With the recent spates of tech industry layoffs resulting in fierce competition among applicants, and the rise of AI fueling widespread job insecurity, 2024 is shaping up to be a challenging year for job hunters.
Fortunately, LinkedIn continues to be a reliable professional weapon for applicants looking to stand out from the masses, and businesses focusing on cost effective recruitment. However, with every dollar counting more than ever, is splashing out on a LinkedIn premium membership worth it? Or will using LinkedIn’s free package be enough?
To help you figure out if LinkedIn Premium will be a good investment for you in 2024, we break down the cost of LinkedIn’s paid Career and Business pricing plans. More specifically, we look at the capabilities of these packages compare to the platform’s forever-free tier.
We also explain which users will benefit the most from each plan, if you’re unsure which is the best fit for you. Read on for a complete guide to how much LinkedIn Premium costs and our take on if it’s actually worth it.
In this guide:
How Much Does LinkedIn Premium Cost?
A LinkedIn Premium Career account costs $29.99 per month, or $239 per year if you’re happy to pay annually. This plan unlocks a number of useful benefits like featured application statuses, InMail functionality, and of course the social network’s AI features. It’s ultimately aimed at the job seekers who want to enhance their competitive advantage on the platform.
LinkedIn also offers a premium tier for businesses called LinkedIn Premium Business. This plan costs $59.99 per month, or $575.88 per year, and intends to increase business changes of hiring with detailed insights, enhanced profile visibility, and AI-powered advice and takeaways.
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While these are LinkedIn’s only dedicated pricing packages, the platform also offers a variety of other packages, each with its own use case and price point. If you’re interested in leaning more about LinkedIn’s different pricing packages, we’ve summarised its different plans below:
LinkedIn Pricing Plans at a Glance (2024)
- LinkedIn offers a forever-free version called LinkedIn Basic
- LinkedIn Premium Career helps users get hired and get ahead in their personal life, and costs $29.99 per month
- LinkedIn Premium Business account helps business leaders attract new talent and scale their business and costs $99.99 per month.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Core is designed to help professionals generate leads and build their clientele and costs $99.99 per month.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced is intended for sales looks looking for full access to LinkedIn’s sales toolkit and is available for $149.99 per month.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Advanced Plus was designed for enterprise sales teams and offers an additional CRM integration. Prices for this plan are based on individual business needs.
- LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is LinkedIn’s entry-level recruiting tool and is best suited for individuals and small teams. It costs $170 per month.
- LinkedIn Recruiter is for professional services and staffing firms, offers a higher cap on candidate search alerts, and costs $835 per month.
- LinkedIn Learnings is LinkedIn’s educational platform that he’s users develop business, tech-based, and creative skills. Prices for this plan start from $19.99 per month.
LinkedIn Basic Explained
LinkedIn offers a free-of-change, basic membership for users looking to create and maintain a professional profile online. LinkedIn Basic is ideal for individuals looking to improve their online presence, connect with people in their industry, and search for job opportunities. Below we list some ways LinkedIn users can benefit from the Basic plan.
LinkedIn Basic key features
- Build your professional identity
- Search and view other LinkedIn profiles
- Connect and network with other LinkedIn profiles
- Request and give recommendations
- Request five introductions at a time
- Receive InMail messages
- See who’s viewed your profile for five days
- Conduct up to 100 profile searches
LinkedIn Basic does have some limitations, however. If you use the free plan you aren’t able to send messages to profiles you’re not connected to, you’re only able to see who has viewed your profile for the past five days, and your searches are limited.
Who should use LinkedIn Basic?
Due to LinkedIn Basic’s affordability, it’s ideal for casual job seekers, students, and small business owners. Its search cap and InMail restrictions make it less suitable for active job seekers and larger companies, however.
LinkedIn Premium Career Explained
LinkedIn Premium Career is LinkedIn’s premium package for job seekers. It offers everything included in the platform’s Basic tier, plus a range of expanded and new features. For instance, in order to use LinkedIn’s new AI tools, you’ll need a Premium account.
In a recent LinkedIn survey, it was found job seekers using LinkedIn Premium were hired 2x faster that those using its free plan. This suggests the plan is ideal for individuals looking to get a new job quickly.
Read on to learn more about the benefits of the plan and how they’re designed to make it easier for users to expand their professional network and access career opportunities.
Premium Profile Badge
Premium Career users will have the option to display a gold badge on their profile picture and search results. This badge helps users stand out from other job applicants and sends a clear message to recruiters that they’re serious about making connections and exploring new opportunities.
More profile searches
Unlike Linked Basic, which imposes monthly search caps, the Premium Career plan doesn’t limit the amount of profile searches you can make. This makes it easier for job seekers to browse profiles up to 3rd-degree connections, and increase the size of their professional network.
More InMail Options
Individuals using this plan are also able to use InMail to message people outside of their professional network. Unlike most other messaging mediums, once you’ve mailed the recipient, they will be able to see who you are, as well as a blow-by-blow of your professional history.
With findings from LinkedIn revealing that people are 4.6x more likely to reply to an InMail than a standard email, this feature is a huge bonus for individuals looking to boost their visibility and make value connections.
Featured Applicant Status
With LinkedIn Premium, you receive recommendations for roles where you’d be considered a top applicant from recruiters. You can also apply for these jobs being highlighted as a “Featured Applicant”, and your job application will also automatically be prioritized over non-applicant members.
LinkedIn Learning
LinkedIn Premium Career users also get unlimited access to the website’s in-house learning platform LinkedIn Learning, unlocking access to relevant personalized e-learning content and helping them take the next step in their careers. The platform library offers courses in seven languages, spanning topics like creativity, diversity and inclusion, and leadership and management.
LinkedIn learning platform screenshot. Source: learning.linkedin.com
See Who Has Viewed Your Page
While Basic members are only able to see who viewed their profile in the last five days, Premium members can see the names and occupations of everyone who has checked out their account in the last 90 days. Premium users also gain insights into how these accounts found your profile, helping them optimize their profile and increase their overall visibility.
Who should use LinkedIn Premium Career?
Due to the plan’s enhanced professional features, it’s a great option for job seekers serious about increasing their visibility and finding opportunities fast. It’s also a great package for users working towards their professional goals, as long as they’re able to spare the monthly costs.
LinkedIn Premium Business Explained
LinkedIn Premium Business is the platform’s premium tier designed specifically for business owners and managers. The package offers a number of advantages from the free plan, including access to detailed analytics, and improved sales and networking features. Take a look at some of LinkedIn Premium Business’s capabilities below.
LinkedIn Premium Business key features
- 15 InMail messages per month
- Unlimited searches
- LinkedIn Learning access
- See who’s viewed your profile for 90 days
- Detailed business Insights
LinkedIn Business Career is a great way to utilize the platform’s networking, marketing, and sales features. It’s especially suited toward sales teams looking to optimize their prospecting, lead generation, and lead management processes. However, dedicated sales teams with more advanced needs may benefit more from the website’s Sale Navigator package, as it offers 50 InMail credits per month, custom alerts on leads, and enhanced boolean search queries for only $40 more per month.
Who should use LinkedIn Premium Business?
If you’re a business owner or manager looking to improve your hiring potential and expand your professional network LinkedIn Premium Business will be worth the investment. However, teams using the platform to drive up sales performance will be better off opting for LinkedIn Sales Navigator, instead.
Why Is LinkedIn Premium So Expensive?
Verdict: Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It?
Considering the unfettered access you get to LinkedIn’s career-building, job-hunting, and networking features, LinkedIn Premium Career is definitely worth it for job seekers looking to stand out from the competition. The premium tier can also be a great investment for individuals in full-time employment who prioritize growing in their career and seeking a community of like-minded professionals.
Adorning a slightly larger price tag of $59.99 per month, LinkedIn Premium Career will be worth it for businesses and managers that are restricted by LinkedIn basics stringent search and messaging limits.
However, we think its value offering is slightly less competitive than LinkedIn’s Sales Navigator package. So if you’re using LinkedIn to further your sales strategy, we’d recommend investing a few more dollars a month into this package instead.
