With LinkedIn being the world’s largest professional network, it’s no surprise that many people are looking to maximize their use of the platform. LinkedIn offers several paid packages that provide additional features beyond the basic free account. But which LinkedIn package is right for you? This comprehensive guide examines the key differences between the LinkedIn Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator Professional, and Sales Navigator Team packages to help you determine the best choice for your needs and budget.
What’s included in the LinkedIn Premium packages?
LinkedIn offers two Premium packages: Premium Career and Premium Business. Here’s an overview of what’s included with each:
LinkedIn Premium Career
- Unlimited profile views
- Know who’s viewed your profile
- Expanded network by viewing full profiles of everyone who has viewed your profile
- InMail messages for directly contacting anyone on LinkedIn
- Job post insights showing how you compare to other applicants
- Salary comparison against other professionals in your field
- access to online learning courses and expert coaching
LinkedIn Premium Business
- All Premium Career features
- Expanded search filters
- Message prioritization and reduced irrelevant messages
- Company and industry insights
- Talent recruiting tools
- Advertising credits
So in summary, Premium Career focuses on expanding your network and boosting your personal brand and career opportunities, while Premium Business provides tools for company research, recruiting, and advertising.
What’s included in the LinkedIn Sales Solutions packages?
In addition to the Premium packages, LinkedIn offers two sales-focused packages: Sales Navigator Professional and Sales Navigator Team. Here’s what each one includes:
Sales Navigator Professional
- Lead recommendations based on your saved leads and accounts
- Recent lead and account updates
- Advanced search filters and alerts
- Sales notifications when your prospects and accounts are in the news
- Unlimited InMail messages
- Who’s Viewed Your Profile insights
- Contact management tools
Sales Navigator Team
- All Sales Navigator Professional features
- Team dashboard with shared leads, accounts, and opportunities
- Collaboration tools
- Cadence management
- Customized sales alerts and notifications
- Enhanced analytics and reporting
In short, Sales Navigator focuses specifically on sales prospecting, pipeline management, and team collaboration features to boost sales productivity.
Cost comparison
When evaluating the different LinkedIn packages, cost is often an important factor. Here’s how the monthly and annual pricing breaks down for each plan:
| Package | Monthly Price | Annual Price |
|---|---|---|
| Premium Career | $29.99 | $359.88 |
| Premium Business | $59.99 | $719.88 |
| Sales Navigator Professional | $79.99 | $959.88 |
| Sales Navigator Team | $119.99 | $1,439.88 |
A few key things to note:
- Annual subscriptions offer savings of up to 20% compared to monthly billing.
- Sales Navigator plans are premium offerings priced higher than the Premium packages.
- Sales Navigator Team has tiered pricing based on number of users.
Key feature comparison
When deciding which LinkedIn plan is right for you, it’s helpful to compare some of the key features side-by-side:
| Feature | Premium Career | Premium Business | Sales Navigator Pro | Sales Navigator Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Profile views | Unlimited | Unlimited | Up to 300 | Up to 300 |
| InMail messages | 15 per month | 25 per month | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Search filters | Basic | Advanced | Sales-focused | Sales-focused |
| Lead recommendations | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Team collaboration | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
| Ads credits | ✗ | $50 per month | ✗ | ✗ |
This makes it easy to see at a glance which plans offer which features so you can determine which is the best match for your needs.
Who should choose Premium Career?
The Premium Career plan is a great choice for individuals focused on advancing their careers. Key benefits include:
- Viewing unlimited profiles so you can thoroughly research companies and connections
- Seeing exactly who has been looking at your profile which can reveal networking opportunities
- Directly contacting other members through InMails to expand your network
- Gaining insights into how you stack up against other applicants for positions you apply for
- Learning new skills through LinkedIn Learning courses to build your capabilities
Premium Career helps take your career development into your own hands. It’s ideal for active job seekers, career changers, and independent consultants or freelancers looking to boost their personal brand and establish new connections.
Who should choose Premium Business?
Premium Business builds on the Career features and adds tools tailored for business owners, hiring managers, and corporate recruiters. Key perks include:
- Advanced search filters to quickly find candidates based on job titles, locations, skills, and other criteria
- Tools for easily managing, screening, and contacting prospects
- Company page analytics such as Follower Updates and Visit Demographics
- Reduced unsolicited messages so your time is protected
- Recruitment ads to target active and passive job candidates – a $50 credit is included each month
Premium Business helps companies spot talent, gain insights to attract candidates, and build their employer brand. It’s a great HR tool for any growing organization.
Who should choose Sales Navigator Pro or Team?
For sales professionals, Sales Navigator offers the most robust set of tools tailored for sales prospecting and pipeline growth. Benefits include:
- Lead recommendations automatically suggested based on existing saved leads and accounts
- Recent updates on your prospects and accounts so you can see timely news or changes
- Notifications when prospects are mentioned in news articles
- No limit on InMails to contact any prospect
- Saved lead, account, and opportunity tracking
The Team plan builds on this with shared team folders, cadence management tools, and customized alerts and notifications. This facilitates collaboration and consistency across the sales team.
Bottom line – Sales Navigator is purpose-built to help sales connect with more qualified prospects, manage lead follow-up, and sell more effectively.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Premium Career is best for individual branding and career advancement. Premium Business facilitates talent management and recruitment for companies. Sales Navigator Pro and Team provide specialized tools for sales prospecting and pipeline growth.
Carefully evaluate which features are most important for your goals. For most professionals, Premium Career or Sales Navigator offer the greatest day-to-day value based on their more affordable pricing and breadth of features useful for networking or sales.
Regardless of which you choose, any LinkedIn paid subscription can be a wise investment for boosting your personal or business opportunities through the world’s largest professional network.
