Both LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator are paid subscription plans offered by LinkedIn to enhance your experience and get more out of the platform. With over 560 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and a powerful tool for business networking, finding jobs, building your professional brand, and generating leads. Deciding whether to upgrade to a paid subscription depends on your specific needs and goals on LinkedIn.
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s individual subscription plan that provides users with additional features not available with a free account. Key benefits of Premium include:
- See who’s viewed your profile
- Contact info for anyone who views your profile
- Unlimited InMail messages
- Profile badges to stand out
- 15-30 focused searches per month
- Learning courses and professional coaching
Premium is geared towards individual users who want to expand their network, develop their professional brand, and get introduced to more opportunities on LinkedIn. It costs $29.99 per month with an annual plan.
What is Sales Navigator?
LinkedIn Sales Navigator is a sales-focused paid plan designed for sales professionals, account executives, business development reps, recruiters, and others who actively use LinkedIn to generate leads and close deals. Key features of Sales Navigator include:
- See full profiles of your prospects
- Expanded search filters and saved searches
- Contact info for anyone in your search results
- Lead recommendations based on your searches
- Team accounts and collaboration tools
- Sales analytics and notifications
Sales Navigator costs $64.99 per month with an annual plan. It also offers a team plan for multiple users.
Comparing Key Features
When evaluating Premium vs Sales Navigator, here are some of the key differences in features:
Feature | Premium | Sales Navigator |
---|---|---|
See Who’s Viewed Your Profile | Yes | No |
InMail Messages | Unlimited | 30-50 per month |
Saved Lead and Search Alerts | No | Yes |
Contact Info for Prospects | Limited | Full Access |
Team Accounts | No | Yes |
As you can see, Premium offers more individual branding features while Sales Navigator provides specialized tools for connecting with prospects and tracking sales leads.
Benefits of LinkedIn Premium
Here are some of the main benefits of upgrading to LinkedIn Premium:
- See who’s viewed your profile – One of Premium’s most popular features, letting you see full details on up to 500 profile viewers per month.
- Contact anyone who views you – Engage with professionals who have looked at your profile with a customized InMail message.
- Unlimited InMail messages – Connect with anyone outside your network with personalized emails.
- Targeted searches – Run up to 15-30 advanced searches per month to find relevant leads and contacts.
- Profile badges – Stand out with badges highlighting your skills, achievements, volunteering, and more.
- Learning courses – Access over 16,000 expert-led courses on professional and business topics.
Overall, Premium helps individuals deepen engagement on LinkedIn, build their brand, expand their network, and uncover new opportunities.
Benefits of Sales Navigator
Here are the main advantages of LinkedIn Sales Navigator for sales professionals:
- Lead recommendations – Get automatic recommendations for relevant leads based on saved searches and any list you upload.
- Full profile visibility – See complete profile data including email address for all your prospects.
- Team collaboration – Share accounts and relevant leads with coworkers.
- Lead notifications – Get notifications when prospects meet your search criteria so you never miss a lead.
- Sales analytics – Track your LinkedIn outreach and get insights on what messages and touchpoints are most effective.
- Saved searches – Create ongoing searches for specific leads and get notified of any new matches.
With its sales tools and prospecting features, Sales Navigator supercharges lead generation and prospecting on LinkedIn.
LinkedIn Premium vs Sales Navigator: Key Differences
While both Premium and Sales Navigator offer ways to get more out of LinkedIn, they are tailored for different audiences and use cases:
LinkedIn Premium | LinkedIn Sales Navigator |
---|---|
For individual professionals | For sales teams & individuals |
Build your brand & network | Prospect leads & close deals |
Unlimited InMail | 30-50 InMail per month |
15-30 searches/month | Unlimited saved searches |
See profile viewers | Lead recommendations |
$29.99/month | $64.99/month |
As you can see, Premium gives individuals more tools for networking and self-branding, while Sales Navigator provides specialized sales features and team collaboration options.
When Should You Choose LinkedIn Premium?
Here are some of the main scenarios where LinkedIn Premium offers the most value:
- You are actively looking for a new job and want to stand out
- You are a consultant, coach, or freelancer who needs to build your professional brand
- You want to significantly expand your connections and network
- You don’t need complex sales prospecting features
- You want to learn new skills through LinkedIn Learning courses
Essentially, Premium gives you more tools to build your network and personal brand on an individual level.
Premium Use Cases
Job seekers – See who’s looked at your profile from top companies, then reach out directly with InMail messages to key hiring managers.
Consultants/freelancers – Use profile badges to highlight your expertise and certifications to attract more clients.
Career builders – Take courses on leadership, marketing, and other professional skills to advance your career.
Network expanders – Search for relevant contacts and see full profiles of anyone who views you to grow your network.
When is Sales Navigator the Better Option?
Here are scenarios where Sales Navigator is likely the better choice over Premium:
- You need to generate B2B leads and sales prospects on LinkedIn
- You want to integrate LinkedIn outreach into your sales workflow
- You do targeted outreach at scale to connect with key decision makers
- You work closely with a sales team who needs shared access to leads
- You need robust sales analytics on your LinkedIn efforts
In summary, Sales Navigator gives sales teams and individuals powerful prospecting features.
Sales Navigator Use Cases
Sales development reps (SDRs) – Identify relevant prospects for outbound messaging and get notified when your prospects are most active on LinkedIn.
Recruiters/headhunters – Search for prospects with specific titles, skills, and experience and send them InMail messages.
Account executives – Upload your company’s existing lead list to Sales Navigator to enrich data and identify connections for warm introductions.
Marketers – Discover buyers and decision makers at companies you want to target and segment them for targeted ad campaigns.
LinkedIn Premium vs Sales Navigator: Final Recommendation
In summary, Premium and Sales Navigator each serve distinct needs:
- LinkedIn Premium provides greater visibility and networking capabilities for individuals.
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator enables sales prospecting, outreach, and team collaboration.
For most professionals focused on building their brand and network, LinkedIn Premium offers strong value at just $29.99 per month. The ability to see who’s viewed your profile, contact those viewers, and unlock unlimited InMail messages can significantly boost your networking power.
For sales teams and individuals who need robust prospecting and outreach capabilities, Sales Navigator is worth the higher $64.99 per month investment. Features like lead recommendations, saved search alerts, and sales analytics enable highly targeted prospecting.
In some cases, it may make sense to use both Premium and Sales Navigator if you need capabilities tailored to networking as well as sales prospecting. But for most users, Premium or Sales Navigator will provide the best bang for your buck based on your LinkedIn goals.
Conclusion
LinkedIn Premium and Sales Navigator cater to different use cases. Premium helps individuals strengthen their brand and network, while Sales Navigator empowers sales prospecting and outreach. For most professionals focused on networking and career development, Premium delivers strong value at $29.99 per month. For sales teams and sales-focused individuals who need prospecting tools, Sales Navigator merits the higher price tag. Evaluate your specific needs and goals on LinkedIn to choose the best paid subscription plan for you.