LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional social networking sites, with over 722 million users worldwide as of April 2021. Many professionals use LinkedIn to network, look for jobs, connect with business partners, and build their personal brand. With so many users, a common question is – is LinkedIn’s mobile app free to use? The short answer is yes, LinkedIn offers a free mobile app that provides access to many of the platform’s core features. However, LinkedIn does offer premium paid subscriptions that unlock additional functionalities.
Is the LinkedIn app free to download?
Yes, the LinkedIn mobile app is free to download from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. You do not need to pay anything to install and access the app on your mobile device. LinkedIn offers native apps for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets.
Once you download the LinkedIn app, you can sign-in using your existing LinkedIn account credentials. If you don’t have an account yet, you can easily create a new LinkedIn account for free directly within the mobile app.
What key features are included in the free LinkedIn app?
The free LinkedIn app provides access to some of the platform’s most popular features for networking, searching for jobs, connecting with colleagues and more. Here are some of the key things you can do with the free LinkedIn mobile app:
– Create, update and customize your LinkedIn profile.
– Connect with professionals in your network and view connections up to 3rd degree.
– Search for open jobs and apply with your LinkedIn profile.
– Receive notifications about profile views, connection requests, messages and other activity.
– Join industry-related groups and take part in group discussions.
– Follow companies to receive their latest updates.
– Discover professional development courses and content.
– Message connections through InMail (limited number for free users).
– Stay updated with customized news feeds.
So in summary, the free LinkedIn app lets you manage your profile, connect with other professionals, search and apply for jobs, join groups, follow companies, take online courses, send limited messages, and more. You get access to the core social networking and career-related features without paying anything.
What key features require a premium subscription?
While the free LinkedIn app is quite robust, there are some limitations. LinkedIn offers premium subscriptions that unlock additional features and functionalities, such as:
– See full profiles of 3rd degree connections.
– Advanced profile filtering when searching for jobs.
– Unlimited InMail messages.
– Ability to know who viewed your profile.
– Contact information for job posters.
– Access online professional development courses.
– Detailed analytics on post and content performance.
– Ad-free browsing experience.
So in summary, the premium versions of LinkedIn provide greater profile access, more professional insights, improved messaging capabilities, and an ad-free experience. However, the core functionality is still available for free.
LinkedIn Premium Plans and Pricing
LinkedIn offers three premium subscription options for individual users:
| Plan | Price per month | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Career | $29.99 | Unlimited profile views, InMail messages, advanced profile filtering, interview preparation tools. |
| Premium Business | $49.99 | Includes all Premium Career features plus Company Follow analytics, Talent Insights, and unlimited search results. |
| Premium Hiring | $99.95 | Everything in Premium Business plus Recruiter Lite, candidate contact info, and pipeline management tools. |
As you can see from the table, the paid plans open up additional functionalities focused on job seeking, business networking and recruiting. The prices range from $29.99 per month up to $99.95 for the full recruiting-focused premium package.
However, the core app remains free to use with basic features for networking, searching jobs, messaging connections and more.
Is LinkedIn Premium worth it?
Whether a paid LinkedIn Premium subscription is worth it depends on your professional needs and how you use the platform.
Here are some reasons Premium could be beneficial:
– You are actively job seeking and want access to full profile data, advanced filtering options and interview prep tools. The boost in search can help you land your next position.
– You need to contact a high volume of professionals as part of sales, networking or recruiting. Unlimited InMail messages remove limits.
– You want to gain insights on content performance, Company Follow analytics, and view profile visitors to improve engagement.
– Ad-free browsing is more visually appealing and removes annoying disruptions.
However, Premium may not be necessary for more casual users:
– If you are passively looking for jobs or open to new opportunities but not urgently searching, the free app features will usually suffice.
– If you only message a few key connections per month, the free InMail allocation may already meet your needs.
– If you are focused on building connections and networking but don’t need advanced analytics, the free functions cover the basics.
So in summary, Premium is very useful for job seekers, sales professionals, recruiters and marketing professionals who want to maximize LinkedIn capabilities. More casual users often find the free version fully sufficient for their needs. Evaluate your specific use cases to decide if premium features are worth the monthly price.
Conclusion
The LinkedIn mobile app is free to download and provides access to core networking and career-focused features like managing your profile, connecting with professionals, searching and applying for jobs, joining groups, following companies, taking online courses, and messaging connections.
However, LinkedIn does offer Premium paid subscriptions that unlock additional functionalities focused on enabling advanced job searches, sales connections, recruiting pipelines, and analytics. Premium plans range from $29.99 to $99.95 per month.
For many professionals, the free app has sufficient capabilities for networking and career development needs. But Premium subscriptions can be very beneficial for those who want to maximize LinkedIn for job seeking, sales prospects, or recruiting. Consider your specific professional needs and usage to decide if LinkedIn Premium merits the monthly price. But the base app remains a free and powerful tool for every LinkedIn member.
