Is there any similar app like LinkedIn?

LinkedIn is one of the most popular professional networking platforms, with over 740 million members worldwide as of 2022. Its huge user base and wide range of features for connecting with other professionals make LinkedIn a uniquely valuable site. However, some users may be looking for alternatives that offer similar networking options. This article will explore some of the top apps that provide comparable professional social networking functionalities to LinkedIn.

Key Features of LinkedIn

Before looking at LinkedIn alternatives, it’s helpful to summarize some of the key features that make LinkedIn such a useful platform:

• Profiles – Users create professional profiles highlighting their work histories, education, skills, accomplishments, recommendations, and other credentials.
• Networking – Members can connect with colleagues, classmates, clients, and other professionals to build an online network.
• Job Postings – LinkedIn lists numerous job openings that members can view and apply for.
• Groups – Users with shared interests or professional backgrounds can join group discussions in their industries.
• Messaging – Members can communicate via private messages and the LinkedIn inbox.
• News Feed – A personalized feed shows updates on connections, companies, and professional news.
• Premium Subscriptions – Paid subscriptions provide access to additional features like expanded profile views, messaging, and job application insights.

While LinkedIn tends to be focused on career networking, some alternative sites aim to replicate parts of the LinkedIn experience while also offering connections beyond the professional realm.

Facebook

Facebook, the world’s largest social network, contains many overlapping features with LinkedIn. While Facebook serves a broader audience and purpose, users can still leverage it for professional networking and visibility. Key features relevant to professional use include:

• Profiles – Facebook profiles allow users to highlight work history, education, skills, accomplishments, recommendations, and other professional details.
• Networking – Members can connect with colleagues, classmates, clients, and associates.
• Groups – Public and private groups cater to those in the same industries and interest areas.
• Pages – Businesses can create Pages to promote services, post news, advertise jobs, and attract followers.
• Messaging – Facebook Messenger facilitates communication between connections.
• News Feed – Professional updates from connections and Pages appear in each user’s customized feed.

While Facebook lacks the specific career-oriented focus of LinkedIn, it provides a similarly large professional network and opportunities for establishing industry connections, showcasing credentials, and sharing relevant updates.

XING

XING, founded in 2003, operates as a career-oriented social networking platform similar to LinkedIn but with a stronger foothold in European markets like Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. XING has over 20 million members globally. Some core XING features include:

• Profiles – Members build professional profiles with career details, education, skills, accomplishments.
• Networking – Users connect with colleagues, clients, partners, etc.
• Job Listings – Millions of job postings are available to search through and apply for.
• Groups – Forums focused around shared industries, professions, or interests.
• Messaging – Contact other members through private messaging.
• News – Users see a feed of career-related news and updates.
• Premium Services – Paid subscriptions (called XING Premium) offer enhanced profile visibility and networking capabilities.

For those specifically seeking a professional network, XING provides a compelling alternative to LinkedIn. However, XING’s smaller user base makes it less advantageous for connecting with professionals outside of German-speaking regions.

Viadeo

Viadeo, founded in France in 2004, is another career-focused social network similar to LinkedIn. It currently has over 10 million members, mainly concentrated in Europe (especially France), Africa, and China. Key Viadeo features include:

• Profiles – Members build professional profiles highlighting career details, education, skills, accomplishments.
• Networking – Users connect with colleagues, classmates, partners, clients, etc.
• Jobs – Viadeo integrates job listings from many sources.
• Groups – Discussions forums based on industries, professions, topics.
• Messaging – Communication through private messages.
• News – Professional news feeds tailored to each member.
• Paid Services – Viadeo allows paid monthly subscriptions for improved profile visibility and other benefits.

For those focused on networking in France, other French-speaking areas, China, or Africa, Viadeo can provide similar services to LinkedIn. However, its smaller membership size makes it less useful for connecting globally.

Behance

Behance, owned by Adobe, stands out from many other LinkedIn alternatives by specifically catering to creative professions like designers, artists, and photographers. Its key features focus on showcasing creative portfolios:

• Profiles – Members can showcase professional portfolios of projects, selected works, and client lists.
• Networking – Creatives can connect with peers, clients, and potential collaborators.
• Job Listings – listings specifically for creative and design roles.
• Groups – Forums to exchange ideas and advice around design-related fields.
• Messaging – Contact other members through private messages.
• Discovery – Browse and discover new creative work and talent.

For visual creatives like graphic designers or UX specialists, Behance can offer some unique advantages over LinkedIn, including its portfolio-focused profiles, creative job openings, and discovery features tailored to the design field.

GitHub

Though not a traditional social networking platform, GitHub has emerged as a key site for developers and coders to showcase work, collaborate, and connect with peers. GitHub’s main features relevant to professional networking include:

• Profiles – Developers can create profiles highlighting their coding work and experience.
• Project Hosting – Users can host code repositories for public viewing or private collaboration.
• Networking – Developers connect by following each other and contributing to common projects.
• Jobs – GitHub lists numerous tech job openings.
• Discussions – Forums, issue tracking, and team communication around coding projects.

As a hub for hosting, sharing, and discussing code, GitHub is tailored for technical professions like software engineering. Coders can develop professional connections and visibility in the GitHub community.

Dribbble

Dribbble is an online community aimed at graphic designers, web designers, illustrators, and other creatives to share work, connect, and find job opportunities and freelance work. Its core functionality echoes some of LinkedIn’s professional networking features:

• Profiles – Professional profiles with examples of design work and portfolio projects.
• Networking – Connections between designers, creators, clients, and collaborators.
• Project Showcases – Users can upload shots or screenshots of projects and designs-in-progress for feedback.
• Jobs Listings – Job board focused on creative, design, and related roles.
• Messaging – Site messaging for communicating with connections.

Dribbble concentrates squarely on building a community for visual design professionals. Its offerings for showcasing portfolios and connecting with potential clients and collaborators make it well-suited as a networking resource for creatives.

AngelList

AngelList focuses on connections and opportunities specifically in the startup space. Key features include:

• Profiles – Founders, investors, and startup employees showcase professional backgrounds.
• Networking – Connections formed between startup founders, investors, job seekers, service providers.
• Jobs – Startup job listings and talent recruitment options.
• Funding – Startups can raise funds on the platform through introductions to investors.
• Services – Startups can find service providers like developers, designers, lawyers, etc.

For those working in the startup sector, either as founders or employees, AngelList provides a customized set of tools to expand professional networks and advance startups. However, it lacks the generalized utility of LinkedIn for those outside the startup space.

Conclusion

While no other site perfectly replicates the full breadth of LinkedIn’s professional networking capabilities, some alternatives do provide compelling options in specific niches or geographic markets. Professionals may want to consider complementing a LinkedIn presence with profiles on sites like Behance, Dribbble, GitHub, or AngelList focused specifically on their particular field. And those operating mainly within certain countries may find localized networks like XING more useful and active in their local area.

But LinkedIn’s combination of huge membership base, wide-ranging features, and strong global brand recognition make it likely to remain the definitive career-oriented social network that sets the standard for professional networking platforms.