LinkedIn for Professionals

What the free plan gives you, and where it stops

A profile recruiters can find, free creator analytics and the ability to message your connections all cost nothing. Free members can't message people outside their network. That's the one thing Premium's InMail adds, at 5 messages a month on the Career plan. ^{[2] [1]}

What Premium costs you, and what it returns

Premium Career costs $39.99 a month, or $239.88 a year if you pay up front. At 5 InMails a month, that's $8 per message on monthly billing. Premium also includes profile-view history, which helps only if you're trying to be found by people who don't know you yet. ^[1]

Your first three months

Set up your profile and check its visibility before you pay for anything. LinkedIn's creator guide suggests posting 2 to 5 times a week with a question and a call to action. Track what works in the free creator analytics, where custom date ranges work only in the mobile app. ^{[3] [2]}

If you start a Premium trial, set a reminder the day you start it. Trial length isn't stated, reviewers report one week to one month, and about 13 of 100 reviews describe a trial that became an annual charge. ^{[4] [5]}

Growing without paying for reach

Referrals beat cold applications and cold InMail, several commenters say, and the advice holds up better than any InMail count. Ask people in your network who work at the company you want, and send the application through them where you can. ^[10]

Protecting your account

Lockouts and stalled ID checks come up in about 38 of 100 recent Trustpilot reviews, and support problems come up in about 48 of 100. Keep your phone number and email current, and keep a list of your key contacts outside LinkedIn so a lockout doesn't take them with it. ^{[6] [7]}

Switch off AI training if you don't want your profile used for it. The setting is on by default, and the opt-out applies only from the day you change it. ^[8]

Should you pay for Premium?

Only mid-move, on monthly billing. If you're changing roles in the next few weeks and need to reach people outside your network, Premium Career is worth one month. If you're building a profile for the years ahead, the free plan is enough, and an annual plan wastes money unless you use it all year. ^[1]