A Comprehensive Guide to LinkedIn Recruiter Pricing: Is It Worth the Investment?

Sourcing qualified candidates is one of the most important tasks for any recruiting team. But sifting through hundreds of resumes to find the perfect hire can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. That's where tools like LinkedIn Recruiter come in.

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LinkedIn Recruiter gives recruiters the power of LinkedIn's massive 500+ million member database to pinpoint and connect with the best candidates for open roles. But is the price tag worth it? In this guide, we'll break down the various LinkedIn Recruiter pricing plans and help you understand which option makes the most sense for your hiring needs and budget.

How Much Does LinkedIn Recruiter Cost?

LinkedIn Recruiter pricing ranges from $3,712 to $8,832 per year, depending on the features and level of access your business needs. Your exact price depends on factors like the number of recruiters/hiring managers using the tool, the amount of InMail messages required, the depth of analytics and reporting, and integration with your ATS or HRIS. 

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Most small businesses expect to pay around $3,712/year for a basic Recruiter plan. Enterprises with large recruiting teams and advanced needs will land closer to $8,832/year. The pricing scale is broad, but LinkedIn offers flexibility to craft a plan that aligns with your hiring volume and budget constraints.

How to Get a Better Deal on LinkedIn Recruiter

Negotiate with Sales Reps

Many buyers simply accept the first pricing proposal from LinkedIn's sales team. But the initial quote is just a starting point – don't be afraid to negotiate! Recruitment is a top priority for most companies, so push back and ask for discounts or added incentives. Highlight other tools you are considering to get your rep working hard to earn your business.

Pay Annually Upfront

Opting for annual billing rather than monthly payments can help you secure a discount of around 10% with LinkedIn. You have to pay the full annual cost upfront, but you end up saving money in the long run.

Purchase Add-On Packs

Once you have a base LinkedIn Recruiter plan, add-on packs for things like additional recruiter seats, InMail messages, and analytics views are cheaper than upgrading to the next level plan. So you can pick and choose only the extra features you need.

Explore Bundled Packages

Some companies can get major savings by bundling LinkedIn Recruiter with LinkedIn's Sales Navigator tool for sales prospects. Others get deals by purchasing Recruiter through their ATS vendor. Ask your sales rep what combo deals or partnerships might be available.

Leverage Partner Discounts

Many ATS tools like Jobvite and SmartRecruiters offer discounted LinkedIn packages to their customers. Some staffing firms have partner agreements that could trickle down savings for your organization. Explore all existing vendor relationships for potential savings.

Start with a Free Trial

LinkedIn offers 30-day free trials for Recruiters. Sign up to fully test the tool across your existing workflow before committing. Starting conversations after experiencing the tool firsthand gives you more negotiation power.

LinkedIn Recruiter's Core Features

LinkedIn Recruiter comes packed with capabilities to supercharge your talent sourcing and pipeline management. Here are some of the most valuable features:

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1. Advanced Search and Filtering: Recruiters can search the entire 500+ million LinkedIn member database with precise filters like location, current company, job title, skills, and more. Boolean search helps you fine-tune queries to surface best-fit candidates.
   
   
2. InMail Messages: Use the LinkedIn platform to send unlimited customized InMail messages to engage qualified prospects. Quickly communicate with passive candidates who are open to new opportunities.
   
   
3. Talent Pool Organization: Save candidate profiles into organized project-specific talent pools for easy access later. Add custom tags and comments to keep promising prospects on your radar.
   
   
4. Real-Time Alerts: Get notifications in real-time when new candidates appear that match your customized searches. Stay on top of new prospects as they enter the market.
   
   
5. Team Collaboration: Share promising candidates and talent pools directly with hiring managers and recruiters across your company. Collaborate on outreach strategies.
   
   
6. Interview Scheduling: Schedule screenings and interviews with prospects directly through Recruiter to accelerate hiring. Reduce back-and-forth emails.
   
   
7. Recruiter Analytics: Gain data insights like InMail response rate, talent pool source breakdown, and time-to-hire metrics. Identify successes and areas for sourcing improvement.
   
   
8. Nudge Campaigns: Send timely email reminders to talent pool prospects to keep your role top of mind and prompt responses.
   
   
9. Premium Support: To maximize your program, get dedicated technical support and onboarding assistance from LinkedIn's recruiters.

LinkedIn Recruiter Alternatives

If the cost of LinkedIn Recruiter doesn't align with your budget, here are some alternative sourcing tools to consider:

Boolean Search

Boolean helps recruiters quickly source qualified, interested candidates across the open web. It allows precise keyword searching refined with complex Boolean strings. Boolean search syntax enables detailed queries. Location, skills, and current employer filters further refine candidate matching. The tool automatically sources candidates from across the web and schedules alerts to notify recruiters of new prospects.

Entelo

Entelo relies on AI and talent mapping technology to automatically source and recommend the best candidates for open roles. It matches candidates based on skills, experience, and location without requiring complex searching. Dedicated Sourcing bots prospect candidates 24/7. Integration with ATS syncs open jobs automatically. Real-time alerts notify recruiters when new prospects are identified.

Hiretual

Hiretual integrates AI sourcing, recruitment automation, and candidate engagement in one platform. AI Sourcing is powered by 15+ job boards and social networks. Email sequences and campaigns nurture candidate relationships. Scheduling and video screening features are built-in. Robust analytics and reporting provide insights.

How Spendflo Can Help You Get Better Deals on LinkedIn Recruiter

Spendflo is a software procurement and vendor management platform dedicated to helping companies reduce spending on business tools. Our experts can help you secure the best possible pricing on LinkedIn Recruiter in a few key ways:

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• Our team leverages our large buying power to negotiate better discounts and pricing directly with LinkedIn's sales team.
• We take an unbiased approach to recommend the right recruitment tools for your needs, whether LinkedIn or alternatives like Boolean.
• Our software automates procurement tasks like tracking usage data and contract renewals for total spending visibility.
• We provide ongoing account management to ensure you maximize value from Recruiter and achieve high ROI.
• We handle the full purchasing process from negotiation to renewals for procurement simplicity.

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Want to start saving on your LinkedIn Recruiter costs? Get a custom quote from our experts today.

Frequently Asked Questions about LinkedIn Recruiter Pricing

What options do I have for customizing my LinkedIn Recruiter plan and pricing?

LinkedIn offers some flexibility for customizing Recruiter plans based on the number of seats, InMail volumes, and integrations needed. Contact their sales team to discuss designing a plan around your requirements.

What kind of discounts or incentives are available for long-term contracts?

LinkedIn provides discounts for agreeing to annual rather than monthly payment terms. Multi-year contracts also typically include additional discounts of 5-15% per year.

Can I pause or temporarily cancel my LinkedIn Recruiter subscription to save money in certain months?

Unfortunately, LinkedIn does not allow users to pause or easily downgrade Recruiter subscriptions intra-year. Cancelling means forfeiting any remaining contract value.

Is there flexibility in the number of recruiters or hiring managers that can access my account?

Yes, LinkedIn makes it simple to add or remove additional Recruiter seats through their self-service portal without needing to alter your overall contract.

What other charges or fees might come up related to LinkedIn Recruiter?

Be aware of potential fees for add-ons like increased InMail volumes, integrations, and premium support. Any special customization work also typically involves additional fees.