LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network with over 722 million members worldwide. As a platform built to connect professionals, LinkedIn offers several account types for individuals and businesses to maximize their experience. When it comes to business accounts on LinkedIn, one of the most commonly asked questions is – does LinkedIn charge for business accounts?
The Short Answer
The short answer is no, LinkedIn does not charge for basic business accounts. LinkedIn offers free basic accounts for businesses and organizations to create a presence on the platform. Upgrading to premium paid plans like LinkedIn Sales Navigator is optional to access more advanced features.
Types of LinkedIn Business Accounts
LinkedIn offers three main types of business accounts:
- LinkedIn Company Page – Free
- LinkedIn Showcase Page – Free
- LinkedIn Premium Subscriptions (Recruiter, Sales Navigator, etc) – Paid
LinkedIn Company Page
A LinkedIn Company Page is the basic free business profile that allows organizations to establish their brand presence on LinkedIn. Anyone can create a Company Page and showcase useful company details like:
- Company description
- Company size
- Website URL
- Industry
- Company locations
- List of current employees
Company Pages also allow businesses to share relevant content like images, videos, links, articles to engage their target audience. There are no limits on the number of Company Pages any business can create and maintain on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Showcase Page
LinkedIn Showcase Pages are also free accounts that let businesses highlight specific brands, products, services or initiatives. They are an extension of Company Pages and help focus more on specific offerings vs. the brand as a whole. Key features of Showcase Pages include:
- Add visual banners
- Showcase products/services
- Share more detailed content
- Promote events/campaigns
- Publish blog posts
Together, Company and Showcase Pages provide the foundation for an impactful LinkedIn presence at no cost.
LinkedIn Premium Subscriptions
While basic Pages are free, LinkedIn does offer paid premium subscriptions that unlock more advanced capabilities for businesses. These include:
LinkedIn Recruiter
LinkedIn Recruiter offers robust tools for identifying and engaging talent including InMail messages, candidate tracking, pipeline management and more. Pricing starts at $99/month.
LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Sales Navigator provides sales professionals access to richer insights on prospects, lead recommendations, communication tools and training content. It starts at $64/month.
LinkedIn Marketing Solutions
Marketing Solutions gives brands access to professional audience data and advertising options to amplify content and generate leads. Custom pricing applies based on needs.
There are other premium products as well that cater to learning, events and more. But Company Pages and Showcase Pages can be used to establish an effective brand presence without any payment.
Getting Started with Free LinkedIn Business Accounts
Setting up a Company or Showcase Page on LinkedIn is easy and can be done in just a few steps:
- Sign in to your personal LinkedIn account
- Click on the Work icon in the top navigation bar
- Select Create a Company Page or Create a Showcase Page
- Enter your company/business details
- Verify using an email confirmation
- Customize the Page to add multimedia content
- Start engaging your target audiences
The Pages also provide tutorials, guides and tips for first-time administrators to optimize their business presence. Useful capabilities like content analytics, Google tag manager, auto-sharing on personal profiles and more can be utilized at no cost.
Advantages of Free LinkedIn Business Accounts
Some key advantages and benefits of using LinkedIn’s free business accounts include:
- Large audience reach – Access to 722+ million members gives brands huge exposure.
- Professional credibility – Presence on the world’s largest professional network builds trust and authority.
- Passive candidate sourcing – Company Pages attract potential hires organically.
- Lead generation – Companies can generate and capture leads directly or via ads.
- Community building – Businesses can establish themselves as thought leaders by sharing content.
- Competitive research – Pages allow tracking competitors, partners, industry trends etc.
- SEO value – Quality Pages can improve search visibility and ranking for brands.
The above benefits can apply even without upgrading to premium or paid subscriptions. However, the optional premium plans unlock more ways to maximize LinkedIn for recruiting, sales, marketing and overall business growth.
Conclusion
In summary, creating basic LinkedIn business accounts via Company Pages and Showcase Pages is free. LinkedIn does not charge any fees for businesses to establish their basic brand presence and engage professional audiences on the platform. Advanced capabilities and tools to amplify recruitment, sales and marketing require upgrading to premium paid plans – but a free Company Page still provides tremendous brand building value.