Which LinkedIn subscription is best?

With four different subscription options to choose from, deciding which LinkedIn premium subscription is right for you can be a confusing process. This comprehensive guide will outline the key features, benefits, and pricing of each LinkedIn subscription plan to help you determine the best option for your needs.

LinkedIn Free Account

LinkedIn’s free account offers limited access to basic LinkedIn features. With a free account, you can create a profile, make connections, join groups, follow companies, and conduct basic searches. However, your profile will display ads, you’ll have restricted messaging capabilities, and you won’t have access to premium features like InMail, advanced job searches, profile branding, Lead Gen forms, and more.

The main benefits of a LinkedIn free account include:

• Creating a profile and making connections
• Performing basic profile searches
• Joining groups and following companies
• Viewing limited profile information from connections

LinkedIn’s free account has no cost associated with it. It’s a good option for casual LinkedIn users who only need basic social networking and profile features.

LinkedIn Premium Career

LinkedIn Premium Career (formerly LinkedIn Premium) provides expanded access to LinkedIn for individual job seekers and professionals. Key features include:

• InMail messages for directly contacting anyone on LinkedIn
• Ability to display the Open To Work photo filter on your profile
• Viewing profiles anonymously without others being notified
• Seeing full profiles of everyone who has viewed your profile
• Advanced job search filters and recommended jobs
• Trending courses and skill assessments
• Salary and company culture insights

Premium Career offers two pricing options:

• Monthly: $29.99 per month
• Annually: $239.88 per year (equivalent to $19.99 per month)

This plan is ideal for job seekers, professionals, recruiters, and anyone seeking to get the most out of LinkedIn for career networking and opportunities.

LinkedIn Premium Business

LinkedIn Premium Business provides enhanced features tailored for sales and business development. Key features include:

• InMail messages
• Lead Gen Forms for generating B2B leads
• Unlimited profile views
• Expanded search filters and saved searches
• Premium branding for your profile and account
• analytics and insights on content and profile performance

There are three pricing options for Premium Business:

• Monthly: $64.99 per month
• Annually: $599.88 per year (equivalent to $49.99 per month)
• Sales Navigator Team: $79.99 per month per user for teams of 10+ (annual contracts only)

This expanded subscription is ideal for salespeople, recruiters, marketers, and anyone using LinkedIn to generate leads and new business.

LinkedIn Premium Hiring

LinkedIn Premium Hiring provides advanced recruiting and talent sourcing capabilities. Key features include:

• InMail messages
• Unlimited profile views
• Expanded search filters and Boolean search
• Talent pool management and tracking
• Recruiter profile branding
• Sourcing and pipeline analytics

There are two pricing options for Premium Hiring:

• Monthly: $99.95 per month
• Annually: $999.00 per year (equivalent to $83.25 per month)

This is the ideal LinkedIn subscription for corporate recruiters, HR professionals, staffing agencies, and hiring managers actively sourcing and engaging talent.

LinkedIn Learning

While not a traditional premium account, LinkedIn Learning provides unlimited access to over 16,000 online courses across a wide variety of business, technology, and creative skills. Key features include:

• Unlimited access to LinkedIn Learning courses
• Expert-led instructional videos
• Learning paths curated by topic
• Downloadable course materials
• Certificates of completion
• Mobile app for learning on the go

LinkedIn Learning offers three pricing tiers:

• Monthly: $29.99 per month
• Annually: $240.00 per year (equivalent to $20 per month)
• Enterprise: Custom pricing for teams and organizations

This platform is a great option for anyone looking to develop new business, technology, or creative skills through LinkedIn’s extensive expert-led course library.

Comparing Key Features

When evaluating which LinkedIn subscription is right for you, it helps to compare the key features across the different options:

Determining the Right LinkedIn Subscription

When deciding which LinkedIn premium option is best for your needs, here are some key questions to consider:

• Will you primarily use LinkedIn for active job searching and career networking? If so, Premium Career has the features tailored for that purpose.
• Are you focused on sales lead generation and business development? Premium Business offers the tools to support this.
• Is recruiting and talent sourcing a high priority? Premium Hiring provides specialized features for corporate recruiting.
• Do you want to take LinkedIn courses for professional development? LinkedIn Learning has thousands of expert-led courses.
• What is your budget? Premium Career provides strong professional features for $29.99/month. The other plans offer more niche capabilities at a higher price point.

Evaluate whether the expanded capabilities of the premium options align with your professional goals on LinkedIn. For many professionals, Premium Career offers the best balance of enhanced features and affordable pricing.

Conclusion

LinkedIn premium subscriptions provide users with an expanded suite of features tailored to either job seeking, business development, recruiting, or learning. Premium Career is the most versatile plan for individual professionals looking to get more value from LinkedIn for networking and career advancement at an accessible price point. Premium Business offers robust tools for sales lead generation, while Premium Hiring provides specialized recruiting capabilities. Ultimately, assessing your own professional needs and budget will determine which premium upgrade delivers the greatest value.