LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s paid subscription service that unlocks additional features and benefits beyond the free version of LinkedIn. Some key things that can happen if you don’t pay for LinkedIn Premium include:
Limited profile views
With a free LinkedIn account, you can only see who has viewed your profile for the last 90 days. With Premium, you get expanded insights into who has viewed your profile, including the ability to see all profile views from the past 12 months.
Restricted InMail allowance
LinkedIn’s InMail messaging system allows you to directly contact anyone on LinkedIn, even if you’re not connected. But with a free account, you only get 5 InMails per month. Premium boosts this to 30 InMails per month, allowing you to connect with more people.
No access to full profiles
When viewing other people’s profiles with a free account, you won’t be able to see their full work experience, education, skills, accomplishments, etc. You’re limited to seeing only their current position and education. Premium gives you full access to view profiles in their entirety.
Limited search filters
LinkedIn’s advanced search tool lets you find professionals using specific criteria like location, job title, company, skills, etc. But free members can only use a handful of filters at a time. Premium members can combine many filters to drill down to very niche searches.
No LinkedIn Learning access
LinkedIn Learning is the site’s built-in library of over 16,000 online courses covering business, technology, and creative skills. It’s only available to paying Premium subscribers, so you can’t access any of the courses with a free account.
Fewer profile recommendations
LinkedIn uses your profile and activity to generate recommendations for people you may know or want to connect with. Premium users get more profile recommendations than free users, putting them in front of more relevant contacts.
Can’t view all profile visitors
As mentioned above, free members can only see who viewed their profile for the past 90 days. With Premium, you can see all profile visitors from the past 12 months, giving you more insight into who’s looking at your profile.
No access to Premium job postings
Some jobs posted to LinkedIn are only visible and accessible to Premium members. So as a free user, you won’t be able to see or apply to jobs marked “Premium.” This gives paying users an advantage in the job market.
No professional branding tools
Premium comes with features to help optimize and enhance your personal brand, such as a portfolio for showcasing your work and expanded analytics on your content and profile. Without Premium, you miss out on these branding tools.
Fewer search appearance opportunities
LinkedIn’s search algorithm gives a boost to active Premium members, making them more likely to appear at the top of search results. Free members are therefore less visible in searches relative to Premium members.
No access to Premium news and insights
Premium unlocks exclusive news, business insights, and expert analysis not available to free members. This gives paying users an edge with access to premium content.
Can’t send messages to colleagues
Even if you’re connected with someone, LinkedIn restricts free members from sending unlimited messages. You can only message your 1st degree connections if you both actively engage with each other’s content. Premium lifts this restriction.
No participation in Premium groups
Some LinkedIn Groups are gated as Premium-only. As a free user, you won’t be able to join or participate in discussions within groups marked as Premium.
Limited profile badge display
Premium enables you to showcase up to 15 badges on your profile highlighting things like skills, volunteering experience, publications, honors, etc. With a free account, you can only display up to 3 profile badges.
No access to talent insights
LinkedIn Premium offers insights about in-demand skills, talent pools, salary ranges, and more for recruiters and HR professionals. You won’t get access to any of these insights as a free user.
Fewer Profile Badge endorsements
Premium members see increased engagement on their Profile Badges, such as more endorsements for their Skills badges from their connections. Free members are more limited in endorsements.
Can’t customize background photo
One Premium feature is the ability to customize your profile’s background photo instead of using LinkedIn’s standard backgrounds. This personal branding capability isn’t available on free accounts.
Limited personalized recommendations
Premium provides tailored recommendations for people, jobs, content, events, and education opportunities. Free members see some of these recommendations, but not nearly as many as Premium subscribers.
No Resume Builder access
LinkedIn’s Resume Builder helps create, enhance, and manage your resume right within LinkedIn. It’s only available with Premium, so free users don’t get access.
Can’t compare candidate profiles
An exclusive Premium feature for recruiters allows side-by-side comparisons of job candidate profiles to easily understand strengths, weaknesses and gaps. Free accounts don’t have this capability.
No LinkedIn Salary data
Premium unlocks access to LinkedIn’s Salary tool which provides pay ranges for different job titles and locations. Free members can’t look up this salary data on LinkedIn.
Fewer article suggestions
LinkedIn uses your activity and interests to recommend relevant long-form articles to read. Premium subscribers tend to get served more article suggestions than free members.
No “Open Profile” sharing
Premium enables one-click sharing of your full LinkedIn profile. Free members can only share their customized public profile URL, but not the full profile.
No Who’s Viewed Your Updates insights
One Premium analytics feature shows you which 1st degree connections have viewed updates you post. Free accounts don’t have visibility into who’s viewing your updates.
Can’t create private audio messages
Premium members can record and send private audio conversations with their connections. Free users don’t have access to send audio messages through LinkedIn.
No demographic data in campaign analytics
Premium unlocks additional campaign analytics for company pages and showcased items, including demographic data on the people engaging with your content. These expanded analytics are limited for free members.
No customized LinkedIn video
Premium enables creating customized intro/outro screens for videos uploaded to LinkedIn. This provides a more professional appearance for your videos. Free accounts don’t have this capability.
Reduced member support
LinkedIn Premium comes with enhanced member support services if you ever need help. Free members have access to more basic community-based support resources.
No lead generation forms
Premium enables adding lead generation forms to company pages and posts. This allows capturing contact info from interested prospects directly through LinkedIn. Free accounts can’t add lead gen forms.
Fewer targeted ads
LinkedIn uses member activity and profile data to serve relevant ads. Premium members tend to see more targeted ads compared to free members.
No saved search alerts
Premium allows saving search alerts for things like jobs, companies, and people so LinkedIn can automatically notify you of new matches. Free members don’t have access to saved search alerts.
No LinkedIn Events access
The ability to discover, register for, and manage professional events and conferences through LinkedIn is a Premium-only feature. Free users can’t access LinkedIn Events.
Summary
In summary, going without a LinkedIn Premium subscription means missing out on features and benefits like:
- Seeing full profile views and visitors
- Unlimited InMail messages
- Full access to profiles
- Advanced search filters
- Access to LinkedIn Learning courses
- More profile recommendations
- Visibility in all Premium job postings
- Professional branding tools
- Priority ranking in search
Free members also get fewer recommendations, profile badge endorsements, and insights while being restricted from messaging colleagues or participating in Premium Groups. Premium provides greater support, tools, and resources to enhance your LinkedIn experience.
Should you upgrade to Premium?
Upgrading to LinkedIn Premium costs money, so is it worth it for you? Here are some key benefits to weigh when considering the value of Premium for your needs:
Increase reach and visibility
Premium helps get your profile and content viewed by more people. Premium members get put higher in search results, recommended more, can message anyone, and join exclusive groups.
Build stronger connections
Messaging colleagues, seeing full profiles, and getting viewed more often allows nurturing more meaningful relationships on LinkedIn.
Access insights and intel
Exclusive news, analysis, salary data, and insights around talent and recruitment give Premium members a competitive edge.
Showcase your brand
Premium tools help you build a stronger personal and professional brand through profile enhancements, content analytics, and lead generation capabilities.
Find opportunities
Premium unlocks all job postings, Events, Learning courses, and specialized recommendations so you don’t miss potential openings or growth paths.
Save time
Premium’s advanced search, messaging, and profile management tools help you be more efficient and productive on LinkedIn.
Here is a table summarizing some of the key differences between Free and Premium LinkedIn accounts:
Feature | Free | Premium |
---|---|---|
Profile Views | Last 90 days | Last 12 months |
InMail Messages | 5 per month | 30 per month |
Full Profile Access | No | Yes |
Advanced Searches | Limited filters | Unlimited filters |
Learning Courses | No access | Unlimited access |
The Premium paid tiers include Premium Career at $29.99/month and Premium Business at $59.99/month. Certain subscription lengths can reduce the monthly cost. Students and selected nonprofit organizations can also qualify for discounts on Premium memberships.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Premium provides valuable benefits that can be worth the cost depending on your professional needs. The additional insights, branding capabilities, exposure opportunities, and access to gated content and tools may help take your LinkedIn results to the next level.
But a free account still offers core functionality for managing your profile, connecting with others, sharing updates, and more. If you’re looking to use LinkedIn on a basic level, the free account gets the job done. And many Premium features naturally become less crucial once you establish yourself on LinkedIn.
Overall, LinkedIn Premium is most advantageous for job seekers, business professionals, recruiters, and sales/marketing teams active on LinkedIn. Investing in Premium can fast track results, though a free account may suit those using LinkedIn more casually.