Summary: LinkedIn Premium features justify the costs for most users. However, the LinkedIn premium cost varies between $30 to $120 per month.
Let us discuss when we should stay with the free plan and who should pay for LinkedIn paid plans. In other words, let us do the Linkedin Premium Cost vs Benefit Analysis.
In addition, we shall also discuss all the membership levels and help you decide which plan suits you best! Please check out the comparison table at the end of this LinkedIn premium review article where we benchmark the benefits against the price/cost.
Who Should Stick With the Free Plan?
LinkedIn was acquired by Microsoft in 2017 and after that, they changed to a freemium model offering both free as well as premium plans. Users get the option of joining for free or subscribe to the paid plans. The platform offers an opportunity to connect to millions of users online, who are seeking a professional connection.
Users can contact the connections directly, apply for jobs, and share articles and updates. Additionally, LinkedIn acts as an always available online CV. If you are stable in your job and don’t need the extra features, you can safely stay away from the premium plans. Also, you can use our DWE method to revamp your LinkedIn profile. This will help you get noticed. You can still connect with most people, share and interact on posts, apply for jobs, etc. Also, if you are a student not towards the end of your course, you may avoid going for the LinkedIn premium.
Alternatively, you may get more advantages by nurturing your professional relationships through personal contacts. You can do a goal setting for your career and conduct a personal SWOT analysis. You can then use this to develop your connection strategy. This may give also give you an idea as to why you need the premium plan. You can also justify the Linkedin Premium Cost.
Comparison of the LinkedIn Premium Features:
You may check out the paid plans at different LinkedIn Premium cost tiers. The pricing is subject to changes, promotions, and offers.
| Career | Business | Sales Navigator | Recruiter Lite |
| $30 per month | $60 per month | $80 per month | $120 per month |
| 3 Inmail messages | 15 Inmail messages | 20 Inmail messages | 30 Inmail messages |
| Compare with other applicants | Browse unlimited people | Browse unlimited people | Browse unlimited people |
| Free access to courses | Free access to courses | Sales insights | Hiring and Recruitment tools |
| Interview preparation | Career Insights | Leads management | Recruitment specific insights |
Who Would Benefit from LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn premium costs about $30 per month for the career plan. In the strictest sense, it is not a cheap deal at about $360 per annum. You could buy a 36” to 40 inch HDTV or an iPad for that price. However, if you want the annual billing cycle, you can get the same plan for $240 per annum. Alternatively, you can try out any of the plans for free by joining the one-month trial program. If you are wondering whether the LinkedIn Premium plans are worth it then please read below:
Online course seekers
LinkedIn owns Lynda which has been a provider of some of the best curated online courses from software to technical skills. If you want to enroll in any of these courses, then the subscription is totally worth it. This is one of the single most used features for many people who don’t use other premium features at all. The basic plan, ‘LinkedIn Premium Career’ is enough for those who seek to learn new skills through the cheapest LinkedIn membership level.
Job Seekers
If you are looking for a job then you may benefit a lot from the Premium Career which helps you get noticed, search and apply for jobs faster and help in preparing for an interview. Firstly, you would benefit from being able to message the recruiters directly as Career allows you 3 InMail credits. Secondly, you can prepare for interviews by checking out the sample questions with answers from experts and hiring managers. Thirdly, you can check out the salary details while browsing for jobs without disclosing your personal information. If this seems inadequate for your needs then you may even opt for Premium Business which allows 15 InMail messages and browsing up to 3rd-degree connections.
Hiring Managers
If you are a hiring manager or recruiter, then LinkedIn is an indispensable tool. You should look at Recruiter Lite. It gives you 30 InMail messages. You can run advanced searches and filter out the best candidates. The suggestions for hiring are based on a proprietary algorithm. The candidates can be tracked based on their roles and projects. Plus it also offers some design customizations to suit your branding.
Sales Managers
The most suitable plan for sales roles is LinkedIn Sales Navigator Professional. This plan also offers 20 Inmail messages to unconnected potential leads. You get free insights about the leads, members, and company details. The sales managers can browse infinite 3rd-degree profiles and get to know the visitors to their own profile up to the last 90 days. You may learn some new skills by enrolling yourself into social media marketing courses on LinkedIn as well.
Cancel LinkedIn Premium
Sometimes, users find it difficult to switch back to the free version after subscribing to the paid plans.
One common complaint is that they lure you with a free trial for a month and take credit card details to enroll you for the plan you select. In addition, they send you a reminder 7 days before the expiry of your free trial to cancel the trial. You must be very careful if you just want to try it out, several people have got automatically enrolled in the subscription plan.
The LinkedIn Premium cost can bog you down if you don’t want it. However, you can try the methods listed below to recover your LinkedIn Premium cost. Moreover, you should know that if you get auto-enrolled for a period after your subscription, they will charge you. They may deduct part of your subscription before issuing a refund.
How to cancel the LinkedIn Premium membership?
- Open LinkedIn.com and login if you haven’t logged in.
- Click on the ‘Me’ icon which has your photograph as an icon.
- Select ‘Premium subscription settings’ by clicking on ‘Premium subscription settings’ on the menu.
- Click on ‘Manage Premium account’ (if you are unable to locate it, hit CTRL+F and type ‘Manage Premium account’ on your settings page).
- Now click on ‘Cancel subscription’ to cancel your subscription.
- Finally, click on ‘Continue to cancel.’ This is to confirm your cancellation.
What to do if you are already paid the Linkedin Premium cost?
First of all, relax. You are not alone. Many unsuspecting people find themselves stuck in this situation. Please follow the steps below to solve your issue. Many users have reported success in getting their Linkedin Premium cost back.
Method 1: Try the Cancel LinkedIn Premium link
Method 2: If the online method fails, you may try calling their support help desk. This number is valid for users in the United States. However, please be advised that this method has a lower success rate than the online chat service. The number is 650-687-3600 and the extension is 1.
Method 3: If methods 1 and 2 fails, you may try asking for help on Twitter on their official handle @LinkedInHelp The response rate is overall quite good.
Method 4: If all the above methods fail, you may try social media to draw their attention. You could vent out on Twitter with their handle @LinkedIn in your tweet or try posting your issue on Facebook and including their page link in your post.
After that, once you are successful and cancel LinkedIn Premium, they will refund your money within 2 to 14 days. However, in the rarest of rare cases, it may not work. Nevertheless, if you don’t get a refund then you have to contact customer support once again. The final resort would be taking a legal course of action.
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The information provided is useful. As mentioned, $30 per month is on the higher side and it should be reduced. Benefit of Premium service will go to people who are prepared.
You are absolutely right. LinkedIn Career plan seems like an expensive starting point. However, for some people, it may be justified!
A useful read indeed . I was always sceptical to go for it or not, and now I have the answers.
Thanks a lot for liking it. I am glad that it was useful for your decision regarding whether to go for LinkedIn Premium plans or not.
That’s an informative summary.
Thank you so much for liking it. You may check out other articles in the mean time.