LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional networking platform, with over 810 million members worldwide as of October 2023. With so many professionals on the platform, LinkedIn has become an invaluable tool for networking, job searching, establishing yourself as an authority in your industry, and more.
One way to get even more out of LinkedIn is through their paid offerings, LinkedIn Premium, and LinkedIn Learning. But what exactly do these premium offerings include? Specifically, does LinkedIn Premium include learning?
In this comprehensive guide, we’ll cover everything you need to know about whether LinkedIn’s paid subscriptions give you access to its library of over 16,000 online courses.
Table of Contents
An Overview of LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Learning
Before we get into what features cross over between Premium and Learning, let’s start with an overview of what each product offers:
What is LinkedIn Premium?
LinkedIn Premium is LinkedIn’s paid subscription service that unlocks additional features beyond the free version. With over 875 million members, LinkedIn is the world’s largest professional network and a powerful tool for boosting your career. But is paying for LinkedIn Premium worth it?
Key Premium features include:
- Profile boost – additional profile visits and expanded search appearances
- InMail messages for directly contacting anyone on LinkedIn
- Unlimited profile searches
- Network insights and contact filters
- Salary and company culture insights
- Optional resume review service
There are three Premium tier options based on features included:
- LinkedIn Premium Career – $29.99/month
- LinkedIn Premium Business – $49.99/month
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Professional – $64.99/month
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Team – $79.99/month
We’ll cover more on the tiers later when it comes to Learning access.
Also read: How Much Is LinkedIn Premium in 2023: Pricing & Plans Explained
What is LinkedIn Learning?
LinkedIn Learning, previously known as Lynda.com, is an e-learning platform that offers video courses taught by industry experts across a wide range of topics like business, technology, creative skills, and more.
With Learning, you can:
- Access video courses 24/7 on your schedule
- Learn in-demand skills from industry experts
- Earn certifications to showcase your skills
- Get personalized course recommendations
There are also thousands of practice tests to reinforce your knowledge.
Now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s tackle the big question: does LinkedIn Premium give you LinkedIn Learning?
Also read: How Much is LinkedIn Learning? An In-Depth Guide
Does LinkedIn Premium Include LinkedIn Learning Access?
So does LinkedIn Premium actually provide access to Learning?
The answer is: it depends on which Premium package you choose.
Here is a breakdown of which plans include Learning access and which don’t:
LinkedIn Premium Business, Sales, and Talent Plans
The Premium Business, Sales, and Talent subscription tiers DO include full access to 16,000+ LinkedIn Learning courses as part of the membership.
This means enterprise teams and recruitment professionals can tap into LinkedIn’s expansive professional development courses through certain Premium packages tailored to their needs.
For example:
- Premium Business subscriptions provide Learning to help inform sales prospects and close bigger deals
- Premium Talent packages offer Learning to make recruiting and onboarding more seamless
So for larger business and talent needs, Learning comes bundled at no extra charge with the right Premium plan.
Premium Career Plan
LinkedIn also offers a higher tier Premium package specifically focused on career development and advancement for individuals.
The Premium Career tier has all the standard Premium features PLUS resume building, interview prep tools, LinkedIn Learning access, and more job seeker resources.
Pricing starts at $29.99/month or an annual charge of $239.88. So for dedicated job hunters, Learning can be efficiently bundled by upgrading to Premium Career.
Basic Premium Individual Plan
As stated earlier, LinkedIn’s starter Premium individual package (starting at $29.99/month) unfortunately does not automatically include Learning access.
However, Premium members can add Learning to their individual plan for an additional $29.99 per month. This essentially doubles the cost to $60/month to have both Premium and Learning individually.
So basic Premium remains focused on amplifying your core LinkedIn networking and branding. Learning comes at an added fee per month for entry-level subscribers.
Also read: How to Use LinkedIn Learning: The Complete Guide
🚫 Basic individual Premium membership: No Learning Access
✅ Premium Career membership: Includes Learning Access
✅ Premium Business/Sales/Talent memberships: Also include Learning Access
Check the comparison chart below for a quick visual summary.
LinkedIn Premium Includes LinkedIn Learning Plan Comparison
Plan | Includes Learning Access? | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|
Premium Career | ✅ Yes | $29.99 |
Premium (individual) | ❌ No | $29.99 |
Premium Business | ✅ Yes | $79.99+ |
Premium Sales | ✅ Yes | $79.99+ |
Premium Talent (teams) | ✅ Yes | $79.99+ |
So in summary – Learning access IS included with Premium Career, Business, Sales, and Talent packages, but not basic Premium Individual.
This answers our central question: Only certain tiers of LinkedIn Premium include Learning as part of the membership. Others allow you to add Learning separately for a fee.
Let’s explore LinkedIn Learning itself more so you can decide if the subscription is worthwhile.
Advantages of LinkedIn Learning
Assuming you now know which plans grant Learning access, what can you actually get out of LinkedIn’s eLearning platform?
Here are some of the key benefits and offerings:
🎓 Over 16,000 expert-led courses
LinkedIn Learning offers over 16,000 online video courses focused on professional development across business, creative, and technology fields. Course durations range from quick 20 minute crash courses to over 10 hours of masterclass content.
💡 Taught by real-world experts
The courses are all taught by genuine industry experts ranging from leading business thinkers to practiced technicians. Learn directly from thought leaders across every domain.
📱 Learn on any device
You can access Learning courses and videos conveniently on desktop, mobile devices, tablets, apps, and more. Download videos for offline viewing as needed.
🗂️ Organized course library
All video courses and tutorials are separated into clear categories and subcategories making it easy to identify the exact skills you want to build. Efficiently navigate to programming languages, leadership soft skills, design tools, and much more.
🧾 Certificates of completion
Many courses offer certificates of completion once you finish that you can showcase to employers. Demonstrate your expanded skills and dedication to continuous professional development.
There are many more helpful features, but in essence LinkedIn Learning aims to be an all-encompassing professional development and e-learning platform tailored to business users already on LinkedIn.
Having it bundled with certain Premium plans makes for powerful combination for both branding and skill building.
Also read: How to Cancel LinkedIn Learning
Pros and Cons of LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Learning
Before committing to Premium, Learning, or both – consider some of the key advantages and disadvantages members report from their experience using the paid LinkedIn offerings:
Pros | Cons |
---|---|
All Premium tools plus 16,000+ courses for development | Expensive to purchase individually without discounts |
Discounts over standalone Learning subscription | Must pay annually for biggest cost savings |
Develop new skills for career/business growth | Hard to consume all available content |
Maximum visibility and networking capabilities | Advanced features have learning curves |
Certificates for resumes and credibility |
So weighed together, Premium + Learning can be extremely beneficial in the right circumstances – such as job seeking, professional learning, or making client connections.
But the suite of tools almost gives you too many features and course content to reasonably master and stay on top of. Invest time into identifying the 20% that will offer you 80% of the value based on your specific needs.
LinkedIn Premium Learning Rates, Limits, and Updates
Now that we’ve reviewed the major points around Premium and Learning bundles, let’s quickly touch on some key details around rates, limits, and recent updates. Everything you need for budgeting and planning decisions!
Current LinkedIn Premium Subscription Rates
Here are the latest monthly and discounted annual subscription rates for Premium tiers, auto-renewing for continuous access:
- LinkedIn Premium Career – $29.99/month
- LinkedIn Premium Business – $49.99/month
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Professional – $64.99/month
- LinkedIn Sales Navigator Team – $79.99/month
Of course with Premium Business and Sales, you’re unlocking Learning on top of these base rates!
2023 LinkedIn Learning Course and Certification Limits
Here are the current limits for Learning with Premium Business and Premium Sales accounts:
- Number of courses: Unlimited
- Practice tests: 100 per year
- Certifications earned: 25 per year
So you can take unlimited courses to grow your skills, but each tier caps the number of official certifications you can add to your profile. Still very generous for most learners!
Recent and Upcoming Changes
LinkedIn frequently tests updates to improve features and experiences. Here are a few tweaks rolled out over the past few months:
Premium Career Learning Access Promotions
- Complimentary 3 months of Learning with annual subscriptions (October 2022)
- Buy-one-month, get-one-month-free deals with Learning bundled (September 2022)
Learning Subscriptions Purchased as Gifts
- Recipients no longer require LinkedIn profiles (June 2023 Update)
- Pre-set delivery dates available during checkout (March 2023 Update)
Be sure to follow our blog for the latest news on products, features, deals, and more from LinkedIn and LinkedIn Learning!
FAQs on LinkedIn Premium and LinkedIn Learning Access
I know you likely still have some outstanding questions about how Premium and Learning fit together. So let me try to anticipate and answer some common ones:
-
Does LinkedIn Premium give you certificates for completing courses?
No, LinkedIn Premium itself does not include certification benefits – those are part of a full LinkedIn Learning subscription. Most Learning courses give you the option to add an official certificate by passing the course assessment.
So with the Learning access included in Premium Business/Sales subscriptions, you can earn certifications to validate your new skills and knowledge. -
What is the difference between Premium Career and Premium Business/Sales when it comes to Learning?
The key difference lies in automatic access. Premium Business and Premium Sales include and automatically unlock a full Learning subscription as soon as you sign up.
But Premium Career requires purchasing Learning as a separate add-on. Although as mentioned earlier, Premium Career often comes bundled with complimentary short-term Learning access during special promotions.
So if ongoing, unlimited Learning access is important to you, Premium Business or Premium Sales ensure you get it bundled from day one. -
Can I gift or share my Learning subscription from Premium with someone else?
Unfortunately no. The Learning access included with Premium Business/Sales accounts is for that subscriber’s personal use only. It cannot be shared or gifted to others. Anyone using your Learning subscription would need their own Premium account.
However, some Learning subscriptions can be gifted – such as Content Compilation models purchased by organizations. But access provided through individual Premium accounts is non-transferrable. -
What happens to my Learning access if I cancel my Premium subscription?
Good question! Your access to the full Learning library is directly tied to an active Premium account.
So if you cancel or fail to renew Premium, you would immediately lose access to Learning as well. Any courses or playlists would be removed until you reactivated either Premium or purchased a standalone Learning subscription.
Be strategic with timing if you might cancel Premium in the short term but want to complete some Learning courses. -
Can I get Learning discounts offered to Premium Subscribers if I already have Learning?
Unfortunately no, you cannot get special Learning discounts or free access if you already have a paid Learning account. Those offers are exclusively for adding Learning access to a new Premium subscription.
But depending on your current Learning subscription model, it still may be advantageous to switch and bundle through Premium for simplicity or cost savings! Speak to our customer support team for guidance. -
Does LinkedIn premium give you access to LinkedIn Learning?
It depends – certain Premium packages (Career, Talent, Sales Navigator) INCLUDE Learning automatically, but Individual Premium levels do not by default. You have to add Learning access for an extra $30/month fee.