LinkedIn Premium plans can boost your career or business—but the different options and pricing tiers often leave people confused. As the co-founder of FidForward, a modern AI-powered recruitment platform, I’ve helped hundreds of professionals evaluate their talent acquisition tools. In this comprehensive guide, I’ll break down exactly how much LinkedIn Premium costs in 2025, what features you get with each plan, and help you decide if it’s worth your investment or if you should consider more modern alternatives.
LinkedIn offers several premium subscription options, each designed for different professional goals. According to LinkedIn’s official pricing guide, here’s a quick overview of all LinkedIn account types and their current monthly pricing in 2025:
| Account Type | Monthly Price | Annual Price | Who It’s For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Basic | $0 | $0 | Casual networking |
| Premium Career | $29.99 | $239 ($19.92/mo) | Job seekers |
| Premium Business | $59.99 | $575.88 ($47.99/mo) | Professionals & small business owners |
| Sales Navigator Core | $99.99 | N/A | Sales professionals |
| Sales Navigator Advanced | $149.99 | N/A | Sales teams |
| Sales Navigator Advanced Plus | Custom pricing | Custom pricing | Enterprise sales teams |
| Recruiter Lite | $170 | N/A | Individual recruiters |
| Recruiter Corporate | $900 | N/A | Hiring teams |
| LinkedIn Learning | $39.99 | N/A | Skill developers |
The pricing can vary by country due to differences in purchasing power, currency exchange rates, and market demand, as noted by Expandi’s LinkedIn account analysis. Let’s explore each plan in detail to help you determine which one might be right for you.
Before spending money on Premium, it’s important to understand what you can already do with a free account. According to LinkedIn’s feature comparison, here are the key features:
However, the free version comes with significant limitations that Premium accounts address, as detailed in LinkedIn’s Premium overview. Let’s explore each Premium option in detail.
LinkedIn Premium Career is designed specifically for job seekers and costs $29.99 per month or $239 annually (saving you about $120/year). According to LinkedIn’s sales comparison, this plan offers essential features for job hunting:
According to Eva Boot’s LinkedIn analysis, Premium Career users are 51% more likely to achieve their career goals. If you’re actively job hunting, the $29.99 monthly investment might be justified by landing a job faster.
However, if you’re only casually looking, you might want to start with the free 30-day trial to see if the features actually help your specific situation.
Premium Business costs $59.99 monthly or $575.88 annually and is designed for professionals looking to expand their network and business opportunities. As detailed in Sales Robot’s pricing guide, this plan includes:
The Premium Business plan is ideal if you’re:
At nearly double the price of Premium Career, you’ll need to determine if the additional InMails and unlimited search capabilities justify the cost difference for your specific needs.
LinkedIn offers three levels of Sales Navigator plans designed for sales professionals, as outlined in LinkedIn’s Sales Solutions guide:
According to DuxSoup’s LinkedIn analysis, for serious sales professionals, Sales Navigator offers much better value than Premium Business if lead generation is your goal. The advanced search filters alone can significantly improve your prospecting efficiency. However, casual networkers might find the cost prohibitive.
According to LinkedIn’s help center, these plans are specifically designed for hiring professionals and HR teams. The cost is justified for companies actively hiring multiple positions, but individuals or small businesses may want to consider alternatives.
An interesting insight from Phantom Buster’s analysis: Sales Navigator can accomplish many of the same search functions as Recruiter Lite for less money, so if you’re primarily interested in finding and contacting candidates (rather than using the ATS features), Sales Navigator might be a better option.
LinkedIn Learning provides access to thousands of professional courses and costs $39.99 per month. According to Buffer’s LinkedIn guide, it’s worth noting that this is already included in both Premium Career and Premium Business plans, making those potentially better value if you also want the other premium features.
Once you’ve selected a plan, follow these steps to maximize your investment. Based on LinkedIn Learning’s quick tips:
Remember: InMail credits reset monthly, so use them or lose them!
If you’re hesitant about the cost, there are several legitimate ways to access Premium features without paying full price, as shared by LinkedIn’s help center:
LinkedIn often partners with educational institutions to provide free or discounted Premium access to students and faculty. Check with your school’s career services department to see if this benefit is available.
If you work for a nonprofit organization, LinkedIn for Nonprofits may provide discounted or free access to Premium tools. Visit Fidforward to learn about eligibility requirements. Visit LinkedIn for Nonprofits to learn about eligibility requirements.
LinkedIn occasionally runs promotional campaigns during holiday seasons or in partnership with other companies. These may include extended free trials or discounts on Premium subscriptions.
To help you decide if LinkedIn Premium is worth the investment, ask yourself these questions, based on Founder Pass’s LinkedIn guide:
If you answered “yes” to at least two questions in any category, the corresponding Premium plan might be worth the investment.
Let’s compare some key features across different LinkedIn Premium plans, according to LinkedIn’s official comparison table:
| Feature | Premium Career | Premium Business | Sales Navigator Core | Recruiter Lite |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly Cost | $29.99 | $59.99 | $99.99 | $170 |
| InMail Credits | 5 | 15 | 50 | 30 |
| Profile Viewer History | 365 days | 365 days | 90 days | 90 days |
| Advanced Search Filters | Limited | Limited | 30+ | 20+ |
| LinkedIn Learning | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Who Viewed Your Profile | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Applicant Insights | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Business Insights | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Unlimited Searches | ✗ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CRM Integration | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ | ✗ |
| ATS Integration | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ | ✓ |
This comparison highlights that as you move up the pricing tiers, you generally get more specialized features tailored to specific professional needs.
If you’ve decided to give LinkedIn Premium a try, here’s a step-by-step guide to choosing and purchasing the right plan, based on Digital Scholar’s LinkedIn guide:
Based on the information above, determine which plan best suits your professional goals.
Set a calendar reminder for 3 days before your trial ends to evaluate whether you want to continue with the paid subscription.
After signing up, go to “Premium features” in your account menu to customize your Premium experience and enable all relevant features.
If LinkedIn Premium doesn’t seem worth the cost for your specific needs, several modern alternatives offer more specialized and often more cost-effective solutions:
While LinkedIn Premium can be valuable depending on your needs, it’s important to consider modern alternatives that might offer better value for your specific use case:
For Recruiters: While LinkedIn Recruiter ($170-900/month) provides access to LinkedIn’s network, tools like FidForward offer AI-powered sourcing and automated outreach at a fraction of the cost (starting at $49/month), often with better results for technical roles.
Premium Career ($29.99/month): Worth it if you’re actively job hunting, but consider complementing it with free tools like FidForward’s career resources.
Premium Business ($59.99/month): Worth considering if you regularly need to contact people outside your network, but modern alternatives might offer better ROI.
Sales Navigator (starting at $99.99/month): A solid investment for sales professionals, though consider combining it with automated tools for better efficiency.
Remember that all these platforms, including LinkedIn Premium and FidForward, offer free trials, so you can test the features before committing to a paid subscription.
The best approach is to clearly define your professional goals, try the free versions first, then experiment with trials of different solutions to find the best fit for your needs. Modern AI-powered platforms like FidForward often provide better value and efficiency compared to traditional solutions.
According to Linked Fusion’s pricing guide:
Yes, you can switch between plans through your account settings. Navigate to the Premium subscription management page and select “Switch plans.”
Yes, LinkedIn sometimes offers special pricing for students through educational partnerships. Check with your school’s career services department.
You’ll retain your connections and profile, but lose access to Premium features like InMail credits and advanced insights. Any unused InMail credits will be lost upon cancellation.
No, LinkedIn Premium is designed for individual use. For teams, consider Sales Navigator Advanced or Recruiter Corporate plans that include team functionality.
Whether you’re job hunting, building a business, selling products, or recruiting talent, understanding LinkedIn Premium’s different tiers can help you make a more informed decision about which plan (if any) is right for you.
