LinkedIn, the professional networking platform owned by Microsoft, recently announced changes to its premium subscription plans, leading many to wonder – did LinkedIn raise prices?
LinkedIn offers several premium subscription options that unlock additional features beyond the free version of the platform. These paid plans include Premium Career, Premium Business, Sales Navigator Professional, Sales Navigator Team, Recruiter Lite, and Recruiter Corporate.
In October 2022, LinkedIn sent emails to its premium subscribers informing them of an upcoming price increase set to take effect in February 2023. The exact amount of the price hike varies based on the plan, but ranges from $2 to $5 per month for Premium Career and Premium Business plans.
For example, the Premium Career monthly subscription will increase from $29.99 to $34.99, while the Premium Business monthly plan will go from $54.99 to $59.99. Annual subscriptions are also seeing proportional rises in price.
This change understandably caused alarm among some LinkedIn users who rely on premium features for networking and recruiting. However, price hikes are relatively common with software and subscription services as operational costs increase over time.
So while LinkedIn is objectively raising prices across the board, the increases are generally moderate. The platform likely sought to strike a balance between covering additional expenses while avoiding too large of a hit to its premium membership base.
LinkedIn’s Premium Tiers
Before analyzing the implications of LinkedIn’s price changes, let’s review the platform’s premium tiers and what features they offer:
Premium Career
– Profile badge signaling your account as premium
– Unlimited profile searches
– View full profiles of your search results
– See who viewed your profile
– Advanced profile filtering and sorting
Premium Business
– Everything in Premium Career
– Advanced LinkedIn search filters
– Unlimited InMail messages
– Company demographic research
Sales Navigator
– Personalized sales recommendations and insights
– Expanded search filters and saved lists
– Team collaboration tools
– Contact management and notification options
Recruiter
– Unlimited InMail and search filters
– Project management and pipeline tools
– Talent pool management
– Recruitment analytics and reports
The specific features vary, but in general the premium tiers unlock more robust search, communication, and management capabilities.
LinkedIn Premium Price Changes
Now let’s take a closer look at how the prices for LinkedIn’s premium subscriptions will change in 2023:
Plan | 2022 Monthly Price | 2023 Monthly Price | Increase Amount |
---|---|---|---|
Premium Career (Monthly) | $29.99 | $34.99 | $5 |
Premium Business (Monthly) | $54.99 | $59.99 | $5 |
Sales Navigator Pro (Monthly) | $64.99 | $69.99 | $5 |
Recruiter Lite (Monthly) | $99.95 | $104.95 | $5 |
Recruiter Corporate (Monthly) | $259.95 | $269.95 | $10 |
As the table illustrates, Premium Career and Premium Business plans are each going up $5 per month. Sales Navigator Pro and Recruiter Lite will increase by the same $5 monthly amount. And Recruiter Corporate, LinkedIn’s most premium tier, will rise by $10 per month.
The same proportional increases apply to annual subscription rates. For example, Premium Career yearly will become $359.88 instead of $299.88.
How Significant Are These Price Hikes?
Context is important when assessing the magnitude of these price increases. While no one likes paying more, the changes amount to between 10% to 15% more per month in most cases. For Recruiter Corporate, the priciest plan, it’s closer to a 4% increase.
These single-digit bumps are unlikely to break the bank for the majority of subscribers. Individual users on Premium Career or Premium Business plans will only pay $60 more per year. And a 4% increase is modest when your company already shells out over $3,000 annually for Recruiter Corporate.
Of course, small businesses and recruiters managing tight budgets may feel the price hike more acutely. But for most premium users, the added cost likely won’t spur major changes or downgrades.
Industry Norms
Additionally, gradual price increases are fairly standard in the software and SaaS industry. Services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Adobe Creative Cloud, and Slack have all seen similar incremental price bumps over time.
These changes allow platforms to sustain growth and tack on new features. So while paying more is never welcomed, LinkedIn’s price hikes do align with broader industry norms.
Feature Expansions
LinkedIn says the additional revenue will allow the company to “deliver more value” to premium subscribers. This indicates plans to enhance existing features or expand offerings.
Hopefully that manifests in useful ways that make the higher cost worthwhile. But the promise of more or better tools does provide some future value in exchange for the price increase.
How Much Do LinkedIn’s Competitors Cost?
To provide more context around LinkedIn’s new premium pricing, here’s a look at how much key competitors charge for similar offerings:
Platform | Premium Tier | Monthly Price |
---|---|---|
Premium Career | $34.99 | |
Indeed | Premium | $39.99 |
Monster | Premium Career Access | $19.49 |
ZipRecruiter | Plus | $39.99 |
Glassdoor | Basic | $6.99 |
LinkedIn Premium Career sits right in the middle price-wise even after the increase. Indeed charges a decent amount more per month by comparison. And while Glassdoor is much cheaper, it offers far fewer features.
So relatively speaking, LinkedIn remains competitively priced for the value provided. The network effects of its massive user base also give it a leg up on niche competitors.
Should You Keep Your LinkedIn Premium Subscription?
For those already paying for LinkedIn Premium, is it still worth keeping after the price increase? That depends on your specific needs and budget, but the platform still provides robust capabilities for most professionals, recruiters, and businesses.
For Individual Users
If you utilize Premium Career or Premium Business for networking, recruiting, or professional branding, the price hike shouldn’t significantly diminish the value you get from those features.
Paying an additional $5 each month likely won’t break the bank. And you’d still need to replace LinkedIn’s large member network and tools with something like Indeed or ZipRecruiter if you did cancel.
In many cases, you’re better off keeping the Premium subscription despite the higher cost. Only downgrade if every dollar counts or you rarely use the extra features.
For Companies and Recruiters
Recruiter and Sales Navigator represent major investments, but are must-haves for many companies hiring at scale or with advanced sourcing needs.
While the price increase isn’t negligible, the value derived from these plans typically outweighs the additional costs. And switching recruiting platforms brings major disruptions.
Still, businesses with tight budgets may want to evaluate areas to optimize. You could trim down redundant seats or utilize Recruiter for high-priority roles while using LinkedIn’s free tier for more general hiring.
But for most, staying put with Recruiter or Sales Navigator makes the most sense unless the price hike truly threatens budget or ROI thresholds.
Alternative Networking Platforms
If you do opt to downgrade or replace your LinkedIn Premium subscription, here are a few alternative professional networks to consider:
Indeed
– Job and resume posting
– Talent search and tools
– Paying users get preferred job ad placement
Monster
– Job listings and resume database
– Career resources and salary data
– Premium unlocks enhanced profile and messaging
ZipRecruiter
– AI-driven job matching algorithms
– Targeted job ads
– Premium provides candidate search filters
AngelList
– Startup and tech careers
– Jobs, talent networks, funding
– Free to use core platform
Each platform has unique strengths and focuses. But none provide an equivalent replacement for LinkedIn’s extensive user base and brand authority.
Conclusion
LinkedIn’s upcoming price increases are unlikely to thrill any subscribers. However, the hikes are relatively moderate and consistent with software industry norms.
Premium Career, Premium Business, and Recruiter plans will still deliver substantial value for most professionals, recruiters, and businesses even after the higher monthly rates take effect.
Users should evaluate their specific needs and budgets, but may find continuing with a mildly more expensive LinkedIn subscription is better than ditching the platform entirely.