individually on Udemy instead, you could easily spend thousands of dollars per year. A LinkedIn Learning Premium subscription gives you everything for one low annual fee.
Being able to download courses for offline viewing and earn certificates to showcase newly learned skills also adds tremendous value compared to free alternatives.
Investing in ongoing learning to stay competitive in your career is wise. With over 16,000 courses taught by real-world experts, LinkedIn Learning Premium can pay for itself many times over by boosting your skills and opportunities.
Conclusion
A LinkedIn Learning Premium subscription provides exceptional value and is affordable for most professionals. The annual plan at $19.99 per month when paid upfront is the best value and competitive with alternatives like Udemy or MasterClass.
Premium unlocks unlimited access to all 16,000+ courses, exclusive content not available to free members, downloads for offline viewing, certificates, and other benefits.
Given the quality of LinkedIn Learning’s courses and the vast amount of content available, a Premium subscription can easily pay for itself by expanding your skills and knowledge. Investing in yourself and your career via an affordable Premium membership is worth it for most professionals and students.