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LinkedIn Recruiter vs Recruiter Lite

Published on April 4th, 2023

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Comparing LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite: What's the Difference?

When it comes to online recruitment tools, LinkedIn is undoubtedly one of the most popular names among professionals. The social networking site offers two recruitment platforms - LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite - that have been specifically designed to streamline the hiring process. Both platforms have their fair share of features and capabilities that can benefit businesses of all sizes. In this article, we will take a closer look at these two recruitment tools, their key differences, and which one may be the best fit for your business needs.

Understanding LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite

Recruitment is a crucial aspect of any organization, and LinkedIn has made it easier for recruiters and hiring managers to find the right talent using its two powerful recruitment platforms: LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite.

 What is LinkedIn Recruiter?

LinkedIn Recruiter is a premium tool that provides access to LinkedIn's vast network of over 700 million professionals. It is designed to help recruiters and hiring managers find and attract top talent. With LinkedIn Recruiter, you can search for candidates based on their skills, location, industry, and other criteria. You can also view their profiles, send them InMails, and track their engagement with your job postings.

LinkedIn Recruiter also comes with advanced recruitment features such as talent pipeline management, team collaboration, and candidate relationship management. These features enable recruiters to manage their recruitment processes more efficiently and effectively.

Furthermore, LinkedIn Recruiter provides insights into the job market, industry trends, and candidate behavior. These insights can help recruiters make informed decisions and stay ahead of the competition.

What is Recruiter Lite?

Recruiter Lite is a more affordable option that is better suited for small businesses or companies with minimal hiring needs. It provides access to a limited network of professionals on LinkedIn, but still offers useful recruitment features such as job posting and promotion, reporting, and analytics.

Recruiter Lite allows you to post jobs on LinkedIn and promote them to a targeted audience based on their location, skills, and experience. You can also track the performance of your job postings and analyze the engagement of your target audience.

In addition, Recruiter Lite provides access to LinkedIn's database of candidate profiles, allowing you to search for potential candidates based on their skills, location, and other criteria. You can view their profiles, save them to your talent pipeline, and contact them directly using InMails.

While Recruiter Lite may not have all the advanced features of LinkedIn Recruiter, it still provides a cost-effective solution for small businesses or companies with minimal hiring needs.

Read: Why LinkedIn is an Essential Hiring Tool? 

Overall, both LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite are powerful recruitment platforms that can help organizations find and attract top talent. The choice between the two depends on the size of the organization, the recruitment needs, and the budget.

Key Features and Differences

Recruiting the right talent is a critical aspect of any organization's success. With the proliferation of recruitment platforms, recruiters and hiring managers have a range of options to choose from. Two popular recruitment platforms are LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite. Now that we have a better understanding of what each recruitment platform offers, let's take a closer look at their key features and differences.

Read: The Ultimate List of Best Talent Sourcing tools 

Search and Sourcing Capabilities

One of the primary differences between LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite is their search and sourcing capabilities. LinkedIn Recruiter provides recruiters and hiring managers with access to LinkedIn's entire network, which includes over 700 million professionals worldwide. The platform allows users to conduct advanced searches, save search criteria, and create custom talent pools to keep track of potential candidates. This feature enables recruiters to find the right candidates for their organization quickly. On the other hand, Recruiter Lite provides users with access to a smaller pool of candidates and limited search and sourcing functionalities. This limitation can make it challenging to find the right candidates for specific job roles.

InMail Messaging

InMail messaging is a crucial feature of LinkedIn Recruiter that allows recruiters to reach out to potential candidates directly through LinkedIn's messaging system. With LinkedIn Recruiter, users get a generous monthly allowance of InMails that they can use to contact professionals. This feature enables recruiters to communicate with potential candidates effectively and build relationships with them. In contrast, Recruiter Lite users have a limited InMail allowance, restricting their ability to reach out to candidates outside of their network. This limitation can make it challenging to engage with potential candidates effectively.

Job Posting and Promotion

LinkedIn Recruiter offers job posting and promotion features that allow recruiters and hiring managers to advertise their job openings to a wide audience on LinkedIn. The platform provides advanced screening tools that help to identify potential candidates who meet the required qualifications. This feature enables recruiters to attract the right candidates for their organization's job roles. In contrast, Recruiter Lite offers a more basic job posting feature that comes with limited access to LinkedIn's audience. This limitation can make it challenging to attract the right candidates for specific job roles.

Reporting and Analytics

Both LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite come with reporting and analytics features that allow users to track their recruitment metrics and make data-driven decisions. 

LinkedIn Recruiter offers more robust analytics tools that help to track recruitment trends, analyze the performance of job postings and campaigns, and identify top-performing candidates. This feature enables recruiters to optimize their recruitment strategies and find the right candidates for their organization's job roles. 

Recruiter Lite offers more basic analytics features  that provide insights into job postings' performance and candidate engagement, but with limited access to LinkedIn's network data. This limitation can make it challenging to make data-driven decisions and optimize recruitment strategies effectively.

Both LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite offer unique features that cater to different recruitment needs. While LinkedIn Recruiter provides more advanced features, Recruiter Lite can be an excellent option for small and medium-sized businesses that have limited recruitment needs. Ultimately, the choice between the two platforms comes down to the organization's recruitment needs and budget.

Pricing and Subscription Plans

Price is an essential factor when it comes to choosing a recruitment platform that aligns with your business needs. However, it's important to look beyond the price tag and consider the value that each platform can offer. In this section, we will examine the pricing and subscription plans for LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite, as well as the features and benefits that come with each plan.

LinkedIn Recruiter Pricing

LinkedIn Recruiter is the more expensive of the two platforms, but it also offers more advanced features and a broader talent pool. The pricing varies depending on the region, industry, and company size, but it typically costs between $8,999 and $10,499 per year.

For this price, you get access to LinkedIn's entire network, which includes over 740 million members worldwide. This can be incredibly valuable for companies that are looking to fill high-level or niche positions. LinkedIn Recruiter also comes with more advanced search and sourcing features, which can help you find the right candidates more quickly and efficiently. Additionally, you get unlimited InMail messaging, which allows you to reach out to potential candidates directly.

Recruiter Lite Pricing

Recruiter Lite is the more affordable option, and it typically costs between $119.95 and $299.95 per month. While this plan comes with a smaller price tag, it also comes with some limitations in terms of features and access to talent.

With Recruiter Lite, you get access to a smaller talent pool, which may be a drawback if you are looking for highly specialized candidates. You also have a limited InMail messaging allowance, which means you may need to be more strategic in your outreach. However, Recruiter Lite still offers some search and sourcing functionalities, which can help you find candidates that match your criteria.

Determining the Best Plan for Your Business

When deciding between LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite, it is essential to consider your recruitment needs and budget. If you are a large company with regular hiring needs and require access to LinkedIn's entire network, then LinkedIn Recruiter may be the better fit. This plan can help you find the right candidates quickly and efficiently, which can save you time and money in the long run.

On the other hand, if you are a small business with minimal hiring needs and a limited budget, then Recruiter Lite may be a more affordable and practical option. This plan still offers some search and sourcing functionalities, which can help you find candidates that match your criteria. Additionally, the limited InMail messaging allowance may be sufficient if you are strategic in your outreach.

Ultimately, the best plan for your business will depend on your specific needs and budget. It's important to research and compare the features and benefits of each plan before making a decision. With the right recruitment platform, you can find the right candidates quickly and efficiently, which can help your business grow and thrive.

Pros and Cons of Each Platform

Finally, we will examine the pros and cons of each recruitment platform to help you make an informed decision.

Advantages of LinkedIn Recruiter

- Access to LinkedIn's vast network of professionals
- Advanced search and sourcing functionalities
- Unlimited InMail messaging allowance
- Robust reporting and analytics tools

Disadvantages of LinkedIn Recruiter

- Expensive subscription plans
- May have a steep learning curve for new users
- Can be overwhelming for small businesses with minimal hiring needs

Advantages of Recruiter Lite

- More affordable subscription plans
- Scaled-down search and sourcing functionalities that are easier to use
- Job posting and promotion feature
- Basic reporting and analytics tools

Disadvantages of Recruiter Lite

- Limited access to LinkedIn's professional network
- Limited InMail messaging allowance
- Not suitable for companies with significant recruitment needs

LinkedIn Recruiter vs Recruiter Lite - An Overview

 

ParametersLinkedIn RecruiterRecruiter Lite
PriceHigher cost per user, billed annuallyLower cost per user, billed monthly or yearly
Search FiltersAdvanced search filters with more optionsLimited search filters
InMail MessagesUnlimited InMail messagesLimited InMail messages
Search LimitationsNo search limitationsLimited search results
Access to ProfilesAccess to full profiles of all LinkedIn usersLimited access to some profile information
Team CollaborationEnhanced team collaboration featuresBasic team collaboration features
Advanced AnalyticsDetailed analytics and reporting featuresLimited analytics capabilities
Customer SupportDedicated customer supportBasic customer support


LinkedIn Recruiter is the premium version of LinkedIn designed for professional recruiters. It offers advanced search filters, unlimited profile views, the ability to send up to 150 InMails per month, the talent pipeline feature to save and organize candidates for future job openings, team collaboration, recruiting projects, job postings, applicant tracking, and advanced analytics. However, it comes at a steep price, making it less suitable for small businesses.

Recruiter Lite, on the other hand, is a more affordable version of LinkedIn Recruiter designed for small businesses. It offers basic search filters, limited InMails (30 per month), and profile views (150 per month). However, it does not offer the talent pipeline feature, team collaboration, recruiting projects, job postings, applicant tracking, or advanced analytics. Despite its limitations, Recruiter Lite is still a useful sourcing tool for small businesses looking to find and connect with potential candidates on LinkedIn without breaking the bank.

EasySource streamlines the candidate sourcing process with its AI-powered platform, offering a cost-effective alternative to traditional recruitment methods like LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite. By leveraging advanced algorithms, EasySource efficiently identifies and engages qualified candidates who match your job requirements. Its intuitive interface and customizable search filters allow recruiters to quickly access relevant talent pools without the limitations of manual searches. With EasySource, recruiters can save valuable time and resources while maximizing their hiring efforts, making it a preferred

recruitment and selection

 Conclusion

In conclusion, choosing between LinkedIn Recruiter and Recruiter Lite depends on the needs of your business. LinkedIn Recruiter offers a comprehensive set of features for professional recruiters and larger organizations with a dedicated HR team, including advanced search filters, unlimited profile views, talent pipeline, team collaboration, recruiting projects, job postings, applicant tracking, and advanced analytics. However, it comes with a steep price tag.

On the other hand, Recruiter Lite is a more affordable option designed for small businesses looking to source candidates on LinkedIn. It offers basic search filters, limited InMails, and profile views, but lacks some of the more advanced features found in LinkedIn Recruiter, such as talent pipeline, team collaboration, and applicant tracking.

When deciding which tool to use, it's important to consider your hiring needs, budget, and the features that are most important to your business. For small businesses with limited recruiting budgets, Recruiter Lite may be the better option, while larger organizations with more complex recruiting needs may find LinkedIn Recruiter to be a more comprehensive solution. Regardless of which option you choose, both tools can be valuable resources in finding and connecting with potential candidates on LinkedIn.


Authors

author

Radhika Sarraf

Radhika Sarraf is a content specialist and a woman of many passions who currently works at HireQuotient, a leading recruitment SaaS company. She is a versatile writer with experience in creating compelling articles, blogs, social media posts, and marketing collaterals.

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