Both LinkedIn Navigator and LinkedIn Premium offer advanced features for searching LinkedIn and connecting with other professionals. However, there are some key differences between the two paid services.
What is LinkedIn Navigator?
LinkedIn Navigator is a relatively new premium service from LinkedIn launched in 2020. It is designed to help sales and recruiting professionals identify prospects, connect with the right people, and build relationships.
Key features of LinkedIn Navigator include:
- Advanced search filters to find prospects based on geography, company, job title, skills, and more.
- Unlimited search results when looking for people or companies.
- Saved search alerts to notify you when new prospects meet your criteria.
- InMail credits to directly contact anyone on LinkedIn.
- Message read receipts to see if your emails are being opened.
- Profile alerts when prospects view your profile.
LinkedIn Navigator starts at $79.99 per month when billed annually. It is designed for individual sales professionals, recruiters, and executives who want to maximize their search capabilities and outreach efforts on LinkedIn.
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium has been around longer than LinkedIn Navigator, since 2006. It provides both job seekers and business professionals a range of enhanced features.
Key features of LinkedIn Premium include:
- See who has viewed your profile.
- Contact info for people outside your network.
- Unlimited profile searches.
- Premium profile badge to stand out.
- InMail credits to contact anyone.
- Access to advanced courses and professional coaching.
LinkedIn Premium costs start at $29.99 per month billed annually. There are also two higher pricing tiers that include more features: Premium Career for job seekers at $39.99/month and Premium Business for sales pros at $79.99/month.
What’s the Main Difference Between LinkedIn Navigator and Premium?
The core difference between LinkedIn Navigator and LinkedIn Premium is their intended audiences and use cases.
LinkedIn Navigator is laser-focused on empowering recruiting and sales professionals to identify, connect with, and build relationships with prospects. It offers more robust search and outreach capabilities tailored specifically for these use cases.
LinkedIn Premium serves both job seekers looking to advance their careers and business professionals who want to grow their networks and boost their personal branding. It offers a wider range of benefits beyond searching and outreach.
Comparing Features Side-by-Side
Here is a detailed side-by-side comparison of the key features included with LinkedIn Navigator vs. LinkedIn Premium:
Feature | LinkedIn Navigator | LinkedIn Premium |
---|---|---|
Advanced search filters | Yes | Limited |
Unlimited search results | Yes | Yes |
Saved search alerts | Yes | No |
InMail credits | Yes | Yes (with Premium Career & Business) |
Message read receipts | Yes | No |
Profile alerts | Yes | No |
See profile views | No | Yes |
Contact info for non-connections | No | Yes |
Premium profile badge | No | Yes |
Career coaching & courses | No | Yes (Premium Career) |
As you can see from the table, LinkedIn Navigator prioritizes robust prospecting and outreach capabilities like advanced filters, search alerts, and read receipts. LinkedIn Premium offers broader networking benefits like seeing profile viewers, getting contact info, and standing out with a premium badge.
Should You Choose LinkedIn Navigator or Premium?
So which LinkedIn paid plan is right for you – Navigator or Premium? Here are some recommendations based on use cases:
- For sales & recruiting: LinkedIn Navigator is tailored specifically to support prospecting and outreach. The advanced filters and alerts deliver highly targeted leads.
- For career development: LinkedIn Premium Career helps job seekers land roles with coaching, courses, and employer insights.
- For branding & networking: LinkedIn Premium helps professionals expand their network and build an influential brand with profile enhancements.
- For messaging capabilities: Both Navigator and Premium (Business & Career levels) include InMail credits to contact anyone.
Evaluate which capabilities will be most valuable for your personal or professional goals. The target audiences for Navigator vs. Premium are quite distinct, so focus on the specific use case.
Can You Have Both Navigator and Premium?
Yes, it is possible to purchase both LinkedIn Navigator and LinkedIn Premium. However, there may be some overlapping features.
The Advanced Search filters included with Navigator essentially replace the limited Premium search. And Navigatorʼs prospecting focus overlaps with some of the Premium Business capabilities.
For sales professionals who also want Premiumʼs branding and networking perks, having both plans may provide value. But for most users, one or the other will suit their needs.
What About the Recruiter and Sales Navigator Plans?
In addition to Navigator and Premium, LinkedIn offers two other premium plans:
- Recruiter: For talent acquisition pros and staffing agencies to post jobs, search profiles, and make hires.
- Sales Navigator: For sales teams to work collaboratively and capitalize on relationships.
The standard Navigator plan is designed for individual sales professionals. Sales Navigator offers similar features tailored to sales organizations. Recruiter provides tools optimized for corporate recruiting and staffing needs.
Conclusion
While LinkedIn Navigator and Premium share some messaging and search capabilities, they serve very different audiences and use cases. Navigator prioritizes robust prospecting features to support sales and recruiting efforts. Premium offers broader networking and branding benefits.
Professionals focused on career advancement are better served by Premium, while those wanting to maximize outbound prospecting should choose Navigator. Evaluate your specific goals and needs to decide which premium LinkedIn plan is right for you.
With bespoke advanced searches, unlimited prospects, and direct InMail messaging, LinkedIn Navigator empowers sales and recruiting pros to forge valuable new connections. LinkedIn Premium helps individuals build their brand, get noticed by employers, and expand their network.
While the two plans have some overlap, their focuses on different use cases make LinkedIn Navigator and Premium distinct premium offerings catered to different audiences.
As the world’s largest professional networking platform, LinkedIn offers premium plans tailored to diverse needs – from job seekers, to sales reps, to recruiters, and more. By matching your goals to the right paid plan, you can maximize the value of your LinkedIn investment.
So rather than viewing Navigator and Premium as interchangeable options, recognize their unique strengths. Choose the plan designed for your specific requirements as an individual professional or organization.
With clear understanding of the differences between Navigator and Premium, you can select the premium LinkedIn experience with the capabilities that will provide the most value.
As LinkedIn continues enhancing its platform and premium offerings, there is sure to be ongoing innovation and new features added over time. But the core focus areas of Navigator for sales prospecting, and Premium for branding and networking, will remain distinct pillars of LinkedIn’s premium services.
The bottom line is this – don’t just default to Premium because it’s the longstanding premium option. Take a close look at Navigator as well to determine which plan best aligns with your goals as a recruiter, job seeker, sales pro, or any professional leveraging the power of LinkedIn.