How Much Does LinkedIn Premium Cost? A Complete Guide to Plans, Pricing & Features

 

LinkedIn used to be just a digital resume; today, it is a place where careers are built, deals are made, and new partnerships are crafted. But if you've been working on the LinkedIn Free version, you have definitely come across a few things that pinch at you or do not allow you to connect meaningfully.

That said, whatever your goal might be: whether you are finding for yourself a job, running a small business, or selling something, LinkedIn Premium has related tools that will expedite and smarten the process for you. In this guide, we'll get into:

• Differences between LinkedIn Free and Premium
• What you get with various premium plans
• Actual costs of each plan
• And if it is worth it for you

Let's get started!

What You Get (and Don’t Get) with a Free LinkedIn Account

Therefore, if you have a free account, a fairly decent experience awaits you.

Here's what you can't do with a free LinkedIn account:

1. Limited Search Results

Free users are only shown a fraction of possible search results. If you're trying to find people in your line of work, leads, or hiring managers, the results get capped. Then, if you come up with better prospects to grow, you can also use the-limit-removing option with Premium.

2. Commercial Use Restrictions

Entrepreneurs, freelance consultants, or business developers who rely on the site for productivity find it a nuisance.  If the free users are reported to conduct too many business searches, LinkedIn may impose restrictions temporarily on these activities.

3. No InMail Messages

Messaging options are limited to existing connections only. Premium membership includes InMail credits, allowing for messages to be sent to anyone, even those outside your network.

4. No Access to Legit Profile Viewers

Wondered who was viewing your profile? Free accounts show only a handful of recent viewers, but not all of them. A Premium account will furnish you full visibility, even to trends.

LinkedIn Premium: Overview of Plans

Four main types of LinkedIn Premium subscriptions distinguish themselves:

1. Premium Career

2. Premium Business

3. Sales Navigator

4. Recruiter / Recruiter Lite

Each one corresponds to a distinct audience: job seekers, businesspeople, sales, and recruiting. Here is a complete analysis of each type.

LinkedIn Premium Career – For Job Seekers

Cost: $29.99/month or $239.88/year (plus VAT)

It is the way for you if you want to sell yourself. Actually, if you are actively on the market or trying to make a career switch, it is the best way to go. LinkedIn Premium Career has the recruiters first, and it allows you to track who has viewed your profile. It also offers you job insights competitors don't have.

Top Core Features:

• Who visited your profile in the last 365 days.
• Highlight themselves as featured job applicants to garner visibility.
• Send an InMail message to hiring managers (5 credits per month).
• See salary information for the positions they are applying to.
• AI Resume & Profile Assistance: Assist you in writing your profile, headline, or messages.
• Data on job market competition: Examine how candidates compare to you.

Best For: People looking for work, recent grads, people changing careers, and anybody else who wants a little more exposure in the job market.

LinkedIn Premium Business – For Professionals & Entrepreneurs

Cost: $59.99/month or $575.88/year (plus VAT)

This package is the ideal present for anyone looking to use LinkedIn as a powerful tool for expanding their business, building their brand, or discovering new prospects. Whether you are a working professional, consultant, or founder, LinkedIn Premium Business gives you the resources to reach a wider audience.

What you get:

• Everything from Premium Career +
• 15 InMail credits per month (instead of 5)
• Unlimited browsing of people
• More advanced search filters to locate leads faster
• Company insights to study competitors or potential partners
• LinkedIn Learning access with 21,000+ courses
• Open Profile access: Anyone can message you, even if they're not connected

Best for: Freelancers, business developers, or consultants, or anyone building a personal brand.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator – For Sales Professionals

Cost: Starts at $99.99/month (Core Plan) or $959.88/year

If you're in the B2B space and need a mighty app for discovering leads, building pipelines, and messaging prospects, Sales Navigator should be on your side. Far ahead of Premium Business in prospecting power.

Sales-Driving Features:

• 50 InMail credits every month
• Lead Recommendations Powered by AI
• CRM integration (for example, Salesforce)
• Custom lead lists and alerts
• Advanced company filters
• Notes & tags for interaction tracking

Best used by: Sales executives, agencies, SaaS companies, and business owners looking to build a client base on LinkedIn.

LinkedIn Recruiter Lite – For Recruiters

Cost: $180/month (+VAT)

If you hire very often or deal a lot with human resources, this is very much for you. The Recruiter Lite version provides you with an extended pool of candidates and enhanced filtering and messaging tools.

Main recruiter features:

• Beyond 1st-degree connections
• 30 InMail credits per month
• Advanced candidate search, with more than 20 filters
• Talent pipeline management
• Save and tag profiles for future openings

The perfect option and that is fit for: HR professionals, hiring managers, and independent recruiters that contain a fair volume of hiring.

Side-by-Side Comparison: Premium Career vs Business vs Sales vs Recruiter

Feature	Career	Business	Sales Navigator	Recruiter Lite
Price (Monthly)	$29.99	$59.99	$99.99+	$180
InMail Credits	5	15	50	30
Who Viewed My Profile	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Advanced Search Filters	❌	✔️	✔️	✔️
LinkedIn Learning Access	✔️	✔️	✔️	❌
CRM Integration	❌	❌	✔️	✔️
Lead/Job Insights	✔️	✔️	✔️	✔️
Ideal for	Job Seekers	Entrepreneurs	Sales Teams	Recruiters

 

Why LinkedIn Premium is Worth the Investment

Let’s be honest—LinkedIn Premium isn’t cheap, especially for small businesses or individuals. But for many users, it pays for itself. Here's why:

1. Better Visibility

Premium account holders will show higher in search results, especially when hiring managers are sorting through potential candidates. You will also be seen with the featured applicant tag.

2. Messaging Anyone

No more putting connection requests on hold. InMail opens the possibility of messaging anyone directly for potential hires, partners, or mentors.

3. More Insight

Are you trying to see who viewed your profile? Want to understand how your application fares against others? Such insights give you an edge.

AI Features in LinkedIn Premium

LinkedIn has rolled out AI-powered tools across its premium plans. Some highlights include:

These are the three core tools I specialize in:

• AI Profile Writer: This tool automatically recommends improved headlines or profile descriptions.
• AI Message Drafts: Tailored templates for outreach to recruiting managers, recruiters, or potential customers. 
• Smart Job Insights: Learn where to enhance your skill set and how it aligns with job postings.

These resources help you become more convincing and professional in addition to saving you time. 

How to Subscribe to LinkedIn Premium

Getting started is easy:

1. Log in to LinkedIn

2. Click the “Me” icon at the top right

3. Go to Settings & Privacy > Account Preferences > Upgrade

4. Choose your preferred plan

5. Enter payment details and enjoy your trial or start the subscription

You can cancel anytime—and if you cancel before the end of a free trial, you won’t be charged.

Trial, Refunds & Subscription Changes

• Free Trial: Most plans offer a 1-month free trial. You’ll be notified 7 days before it ends.
• Refunds: You can request a refund within 7 days if services weren’t used.
• Cancellations: Use settings to cancel at any time.

Conclusion: Does LinkedIn Premium Make Sense? 

Your career objectives and the way you want to use the platform will determine that.

• If job-hunting is your current state, then an indispensable wealth of features for acceleration is provided through Premium Career. One may find out who viewed their profile; send messages to recruiters; look at salary insights; and compare oneself against others applying for similar jobs. These features ramp up one's chances to be hired faster.
• Think about Premium Business if you are networking or working on business growth. It provides detailed business insights, unlimited profile browsing, and expanded filter options, all maximizing B2B outreach or branding.
• If sales is your profession, take a leap of faith over the other plans and go with Sales Navigator. It is meant for advanced lead generation with CRM integration, lead recommendations, and more.
• Recruiter Lite is intended for those recruiting. It assists one in finding and managing talents with advanced filters, saved searches, and bulk messaging.

Premium is your aid in saving time, enhancing visibility, and building connections in all those cases.

Still unsure? Go ahead and test it with a 30-day free trial period for free. It might just do wonders in shaping your career or business path. A smart investment this year might probably be this one.

FAQs

1. Which is the cheapest LinkedIn premium plan?

It's the cheapest one; the other being LinkedIn Premium Career, which charges a monthly fee of $29.99 or $239.88 for a full year (plus applicable taxes). This would work best for those who are in job-hunting mode, boosting visibility, and leveraging recruiter reaching and insights worthy of becoming interview calls or career offers for them.

2. Does LinkedIn Premium improve profile visibility?

Yes, however, it's never automatic. In essence, LinkedIn Premium operates as a set of tools consisting of InMail credits, profile views data, and keyword insights. Hence you must combine these tools with an optimized profile, active networking, and content engagement to have a good reach-and-visibility strategy. Interaction and value-driven connections are still in place as the prime quality of these strategies.

3. What happens once Linkedin’s free trial ends?

LinkedIn does send reminders but it is always better to put your own alert. So, go ahead and cancel at least a day before the very last day, through account subscription settings, so that you do not get charged.

 4. Can I get a refund after payment?

LinkedIn offers refunds only under certain conditions. If you haven’t used the service, you can request a refund within 7 days of purchase. For users in SEPA regions, you can claim a refund within 8 weeks. Beyond that, refunds are rarely granted unless due to technical issues.

5. Can I switch or cancel plans later?

Yes, LinkedIn says you can change your plan or cancel Premium at any time. Upgrades, downgrades, or cancellations may be executed within the account under 'Subscriptions and Payments.' Plans will change only after the present billing cycle has finished, so the switch or cancellation goes accordingly on that side.