Comparing LinkedIn Accounts Types: Pricing, Benefits, and the Best Option for You

Breaking Down LinkedIn Account Pricing

Deciphering LinkedIn's pricing model can be a challenging task given the range of account types and their features.

Let's get down to the details.

It's important to remember that these subscription fees are charged on a monthly basis.

As with most subscription services, opting for an annual subscription would be more cost-effective in the long run.

However, one should consider their specific needs and usage before making up their mind.

• LinkedIn Basic: This is the free version of LinkedIn that allows you to create a professional profile and network. It poses some limitations in terms of the number of profiles you can view and direct messages (InMails) you can send.
• LinkedIn Premium Career: At $29.99/month, this plan is designed for job seekers with features like who's viewed your profile, becoming a featured applicant and getting access to learning materials.
• LinkedIn Premium Business: The next tier at $59.99/month, offers more advanced networking and intelligence features. It is well-suited for small to mid-sized businesses seeking to capitalize on LinkedIn's networking potential.
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: It offers refined search filters, more InMail credits, lead recommendations and integrations with CRM software at $79.99/month. If sales are your game, you might want this.
• LinkedIn Recruiter Lite: Targeted at hiring professionals, Recruiter Lite gives you the tools to find, connect with, and manage potential candidates at $119.95/month.
• LinkedIn Learning: For $29.99/month, it gives you access to a library of educational content covering a wide range of professional skills.

If you aren't sure which plan to choose, LinkedIn does offer a one-month free trial for its paid plans.

Remember to measure your need against the benefits and costs of each option.

LinkedIn Basic: The Free Option

You've already got a taste of LinkedIn's offerings, but now let's delve deeper into LinkedIn Basic, the free option that millions of users take advantage of.

Despite not carrying a monthly cost, it boasts a host of features that can still provide substantial value for users.

For no fee at all, LinkedIn Basic users can:

• Create a professional profile that serves as an online resume
• Build and maintain a network of professional contacts
• Send and receive messages from other users (though with some limitations)
• Follow companies and join interest groups
• Search for jobs, people, and companies
• Apply directly for jobs through the platform

While LinkedIn Basic doesn't unlock the advanced features of some of the other options, it's a great starting point for those new to the platform or those who have simpler needs.

However, there are some limitations. LinkedIn Basic users may find themselves restricted in terms of search capability, seeing only a limited number of profiles when conducting people searches.

Also, there's no access to the "Who's viewed your profile" feature, which can be an important tool for those active in networking or job hunting.

While LinkedIn Basic doesn’t unlock the advanced features of some of the other options, it's a great starting point. It's perfect for those new to the platform or those with simpler needs.

In conclusion, LinkedIn Basic might not offer every feature available, but it provides a strong foundation for building and maintaining a professional network.

LinkedIn Premium: Worth the Investment?

Is LinkedIn Premium truly worth your hard-earned dollars? That question isn't as easy to answer as you might think.

It depends heavily on what your unique goals are. Let's delve a bit further to provide clarity.

LinkedIn Premium comes with four different plans: Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator Pro, and Recruiter Lite.

Premium Career, priced at $29.99 per month, is perfect for job seekers.

It includes features like applicant insights, InMail messages, and on-demand learning.

For professionals and businesses, Premium Business, priced at $59.99 per month, is the option to go for.

It gives access to business insights, unlimited people browsing, and more extensive networking capabilities.

As we mentioned in our previous article about the new LinkedIn limitations in 2024, the LinkedIn business offer also allows you to send more personalized invites each month. Which is crucial if you want to use useArtemis for automated Linkedin prospection.

Sales Navigator Pro and Recruiter Lite are more specialized offerings. If you are a sales professional, Sales Navigator Pro, priced at $79.99 per month, allows you to build and track prospect lists.

And for recruitment professionals, Recruiter Lite, priced at $119.99 per month, provides advanced search and candidate tracking.

Note: These prices are as of the time (January 2024) of writing this article, and subject to change.

In terms of value, each plan offers specific tools and perks aimed at particular user groups.

Whether it's worth it or not depends on how much you plan to actively use these added features to meet your objectives.

Remember, even the basic (free) LinkedIn account gives you a lot of capability.

Upgrading should be about enhancing your experience and meeting your goals more efficiently.

You might consider taking advantage of the free month trial, offered by LinkedIn, to determine if the premium features would be beneficial to you.

Ultimately, whether or not LinkedIn Premium is worth it, comes down to your specific needs and how effectively the additional features align with your career or business objectives.

Make sure to consider all of these factors before deciding if the investment is worthwhile for you.

Scaling up with LinkedIn Business: Benefits and Costs

As you look to scale your business, you might find yourself considering LinkedIn Business.

This subscription type is specially designed with businesses in mind, offering a suite of tools that could potentially be game-changing for your organization.

Cost: The pricing of LinkedIn Business can vary depending on your specific requirements, but typically, it starts at $59.99/month billed annually.

Users also have the option for monthly billing at a slightly higher fee.

So, what benefits does LinkedIn Business bring to the boardroom?

1. Detailed Analytics and Insights: Understanding your audience is a critical aspect of running any business. With LinkedIn Business, you have access to features like Follower and Page analytics. These provide deep insights into how your content is performing and who is engaging with it.
2. Employees’ Network Access: With LinkedIn Business, you are able to leverage the networks of your employees, multiplying your outreach and engagement.
3. Boosted Content and Ads: LinkedIn Business also allows you to boost your content and post ads, this helps ensure your brand is noticed by your relevant audience.

If your company is ready to invest in its digital presence, LinkedIn Business may be worth considering.

However, it's critical to weigh these features and their potential impact against the subscription cost to ensure it's the right choice for your business.

Key Takeaway: LinkedIn Business offers advanced features that could potentially enhance your company's online presence and audience engagement. Though its costs are a bit higher, the potential return on investment is significant. Before deciding, carefully evaluate these advantages against your business needs and budget.

LinkedIn Recruiter: A Must-have for Hiring Managers?

If you're a hiring manager who's frequently on the lookout for the perfect candidates, LinkedIn Recruiter might just be the platform for you.

Just as its name suggests, this type of account is designed specifically to meet the needs of recruiters.

But, what does it include and is it worth the premium price tag?

LinkedIn recruiter offers a comprehensive toolkit for simplifying the recruiting process.

You can search and reach out to potential candidates, track your team's recruiting activity, and manage talent pipelines—all within one platform.

That’s quite a package in terms of features, but let's break it down a little more.

• Advanced Search: LinkedIn Recruiter offers you an advanced search tool with over 20 different filters. You can find candidates based on skills, location, universities attended, and even past employers.
  This is much more powerful than the search function offered in the free account.
  
• InMails: With LinkedIn Recruiter, you get 150 InMails per month. These are private messages that can be sent to anyone on LinkedIn, regardless of whether you're connected or not.
  This can enhance your ability to reach out to potential candidates considerably.
  
• Organizational Tools: LinkedIn Recruiter also provides a set of handy organizational tools. "Projects" is one such tool where you can store, manage, and track potential candidates.
  "Spotlight" is another interesting feature that identifies candidates who'd be more likely to respond to your InMail based on their LinkedIn activity.

However, cost is an important factor to consider. LinkedIn recruiter comes in two versions - Recruiter Lite and Recruiter Corporate.

The lite version is priced at $119.95 per month, while the corporate version's pricing isn’t available upfront and depends on the specific contract with LinkedIn.

Ultimately, the suitability of the LinkedIn Recruiter platform depends on your recruitment needs and budget. If you're hiring only occasionally, this might not be worth the cost.

But if you're regularly recruiting for various roles and looking to improve your sourcing efficiency, LinkedIn Recruiter could be a deserving investment.

LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Unearthing Your Potential Leads

With a prime focus on sales professionals, LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a highly powerful tool designed to target, understand, and engage with leads.

Sure, it comes with a higher price tag, but when you unravel its potential, it's easy to justify the cost.

Here's your tee off point - there are three tiers under LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Professional, Team, and Enterprise.

The Professional version is priced at $79.99 per month, whereas Team comes at $103.33 per person per month; Enterprise pricing is available on request.

Free trials are usually available.

Taking you in a bit deeper, each version of LinkedIn Sales Navigator comes with a list of powerful features.

For instance, you get tailored lead and company recommendations, advanced search filters, Sales Navigator training resources, and access to LinkedIn's Learning and Premium Career features.

And, it doesn't stop there - with the Team and Enterprise versions, you get additional benefits such as CRM integration, and TeamLink extend features that let you leverage your corporate network.

So, do you need LinkedIn Sales Navigator? Well, if you're in sales and looking for an exhaustive resource to nail your targets, it could indeed be your best bet!

LinkedIn Learning: Expanding Your Professional Skills

You might be asking yourself, what if you could learn more than just networking? LinkedIn Learning, a unique part of the LinkedIn galaxy, might be the answer you're seeking.

This part of LinkedIn offers an ocean of courses to help you develop your skills or learn new ones in a variety of professional areas.

Wondering about the costs? Lets' delve into that.

The monthly subscription to LinkedIn Learning is priced at $29.99.

However, if you opt for an annual commitment, it averages to about $19.99 per month.

But here's a budget-friendly tip: you can make the most of the 1-month free trial before you make a commitment!

Now, for the important part - what benefits does this give you?

Firstly, with an active subscription, you have unlimited access to over 15,000 expert-led courses, with insights to various industries and business skills.

Not just that, you will enjoy an ad-free learning environment, and you also get certificates of completion which you can add directly to your LinkedIn profile.

These certificates can be a great boost to your online credibility and help in increasing your professional standing.

• Unlimited access: Get unrestricted access to more than 15,000 courses.
• Offline access: Download courses for offline viewing and learn even when you are not connected to the internet.
• Certifications: Display hard-earned certificates of completion directly on your LinkedIn profile for added credibility.
• Expert-led courses: Learn from industry professionals who excel in their respective fields.
• Ad-free: No interruptions or distractions while you are learning.

Note: Just remember that LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn premium are two distinct subscriptions. Although, if you subscribe to LinkedIn Premium, you get access to LinkedIn Learning as well!

So, whether you're looking to upskill, make a career change, or simply want to feed your curiosity, LinkedIn Learning can be a fruitful avenue.

As always, make sure to test it out first with the free trial to see if this option aligns with your goals.

LinkedIn for Job Seekers: Which Account Should You Opt For?

While LinkedIn essentially is a platform for professional network creation, it has found a significant audience in job seekers worldwide.

But the burning question you probably have in mind is - which LinkedIn account type should job seekers opt for?

Shall it be the Basic, Premium or the LinkedIn Learning? Let's find out !

LinkedIn Basic is a great starting point for job seekers. Its ability to connect you with other professionals and expose you to a large number of job postings without any cost is invaluable. One of the main limitations though is the inability to see who's viewed your profile, which could be potential employers or recruiters.

The Role of LinkedIn Premium in Job Search

Stepping up a notch, LinkedIn Premium offers a substantial upgrade for job seekers. It makes you a featured applicant on job listings, thus increasing your likelihood of being noticed by potential employers.

This subscription also provides you with detailed insights into the competition for jobs, showing where your skills stand amongst other applicants.

Additionally, you have access to LinkedIn Learning courses that could help bolster your skills & competitiveness for a monthly fee of $29.99.

How about LinkedIn Learning?

Coming to LinkedIn Learning, it is a powerhouse of professional courses. While not directly a job search tool, it could be the x-factor in your quest for jobs.

This platform exposes you to a wide range of courses across various domains which when completed, are displayed on your profile ticking the 'prioritization' box for recruiters while searching for relevant talent.

The cost is the same as LinkedIn Premium - $29.99 per month.

In conclusion, if you're a jobseeker in the early phase of your career, relying on the free version of LinkedIn could suffice.

However, as you climb up the professional ladder, investing in LinkedIn premium is recommended for its unique networking features and advanced job insights. LinkedIn Learning, while not a standard job search tool, could make your profile stand out with relevant certifications.

So, make sure to choose wisely based on your career stage and objectives.

LinkedIn for Businesses: Exploring the Ideal Subscription Options

To businesses, LinkedIn offers several account options, each equipped with its unique features and tools to help you leverage the networking platform effectively.

The decision to select a specific account type necessitates an understanding of the particular needs of your company.

• LinkedIn Free: A good starting point for small businesses or start-ups with limited resources. While it doesn’t offer as many tools and features as the premium options, it provides access to a vast network of professionals for connection.
• LinkedIn Premium Business: Specifically designed for small to medium-sized businesses, this subscription type expands your search capabilities, provides insights into who’s viewed your profile, and allows access to online video courses. The monthly cost of this subscription is approximately $59.99.
• LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Ideal for sales professionals, Sales Navigator aids in identifying leads and understanding key insights about potential clients. You can get a Sales Navigator Pro subscription for roughly $79.99 per month.
• LinkedIn Recruiter: Tailored for hiring professionals, it offers powerful search filters, candidate tracking, and streamlined communication tools. LinkedIn Recruiter costs about $119.99 per month.

Given the distinct features each offer, it's essential to consider your business needs.

If your aim is outbound sales or lead generation, the Sales Navigator option could be a valuable investment, whereas if hiring perfect-fit candidates is the goal, LinkedIn Recruiter proves beneficial.

However, it's not an all-or-nothing situation; businesses often find value in using a combination of subscriptions based on varied team functions.

This approach broadens the benefits derived from LinkedIn, making it a platform that truly caters to diverse business needs.

Nailing Down the Perfect LinkedIn Strategy for Your Business

Choosing the right LinkedIn subscription is pivotal to your business strategy.

This decision should be driven by clearly defined objectives and an understanding of what each subscription tier can deliver.

Research, exploration, and sometimes experimentation can guide your choice, and remember – with LinkedIn, you can always upgrade or downgrade based on the evolving needs of your business.

LinkedIn Learning vs LinkedIn Premium: A Close Comparison

When considering the most suitable LinkedIn subscription for your career development, two potential choices are LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn Premium. Let's take a closer look at how these two products stack up.

LinkedIn Learning, as the name suggests, is a platform focused on education. With a LinkedIn Learning subscription, you have unlimited access to more than 15,000 expert-led courses and series of trainings in various fields.

It's a fountain of knowledge at your disposal, allowing you to learn new skills, deepen your existing talents, and stay updated with the latest trends in your industry.

On the other hand, the LinkedIn Premium subscription offers a broader range of benefits.
Besides learning opportunities, this subscription also opens doors to a wider network and advanced insights about job opportunities and businesses.

The main features include:

• Premium Insights: These provide data-driven insights about jobs, such as how you compare to other candidates, the rate of hiring at different companies, and other deeper aspects that provide you a competitive edge in your job search.
• Expanded Network Access: A premium subscription allows you to connect with people who aren't in your immediate network, significantly expanding your opportunities for networking and collaboration.
• InMail Messages: This feature allows you to directly contact recruiters or decision-makers in any company, even if you're not connected. Such direct accessibility can certainly boost your job prospects.

In terms of pricing, LinkedIn Learning will set you back $29.99 per month if you opt for monthly payments, whereas the Premium Career subscription is a bit cheaper at $29.99 per month.

However, if you choose an annual plan, LinkedIn Learning drops to $19.99 per month. Premium Business, one of the Premium options, comes at $59.99 per month.

So which one should you choose? Depending on your needs, both LinkedIn Learning and LinkedIn Premium have their standout features. If continuous learning and updating your skillsets are your priority, LinkedIn Learning would be ideal.

However, if you're on an active job search, requiring more advanced job insights and broader network reach, LinkedIn Premium would be the better choice.

Remember, you can always switch your plans depending on your changing needs. Knowing what each plan offers allows you to make an informed decision about which one to invest in.

LinkedIn Premium vs Basic: What are the differences?

On the surface, LinkedIn Premium and Basic might seem remarkably similar, but scratch beneath the surface a little, and you'll find they're as different as chalk and cheese.

The key distinction is the range of functionalities and features provided. Let's dive into the specifics.

With the Basic (Free) LinkedIn account, you get a fundamental introduction to what LinkedIn has to offer. This typically includes:

• Creating and maintaining a professional profile.
• Expanding your professional network with up to 100 invitations per month.
• Joining and participating in LinkedIn groups.
• Access to basic search filters and job postings.

Notice how these features focus on facilitating simple, essential networking and job searching maneuvers.

But if you're looking for an edge in the job market or want to fully utilize LinkedIn's capabilities, the Premium LinkedIn account offers:

• Advanced search filters and unlimited browsing of your 3rd-degree network.
• Access to insights on who's viewed your profile and how they found you.
• The InMail feature, allowing communication even with non-connections.
• Access to premium intelligence for job seekers, such as salary insights and competitiveness analytics for job postings.
• LinkedIn Learning and interview preparation features.

Clearly, the Premium account offers a significantly enriched LinkedIn experience, enabling more effective networking, job searching, and skill building.

But it's worth bearing in mind that these extras come with a price tag.

"To summarize, while the Basic LinkedIn account allows you to form connections and search for jobs on a fundamental level, the LinkedIn Premium account elevates this experience by providing enhanced functionalities that can give you a significant edge in your professional journey."

Is there a trial period for LinkedIn Premium accounts?

You might be wondering if LinkedIn provides an opportunity to try their premium services before making a commitment.

The answer is, Yes! LinkedIn Premium does offer a one-month free trial, allowing you to explore the advanced features without an up-front fee. However, certain terms and conditions apply to this trial period.

Here are a few important points to remember:

• The trial is only applicable to new Premium customers: If you've used LinkedIn Premium or any of its benefits in the past, you might not be eligible for the trial.
• Benefits start immediately: On activating the trial, all the features and benefits of a Premium account start instantly. So, make sure to effectively use these during the trial period.
• Billing after the trial: Unless you cancel it, the account is automatically billed for the upcoming month after the free trial’s end. LinkedIn does send an email as a reminder before the billing starts. Hence, it's imperative to keep track of your account status and subscription.
• Only once per account: You can only use the trial period once per LinkedIn account. This is to prevent abuse from frequent account switching.

Just remember, the trial period is an excellent chance to explore the advanced features of LinkedIn Premium. Use it wisely to assess whether it aligns with your career goals and professional needs.

Don't forget – you can cancel the subscription anytime before the trial ends if it's not the right fit. Happy networking!

Are there any hidden costs in LinkedIn subscriptions?

While LinkedIn provides transparent pricing for all its subscriptions, it's always wise to consider what the subscriptions do not include. So when we talk about 'hidden costs', we're referring to aspects that may incur additional expenses, which are not directly apparent in the initial plan price.

One thing to bear in mind is the VAT factor.

Depending on your geographical location, VAT (Value Added Tax) is a factor that may be applied to the subscription cost. This additional amount may not always be evident upfront when you first research pricing options.

Other elements to take into account:

• LinkedIn's advertising or promotion services: These are separate from your premium account and incur additional costs.
  To increase your reach, whether for a job posting, promoting your business, or sponsoring content, you'll need to invest in LinkedIn's campaign offerings.
• The use of 'InMail': Even though LinkedIn Premium provides a specific number of InMail credits per month, once you exhaust your monthly limit, you'll have to purchase more if you want to continue using this feature within that month.
• Additional courses on LinkedIn Learning beyond the ones available for free with your subscription: Not every course on the platform is available for free, and some specific ones might come with an additional cost, even when you have a LinkedIn Learning subscription.

To avoid unexpected expenses, remember to carefully read the terms and conditions before purchasing any subscription plan on LinkedIn. Make sure you fully understand the allowances and limitations provided with your chosen package.

If additional costs come up, most likely, they'll fall under one of these categories. Knowing these nuances will help you to better budget for your LinkedIn activities and ultimately make the most of your membership.

What is the cancellation policy for LinkedIn Premium?

As seamless as subscribing to LinkedIn Premium is, so too is the process of cancelling it. You should know, however, that LinkedIn's cancellation policy applies differently depending on whether your subscription was made directly through LinkedIn or via a third party such as the App Store or Google Play.

For subscriptions made through LinkedIn:

• You can cancel your LinkedIn Premium subscription at any time.
• Cancelling your subscription will stop the recurring payment and you won’t be billed for the next billing cycle.
  Bear in mind that the cancellation will come into effect from your next billing date, rather than immediately.
• Despite the cancellation, your Premium features remain active until the end of the current billing cycle.

For subscriptions made through external platforms:

• The process of cancellation, as well as the billing cycle and other specifics, is governed by the rules of those platforms.
• For instance, when you subscribe through the Apple App Store or Google Play, they are responsible for the billing, cancellation, and refund policies.

Note: LinkedIn does not offer pro-rated refunds for cancellations made in the middle of a billing cycle.

Hope this information eases your decision-making process about LinkedIn Premium.

Remember, when it comes to LinkedIn or any other digital subscriptions, understanding the cancellation policy can save you from unwanted charges and surprises.

Whether you continue using LinkedIn Premium, switch to a different LinkedIn account or return to the Basic account, ensure your choice aligns with your career goals and requirements. You control your LinkedIn experience — make it count!