Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It? Pros, Cons, and Alternatives

With over 1.2 billion users spread across 200+ countries, LinkedIn is the largest professional networking platform globally.

And just like your social media presence, your professional presence on this platform matters more than ever. Whether you’re prospecting clients, exploring new job opportunities, attracting talent, or seeking more job interviews, LinkedIn takes the forefront.

Sure, the LinkedIn Premium account could unlock more access and insights.

But it would leave the hard part of managing conversations and follow-ups entirely up to you.

That said, if you’re wondering how to supercharge your LinkedIn presence with the business premium account, this guide is for you. 

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What LinkedIn Premium Offers

LinkedIn offers premium plans across 4 core categories: Career, Business, Sales, and Recruiting. Each targets a specific audience and comes with a distinct feature set, subcategories, and pricing. 

Here’s a quick overview of each plan and its key features 👇

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Pros of LinkedIn Premium

Let’s understand the benefits of LinkedIn Premium to guide your decisions. 

Enhanced visibility and profile insights

With LinkedIn Premium, you can see who’s viewed your profile (up to 365 days) and how people found you, through search, feed, shared connections, or company pages. This intel matters when you need a first-mover advantage.

For instance:

• When a hiring manager views your profile → reach out with a personalized DM introducing yourself or your interest in the position 
• When a potential client or lead checks you out → follow up immediately while you’re still top of mind
• When recruiters search for your skill set → you know exactly which keywords are pulling traffic and can optimize your profile accordingly

Premium Business accounts also receive a gold badge on their profiles, which may signal credibility to potential employers and clients. You can also browse profiles anonymously and run unlimited searches, filtering by job title, company size, location, industry, or skill sets.

InMail for direct outreach

With premium plans, you get 3 months of rolling InMail credits to contact LinkedIn members outside your network. This is helpful when you’re trying to connect with decision-makers or hiring teams who wouldn’t normally see your connection request. 

However, here are a few things you should know about InMails ⚠️

• There are three types of InMails: Free, Paid (for Sales Navigator and Recruiter Lite), and Sponsored (LinkedIn Ads platform)
• InMail is for initial outreach; you can’t send another to the same person unless they reply 
• If the recipient responds within 90 days, LinkedIn refunds your InMail credit to your account
• InMail messages cap at 200 characters for the subject line and 1,900 characters for the body

Advanced search and lead filters

LinkedIn Premium equips you with advanced search and filtering options. You can narrow down sales leads or prospects by seniority level, company size, years of experience, or industry. This matters when you’re building outreach lists, tracking competitor hiring patterns, or identifying decision-makers within target accounts.

Learning and development

LinkedIn Premium offers access to over 20,000 courses taught by industry experts and centered on today’s most in-demand skills. You can find courses on everything—from Excel formulas to AI foundations to project management. 

Most of them have assessments, exercise files, and video transcripts. Every time you complete a course, you get a certificate that automatically displays on your LinkedIn profile with a verification badge.

Top job and application insights

As a premium user, you can see how your application stacks up against other applicants. LinkedIn highlights the skills and experience you’re missing and shows how your profile matches the job requirements. 

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Cons of LinkedIn Premium

Is the LinkedIn Premium worth your 💰? Check out the cons if you’re considering a subscription. 

Premium plans on the higher end 

The cost can add up quickly, especially if you’re not actively job-hunting or prospecting. Here’s what you’re looking at:

You get a 1-month free trial on all plans, but you’ll need to provide your credit card details. 

Features may not actually materialize

The list of offerings under premium plans is exhaustive, and you are likely not to use all of them. 

What you must also know is that: 

• Low response rates: Sending an InMail doesn’t guarantee a response. Especially not if you’re firing off low-effort templated messages, and your profile lacks substance. If your target audience isn’t receptive to InMails, you’ll just burn through credits 
• Overwhelming advanced search: Advanced search filters can be overkill if you’re networking casually or only applying to a handful of jobs monthly. Most job seekers don’t need to filter by company headcount or technology stack—even a basic search does the job 
• Redundant private browsing: If a free account user views your profile in private mode, you won’t see their details, even with a premium account. This defeats the purpose of the “who viewed your profile” feature when a chunk of viewers are browsing anonymously
• Unused InMail credits: Credits expire after three months if unused. If you’re not actively prospecting or job hunting, you’ll watch those credits roll over and disappear without ever using them

AI features with limited intelligence 

LinkedIn offers AI-powered tools across its premium tiers:

• Message Assist: Generate personalized outreach with AI to save time and boost buyer response rates
• Account IQ and Lead IQ: Cut research time with instant, AI-powered account and lead insights
• AI-powered insights on job posts: Assess your fit for a job and get personalized tips to stand out to recruiters
• AI profile writing assistant: Enhance your profile and stand out for more opportunities
• AI-powered coaching and learning: Get personalized career advice and resource recommendations

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Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It? Use Cases

The evaluation of pros and cons brings us to our ultimate question: Is a LinkedIn Premium subscription worth it?

Honestly, it depends. 

For some professionals, premium features directly translate into closed deals or job offers. For others, it’s money spent on tools they’ll never fully use.

When does Premium make sense? 

✅ If you’ve been actively using LinkedIn’s free plan to build a personal brand and grow your network, premium adds a credibility boost. You can track engagement and refine your outreach strategy with the metrics and insights it offers. 

Here are a few instances where Premium makes sense: 

❌ Let’s make making a decision even simpler. If you fall in one of these categories, Premium may not pay off: 

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LinkedIn Premium Vs. Free Version: At a Glance 

Here’s a comparison of prominent LinkedIn features and what you get in the free vs. paid plans. 

That said, networking success comes from strategy and consistency, not just premium features. You can grow on LinkedIn and manage your relationships just fine, even with a free plan. 

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Alternatives to LinkedIn Premium

We’ve divided the alternatives to LinkedIn Premium into two sections: networking tools and LinkedIn automation tools. 

Networking tools include:👇

1. AngelList (Best for Startup hiring, founder networking, and early-stage investing)

AngelList connects startup professionals, founders, and investors in one ecosystem. Job seekers can browse through startup roles. They get salary ranges and equity details upfront. Founders can use it to find co-founders and recruit early-stage talent. Investors can scout for deals on the platform.  

Unlike LinkedIn’s broad professional focus, AngelList is purpose-built for startup hiring, fundraising, and early-stage networking.

AngelList key features

• Transparent salary and equity data: Displays compensation ranges and equity percentages before you apply, eliminating surprise lowball offers
• Startup-focused job board: Filters roles by funding stage, company size, tech stack, and remote flexibility for targeted searches
• Investor and founder matching: Connects startups with potential investors and co-founders based on industry, stage, and interests
• Curated talent lists: Recruiters build private lists of candidates they want to track for future roles or introductions
• Syndicates for investors: Allows angel investors to pool capital and co-invest in startups with experienced lead investors

AngelList limitations

• Narrow focus limits usefulness for professionals outside the startup and venture capital ecosystem
• Job competition can be intense since roles attract global applicants willing to work for equity

AngelList pricing

• Traditional: 0.1% of fund size + $10k/ year
• Full service: 0.15% of fund size + $20k/ year

2. Bumble Bizz (Best for low-pressure, relationship-first professional networking)

Bumble Bizz brings the swipe-right dating mechanic to professional networking. Create a separate Bizz profile highlighting your skills, industry, and what you’re looking for: mentorship, collaborators, clients, or job opportunities. The app shows you nearby professionals, and you swipe right to connect or left to pass. 

Matches unlock direct messaging without the formality of LinkedIn connection requests or InMails. It can be used by freelancers, consultants, and entrepreneurs who want low-pressure networking that feels less transactional.

Bumble Bizz key features

• Swipe-based matching: Browse profiles and swipe right on people you want to connect with for mutual opt-in networking
• Separate professional mode: Switches between dating, friendship, and business networking modes within the same app
• Location-based discovery: Finds professionals near you for local networking, meetups, or collaboration opportunities
• Interest and goal filtering: Filters matches by what they’re seeking—hiring, partnerships, mentorship, or freelance clients
• Direct messaging on match: Unlocks instant chat without waiting for acceptance or burning InMail credits

Bumble Bizz limitations

• Smaller user base compared to LinkedIn means fewer high-level executives and niche industry professionals
• Casual interface may feel too informal for conservative industries or senior-level networking situations

Bumble Bizz pricing

• Custom pricing

3. Xing (Best for professional networking in German-speaking Europe)

Xing dominates professional networking across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland with over 20 million users in the DACH region. It functions like LinkedIn but with stronger local market penetration and features tailored to European business culture. 

Professionals use it to find jobs, attend industry events, and join specialized groups focused on German-speaking markets. If your target audience or business operates in German-speaking Europe, Xing often delivers better engagement than LinkedIn for regional connections.

Xing key features

• DACH market dominance: Stronger presence than LinkedIn in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland for local business connections
• Event discovery and networking: Browse professional events, conferences, and meetups with built-in RSVP and attendee networking
• Industry-specific groups: Join niche communities focused on German business sectors with active discussions and job postings
• ProJobs feature: Premium job board with exclusive listings from companies specifically targeting Xing’s professional network
• GDPR-compliant privacy: Stricter data controls and transparency aligned with European privacy regulations

Xing limitations

• Limited global reach outside German-speaking countries makes it ineffective for international networking
• Smaller user base compared to LinkedIn means fewer connections in non-European markets

Xing pricing

• Custom pricing

Automation tools to complete LinkedIn usage 

1. ClickUp (Best for centralizing LinkedIn outreach, follow-ups, content planning, and relationship management)

When you’re networking on LinkedIn, you need a centralized workspace to manage contacts and follow-ups and a place to plan content and track results. 

Enter: ClickUp, a converged AI workspace. It unifies your workflows and tools, allowing you to manage your LinkedIn outreach in one place. The key capabilities include: 

Track and manage the contact repository with pre-built templates 

Having a contact management tool or a centralized location to store all your business contacts and their information makes outreach more manageable. 

When you are managing leads, customers, and interactions at scale, you need ClickUp’s Contact List Template to keep everything in check. 

Use this template to:

Get free template

• Capture contact details through a form—gather names, emails, phone numbers, LinkedIn profiles, and notes without switching tools
• Store customer information with Custom Statuses like 1st Contact, Active, Disengaged, Inactive, Lead, or anything more relevant
• Organize contacts using Custom Views—List view for quick scanning, Board view for visual pipeline tracking, or Table view for sortable data
• Add 11 different Custom Fields, such as Facebook Profile, Location, Speaker Email, Instagram Profile, and Rating, to save vital information about contacts and easily visualize contact data
• Assign follow-up tasks directly from contact records to team members with due dates and priority tags

Once you’ve tracked contacts, the next step is moving them through your sales funnel. 

You need a system to qualify leads, schedule follow-ups, and close deals without letting prospects slip through the cracks.

ClickUp’s Sales Pipeline Template comes to your rescue. With this template, you can:

Get free template

• Visualize deal stages from initial contact to closed-won in 4 different ClickUp Views
• Automate task creation when a lead moves stages—trigger follow-up emails, schedule discovery calls, or assign proposals
• Track deal value and forecast revenue by filtering active opportunities by close date and potential contract size
• Set reminders for check-ins so you never miss a follow-up

AI-powered contextual intelligence 

ClickUp Brain, a contextual AI, understands your outreach system as it resides within ClickUp. It has context from your Lists, tasks, Docs, CRM fields, and notes.

It can generate outreach messages, summaries, and follow-up tasks based on your actual workflow.

For your LinkedIn outreach, the AI assistant can summarize LinkedIn posts, extract role-specific pain points, and pull out key details you can use in your message. 

Then use BrainGPT to rewrite your outreach message in different tones. You can even create different versions with multiple angles (value-led, problem-led, insight-led). Test these variations to see what resonates with each ICP. 

Remember to humanize the AI-generated content and add your personality to the message. 

If you’re just getting started with AI-generated content, we’ve created this video for you.

Also, if typing everything is slowing you down, you have ClickUp’s Talk-to-Text. With Talk-to-Text, you can:

• Automatically tag teammates, tasks, or Docs while dictating using context-aware @mentions and links 
• Get a personal vocabulary that auto-fills product names, acronyms, and most-used words for dictated text to sound like you 
• Turn voice memos into structured text and assign them as tasks 
• Access ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, and other AI models without switching apps—reducing AI sprawl

Set up automation workflows 

When you’re managing outreach at scale, there’s no way you can handle all of this manually. You need AI-automated workflows that keep running even when you’re not monitoring every response.

However, while automating LinkedIn outreach with AI, make sure to configure the following limits:

• Set daily connection requests
• Send connection requests at intervals 
• Send messages during the prospects’ working hours to maximize response rates and appear more human

Using ClickUp’s no-code Automations, you can build trigger-based workflows that activate when you send a connection request on LinkedIn. They run the prospecting in the background. 

Define if this, then that rules in Automations that save hours and eliminate missed steps. Automations can also be tied to upcoming due dates, assignee changes, or even time-tracking events, ensuring tasks remain consistently labeled.

ClickUp key features

• Instant audio and video collaboration: Launch ClickUp SyncUps directly from tasks to discuss outreach strategies, review prospect lists, or walk through follow-up sequences in real time
• ClickUp Integrations: ClickUp integrates with 1000+ apps and offers native integrations with CRMs, email platforms, and automation tools, allowing you to centralize lead data and eliminate context-switching
• Enterprise-wide search: Find contact details, past conversations, or outreach templates instantly across your ClickUp workspace and connected apps using Enterprise Search 
• Centralized knowledge hub: Store all LinkedIn strategies, outreach templates, and networking playbooks in ClickUp Docs so your entire team accesses the same information

ClickUp limitations

• Extensive features come with a learning curve that can feel overwhelming for new users
• Doesn’t automate LinkedIn post scheduling natively

ClickUp pricing

What do real users say about ClickUp?

Hear it from a G2 reviewer: 

Automation tools to complement LinkedIn usage

Third-party LinkedIn automation tools can handle repetitive tasks like extracting lead data and scheduling follow-ups without triggering LinkedIn’s detection systems. Here are a few you should know: 

1. Phantombuster (Best for extracting and enriching LinkedIn lead data at scale)

PhantomBuster is a cloud-based platform that makes it easier to collect, organize, and export structured data from LinkedIn without manual copy-paste. It offers a range of LinkedIn-specific tools that let you build lists from searches, company pages, group members, profile activity, and post engagement. 

You can extract key public profile details, company information, and activity metadata into spreadsheets or CRM systems, and centralize this data in one workspace for downstream use. You also get a “LinkedIn Leads” hub where you can filter, group, and manage collected LinkedIn leads efficiently.

Phantombuster key features

• Automates profile scraping: Extracts names, job titles, company details, and contact info from LinkedIn searches or Sales Navigator results
• Enriches lead data: Pulls email addresses and phone numbers from scraped LinkedIn profiles using third-party data sources
• Integrates with CRMs and lead management software: Pushes extracted lead data directly into HubSpot, Salesforce, or Google Sheets without manual exports
• Schedules workflows: Runs Phantoms on autopilot at set intervals to maintain consistent prospecting activity

Phantombuster limitations

• Risk of LinkedIn account restrictions if daily limits are exceeded or activity appears unnatural
• Requires separate email-finding tools for complete contact enrichment since LinkedIn doesn’t publicly list emails

Phantombuster pricing

• Starter: $69/ month
• Pro: $159/ month
• Team: $439/ month

What do real-life users say about Phantombuster?

Hear it from a G2 reviewer: 

2. Expandi (Best for running conditional, multi-step LinkedIn outreach sequences safely)

The LinkedIn prospecting platform Expandi provides a centralized workspace for managing LinkedIn contacts. You can view detailed lead information and filter prospects by criteria such as job title, company, industry, and engagement signals. 

Expandi also includes a smart inbox to consolidate messages and simplify conversation tracking. To assess campaign performance, you get advanced analytics and reporting. It connects with other tools to integrate LinkedIn lead insights into broader workflows. 

Expandi key features

• Cloud-based automation: Runs campaigns from dedicated IP addresses instead of your local browser to minimize detection risk
• Smart sequences with conditional logic: Triggers different follow-up paths based on whether prospects accept, reply, or ignore your outreach
• Multichannel campaigns: Combines LinkedIn InMails, connection requests, and email outreach in one workflow
• A/B testing for messages: Tests multiple message variations simultaneously to identify which copy drives higher response rates
• Auto-withdraws pending requests: Removes unanswered connection requests after your specified timeframe to keep your profile clean

Expandi limitations

• Higher pricing compared to other LinkedIn automation tools, especially for solo users
• Risk of account restriction when users run overly aggressive campaigns

Expandi pricing

• Business: $99/ month
• Agency: Custom

What do real-life users say about Expandi? 

Hear it from a G2 reviewer: 

3. Dux Soup (Best for browser-based LinkedIn prospecting with lightweight automation)

Dux-Soup automates LinkedIn prospecting tasks through a Chrome extension that runs directly in the browser. 

Sales professionals use it to visit profiles, send connection requests, and nurture leads at scale while mimicking human behavior to avoid detection. The tool integrates with CRMs and supports personalized messaging sequences for efficient outreach campaigns.

Dux Soup key features

• Drip campaign scheduling: Spreads connection requests and messages throughout the day to simulate organic activity patterns
• Profile tagging and notes: Tags prospects with custom labels and adds private notes visible only to you for better lead organization
• Skill endorsements at scale: Automatically endorses skills on target profiles to increase visibility and engagement before sending requests
• CSV export for CRM sync: Downloads prospect data into spreadsheets for manual import into HubSpot, Salesforce, or other systems

Dux Soup limitations

• No native CRM integrations—relies on manual CSV exports and imports for syncing lead data
• Basic analytics compared to cloud platforms, making it harder to track campaign performance across multiple sequences

Dux Soup pricing

• Pro Dux Individual: $14.99/ month
• Turbo Team: $55/ month
• Cloud agency: $99/ month

What do real-life users say about Dux Soup? 

A G2 reviewer says: 

4. Dripify (Best for team-based LinkedIn prospecting and performance tracking)

Dripify offers a suite of features focused on building and running multi-step LinkedIn engagement sequences, tracking performance metrics, and managing team activity from a central dashboard. 

Users can pull structured lead data, filter prospects based on criteria like title or company, and export it for deeper analysis. 

A built-in inbox lets you centralize LinkedIn conversations. Dripify also provides templates and reporting tools to support ongoing LinkedIn prospecting efforts. 

Dripify key features

• Visual workflow builder: Drag-and-drop interface for creating multi-step campaigns with conditional branches based on prospect responses
• Team collaboration tools: Share campaign templates, assign leads to team members, and monitor collective outreach performance from one dashboard
• Built-in safety limits: Automatically throttles daily actions to stay within LinkedIn’s recommended limits and reduce ban risk
• Lead scoring and filtering: Ranks prospects based on engagement levels and filters hot leads for priority follow-up
• Native CRM integrations: Syncs lead data directly with Pipedrive, HubSpot, and Salesforce without manual exports

Dripify limitations

• Occasional lag in webhook syncing with some CRM platforms during high-volume data transfers
• Limited customization for users who want granular control over action timing beyond preset safety windows

Dripify pricing

• Basic: $59/ user/ month
• Pro: $79/ user/ month
• Advanced: $99/ user/ month
• Enterprise: Customizable

What do real-life users say about Dripify? 

As per a G2 reviewer: 

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So, Is LinkedIn Premium Worth It?

LinkedIn Premium can be genuinely useful when you are working toward a specific outcome, whether that’s breaking into a new role, accelerating hiring, or opening doors for sales conversations. Used casually, it often feels underwhelming. Used with focus, it can shorten timelines and surface opportunities you would not reach otherwise.

What matters just as much as the subscription itself is how you organize the work around it. Networking, follow-ups, content ideas, conversations, and leads all lose value when they live in scattered notes and half-remembered reminders. Pairing LinkedIn activity with a centralized system like ClickUp helps turn connections into consistent progress, not just more notifications.

From tools to manage contacts to creating content, managing tasks, and building automations—ClickUp streamlines your networking efforts. Sign up for free now and leverage ClickUp for your LinkedIn growth.

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