LinkedIn premium offers several pricing options depending on the features you need. Determining the cheapest LinkedIn premium option requires comparing the different subscription levels and prices.
LinkedIn Premium Options
There are four main tiers of LinkedIn premium subscriptions:
- Premium Career – $29.99/month
- Premium Business – $49.99/month
- Sales Navigator Professional – $64.99/month
- Sales Navigator Team – $79.99/user/month
The cheapest option is Premium Career at $29.99 per month when paying month-to-month. However, you can get cheaper rates by purchasing an annual subscription upfront.
Premium Career
Premium Career is the most affordable LinkedIn premium option. With Premium Career you get:
- See who viewed your profile
- Get insight into your profile views and search appearances
- Take free LinkedIn Learning courses
- Get expert resume reviews
- Enjoy unlimited article views
- Get help from LinkedIn support
The regular monthly price is $29.99. However, if you purchase an annual Premium Career subscription, the price drops to $239.88 upfront annually. This brings the effective monthly cost down to $19.99, making annual Premium Career the cheapest way to get LinkedIn Premium.
Premium Business
Premium Business includes all the same features as Premium Career, plus:
- Advanced search filters
- Search people outside your network
- See full profiles of people outside your network
The regular monthly price is $49.99. With an annual subscription, the price is $399.88 upfront, lowering the effective monthly cost to $33.32.
Sales Navigator
Sales Navigator is LinkedIn’s sales-focused paid tier. There are two options:
- Professional: $64.99/month regular price, $529.88 annually ($44.16/month)
- Team: $79.99/user/month regular price, $648/user annually ($54/month)
Sales Navigator offers premium sales and lead generation tools, like saved leads and recommended accounts. But since it is tailored to sales professionals, it is more expensive than Premium Career and Premium Business.
Cheapest LinkedIn Premium: Premium Career Annual Subscription
Based on the prices above, the cheapest way to get LinkedIn Premium is with the Premium Career annual subscription at $239.88 upfront. This breaks down to $19.99 per month, compared to $29.99 month-to-month.
Here is a summary of the cheapest annual subscription options:
LinkedIn Premium | Annual Price | Monthly Equivalent |
---|---|---|
Premium Career | $239.88 | $19.99 |
Premium Business | $399.88 | $33.32 |
Sales Navigator Professional | $529.88 | $44.16 |
As you can see, Premium Career is $240/year, working out to just under $20/month. This makes it the cheapest LinkedIn premium option when you purchase annually.
Should You Choose the Cheapest LinkedIn Premium?
Premium Career offers solid professional branding and networking capabilities. However, it lacks some features offered by Premium Business and Sales Navigator, like advanced search filters and saved leads.
Before choosing the cheapest option, consider which LinkedIn premium features are most valuable for your professional goals. While Premium Career is the most affordable, it may not provide everything you need.
Here are some key questions to help determine if Premium Career is right for you:
- Will you utilize resume reviews, LinkedIn Learning courses, and other career resources?
- Do you need to search for people outside your network or see their full profiles?
- Will you use advanced filtering to find qualified sales prospects and leads?
If you answered yes to any of these questions, it may be worth spending more on Premium Business or Sales Navigator. Evaluate whether the additional features justify a higher subscription cost.
Maximizing the Value of LinkedIn Premium
To maximize value from your LinkedIn Premium subscription at any tier, here are some tips:
- Complete your profile 100% to ensure visibility in searches.
- Engage consistently by sharing articles and commenting.
- Join relevant LinkedIn groups and participate in discussions.
- Follow companies you are interested in or want to work for.
- Use Premium search to find decision-makers and route contacts.
- Track your profile views and appearances to improve visibility.
Taking advantage of all Premium features applicable to your subscription level can help grow your career and professional network.
Can You Get LinkedIn Premium Free?
Currently, LinkedIn does not offer free premium subscriptions. The only way to get access LinkedIn Premium is by paying for one of the four paid tiers.
However, some companies offer employees free LinkedIn Premium subscriptions as a benefit. If your company has this policy, you may be able to get Premium at no cost to you.
You can also try Premium for free for 30 days when signing up for a trial. But after the trial ends, you must purchase a subscription or downgrade back to free Basic LinkedIn.
Other Ways to Reduce LinkedIn Premium Costs
Aside from the annual subscription discount, there are a few other ways you may be able to reduce your LinkedIn Premium costs:
- Pair with Microsoft 365: If you have Microsoft 365 for work or personal use, you can add LinkedIn Premium for a reduced price.
- Check for student discounts: Students and recent graduates may be eligible for lower Premium rates.
- Find group deals: Some organizations offer group LinkedIn Premium packages at discounted bulk rates.
- Downgrade after a year: You can downgrade to free Basic after one year to avoid ongoing costs.
Combining annual billing, Microsoft 365 bundles, and targeted discounts or promotions can potentially lower your overall LinkedIn Premium costs.
Should You Pay for LinkedIn Premium?
Here are some pros and cons to weigh when deciding if LinkedIn Premium is worth the cost for you:
Pros
- Additional profile visibility and search features
- See full insights into who has viewed your profile
- Unlimited access to online courses and learning material
- Advanced prospecting and sales tools (Sales Navigator)
- Ad-free browsing experience
Cons
- Premium Career lacks some features available in higher tiers
- Must pay annually for the best rate
- Free Basic account offers core LinkedIn functionality
- Premium features may not actually help you find a job
Weigh the benefits against the annual or monthly costs to determine if the additional features will provide value for your career situation and goals.
Conclusion
The cheapest way to get LinkedIn Premium is with the Premium Career annual subscription, which comes out to $19.99 per month when billed annually. However, Premium Career lacks some features available in Premium Business and Sales Navigator.
Evaluate your specific needs and budget to determine the right LinkedIn Premium tier. Maximize the value by fully utilizing the Premium features included in your subscription level. While Premium Career may be cheapest, another tier may provide better value if it helps you achieve your professional networking and career growth goals.