LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite are two different subscription offerings from LinkedIn for recruiters. While there is some overlap in features, they are designed to serve different types and sizes of recruitment organizations. In this article, we’ll compare the key differences between LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite to help you determine which is the right fit for your needs.
Overview of LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter is LinkedIn’s premium recruiting tool for professional recruiters and corporate talent acquisition teams. It provides advanced functionality for sourcing, engaging, and managing candidates on LinkedIn.
Here are some of the key features of LinkedIn Recruiter:
- Search LinkedIn’s full database of over 810 million members.
- Save advanced Boolean searches.
- Contact any member via InMail messages.
- See full candidate profiles regardless of account type.
- Integrate with applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Track candidate pipeline and activities.
- Post jobs to reach relevant candidates.
- Review suggestions from LinkedIn’s matching algorithms.
- Access reporting on hiring funnel and talent pool analytics.
LinkedIn Recruiter is designed for dedicated recruiters or HR professionals who spend a significant amount of their time sourcing candidates and managing the hiring process. It provides robust search functionality, recruitment CRM capabilities, and integration with ATS platforms. Pricing starts at $8,668 per year for a Core subscription.
Overview of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
Recruiter Lite is LinkedIn’s entry-level recruiting product. It offers a scaled-down set of features targeted at smaller companies, individual hiring managers, or recruiters who only occasionally source candidates on LinkedIn.
Here are some of the key features of Recruiter Lite:
- Search LinkedIn profiles and groups.
- Save up to 10 searches.
- Send up to 30 InMail messages per month.
- View limited profile information for members outside your network.
- Track status of prospects in spreadsheet view.
- Post one job to LinkedIn for free.
The basic Recruiter Lite plan is aimed at individual hiring managers or solo recruiters at small companies. It provides limited access to LinkedIn’s database along with some tools to manage the recruiting workflow. Pricing starts at $119.95 per month for an individual subscription.
Comparing Key Features
While both LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite enable you to source and contact candidates on LinkedIn, Recruiter provides substantially greater access and capabilities. Here is a side-by-side look at some of the key differences in features:
Feature | LinkedIn Recruiter | Recruiter Lite |
---|---|---|
Search LinkedIn database | Full access | Limited profile visibility for members outside your network |
Number of InMail messages | Unlimited | 30 per month |
Saved searches | Unlimited | Up to 10 |
Post jobs | Unlimited | 1 free job post |
Reporting and analytics | Robust analytics on hiring funnel, talent pool, pipeline | Limited |
ATS integration | API integrations available | None |
A few key points stand out from this comparison:
- Recruiter provides unlimited InMail for contacting prospects, while Recruiter Lite has a 30 message per month cap.
- Recruiter enables unlimited saved searches, while Recruiter Lite caps searches at 10.
- Recruiter offers extensive reporting and analytics not available in Recruiter Lite.
- Recruiter can integrate with your ATS platform.
The differences in search visibility and volume also impact the scale of recruitment activities supported. Recruiter Lite works best for very targeted recruiting for individual roles periodically. Recruiter can support large-scale, high-volume sourcing across multiple job requisitions simultaneously.
Ideal Users
Given the differences in features and scale, LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite are suited for different types of users.
LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter is designed for:
- Corporate talent acquisition teams and staffing agencies – HR departments or recruitment firms hiring at high volumes will get the most value from Recruiter’s unlimited searches, InMail, and pipeline management tools.
- Dedicated agency recruiters – Recruiters working full-time to fill job orders benefit from Recruiter’s productivity features.
- Executive search professionals – The ability to search LinkedIn’s full database, contact any member, and track process helps headhunters identify and engage executive talent.
The premium features and extensive access to LinkedIn’s database provides the most value for recruiters who spend the majority of their working hours sourcing candidates and managing high-volume recruiting workflows.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite
Recruiter Lite is better suited for:
- Small business owners and solo entrepreneurs – Lite provides basic sourcing capabilities without the cost of Recruiter.
- Individual hiring managers – For managers looking to source candidates independently for specific roles periodically, Lite offers useful functionality without unnecessary complexity.
- Infrequent agency recruiters – Recruiters who only occasionally work to fill job orders may find Lite sufficient for their limited needs.
For recruiters or managers who only hire periodically or have very targeted search needs, Recruiter Lite provides helpful LinkedIn integration at reduced cost. But frequent hirers and recruiters focused on volume will require the advanced capabilities of Recruiter.
Pricing Comparison
LinkedIn Recruiter is sold as software-as-a-service (SaaS) on an annual contract basis. There are two main editions available:
- Recruiter Lite – starts at $119.95/month paid annually for an individual license. Discounts available for teams.
- Recruiter Corporate – pricing based on number of users and subscriptions range from $8,668/year to over $24,000/year. Enterprise options also available.
Volume discounts are available on both Recruiter Lite and Recruiter Corporate for multiple users or long-term contracts. So while the starting price for Lite may seem more affordable, the per-user cost of Enterprise Recruiter can be competitive for larger teams.
Some key differences in pricing:
- Recruiter Lite is priced per individual user. Recruiter Corporate is priced based on number of users/seats.
- The monthly cost of Lite will generally exceed the per-seat cost of Recruiter for comparable number of users.
- For large teams and volume hiring, Recruiter Corporate Enterprise can be a more cost-effective option than multiple Recruiter Lite licenses.
The unlimited searches, InMail, and integration capabilities make Recruiter Corporate a much more functional product. But the lower entry cost of Lite may be attractive for smaller recruiters. Thoroughly consider expected hiring volume and projected features needed before opting for Recruiter Lite to save on initial outlay.
Implementation and Support
As SaaS solutions, both Recruiter Lite and Recruiter Corporate are accessible directly from linkedin.com without IT implementation. Support levels vary depending on subscription level.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite Support
LinkedIn provides the following support resources for Recruiter Lite customers:
- Online help center with setup guides, user tips, and troubleshooting.
- Email support form to contact LinkedIn’s support team.
- Phone support available from 9am – 8pm EST.
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate Support
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate subscribers have access to elevated customer support:
- Dedicated account manager.
- Priority online and phone support 24 hours a day.
- SLA guarantees and uptime commitments.
The Enterprise price tag of Recruiter Corporate brings more responsive and reliable support options for large-scale recruiting programs.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate share some common functionality for sourcing candidates, they are optimized for very different use cases and buyers.
Recruiter Lite offers an affordable entry point for individuals and very small companies who need to source candidates periodically in a targeted manner. But its limited search visibility, small volume of InMail messages, and lack of ATS integration make Recruiter Lite insufficient for high volume corporate recruiting.
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate provides robust tools and integrations for talent acquisition teams, staffing agencies, and search professionals to source, engage, and manage candidates at scale across an enterprise. And large contracts can bring the per-seat cost down lower than multiple Recruiter Lite licenses.
Companies with dedicated internal recruiters or staffing agencies should invest in Recruiter Corporate for unlimited access to LinkedIn’s database, automation through ATS integrations, and strong support services. Recruiter Lite offers useful basic sourcing capabilities, but is not a full-featured enterprise recruitment platform.
The needs of your hiring function should drive the choice between Recruiter Lite and Corporate. For light, periodic recruiting by individuals, Lite can be suitable. But for robust enterprise recruitment, Corporate provides the comprehensive capabilities serious recruitment organizations require.
Key Takeaways
- LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate has unlimited InMail, searches, ATS integration, and support which Recruiter Lite lacks.
- Recruiter Lite is for individuals and small companies; Recruiter Corporate serves volume hiring needs of large teams.
- Recruiter Lite is lower cost to start, but per-seat Recruiter Corporate pricing can become more cost effective at volume.
- Recruiter Lite offers basic sourcing; Recruiter Corporate is a complete enterprise recruitment platform.