LinkedIn has become the #1 tool for recruiters to seek out, identify, approach and engage top talent. 🥇
But when it comes to choosing, the three solutions offered by LinkedIn allow recruiters (with very different functionality levels) to find top profiles, are often confused 😬: LinkedIn Recruiter Core, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite and LinkedIn Recruiter Professional Services (RPS).
If that’s your case too, we’re here to help you make sense of it all and choose the version best suited to your needs. 🔥 On the program:
- Quick overview of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS.
- A detailed comparison of the functionalities and pros/cons of these 3 tools.
We’re off! 🚀
Premium LinkedIn Recruiter tools
👤 LinkedIn offers several versions of its Recruiter tool, specially designed to support professionals in their recruitment processes.
These LinkedIn Recruiter solutions harness the full potential of the LinkedIn database, making it easier to find, approach, and track talent.
All 3 are used by thousands of LinkedIn users worldwide (details of figures per tool not published). 🌍
Want to know which LinkedIn Recruiter usage is right for you? 🤔 We’ll give you a quick overview, before going into a detailed comparison of their features. 👇🏼
| LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS | For whom? | For what? | LinkedIn Recruiter Pricing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recruiter Lite | Self-employed / VSEs | Simple sourcing | From ~€170/month |
| Recruiter (Core) | SMEs / structured HR teams | Recruiting on a larger scale | On quotation (often >€800/month) |
| Recruiter Corporate (or Recruiter Professional Services, RPS) | Recruitment agencies and ESNs | Collaboration, team management, integrated CRM | Between €8000-12000/year per license (or €660-1000/month per user). |
Whatever the version, to reply to messages and InMails directly in LinkedIn Recruiter, you need to download the mobile app (available iOS/Android), ideal for recruiting teams on the move.
Of course, this information (target/primary objective and tool cost) is not enough to make a decision to buy or invest in these solutions. 💁🏻♀️
Features of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS comparison
⏰ It’s time to compare all the features of LinkedIn Recruiter VS Recruiter Lite VS LinkedIn RPS :
- Access to profile databases to find candidates,
- Monthly InMails,
- Performance monitoring,
- Collaboration options,
- Advanced and Boolean search capabilities,
- ATS, CRM and API integration.
- Data export.
With a table for each tool, so you can measure the value of each tool against the investment required and select the version best suited to your needs. 🤩
LinkedIn Recruiter Core, for growing start-ups and SMEs
⚙️ LinkedIn Recruiter offers a comprehensive, collaborative solution for corporate HR teams managing moderate to high volumes of recruitment, with extensive access, advanced search filters and ATS integration.
Here are details of the features LinkedIn Recruiter offers 👇🏼 :
| Functionality | Detail LinkedIn Recruiter Core |
|---|---|
| Access to profile database | Extended access to the entire LinkedIn based profiles (even outside your LinkedIn network) |
| InMails | 100 LinkedIn InMails/month per user (extendable by contract) Credits can be carried forward for 90 days and reimbursed if a reply is received within 90 days (yes/no). |
| Performance monitoring (KPIs) | Open and response rates Performance by recruiter/project/team Template registration and testing |
| Collaboration | Basic collaboration tools: shared projects, comments, collaborative notes |
| Advanced search & Booleans | Multi-field Boolean search Filters: current/past company, seniority, experience, location, sector, hierarchical level, schools, languages, mobility, recent activity… |
| ATS integration | Integration with numerous ATSs via LinkedIn Talent Hub Connect Profiles can be viewed from the ATS, data can be synchronized. |
| Data export | Candidate lists can be exported to internal tools |
| CRM & API | ❌ CRM integrations via third-party tools (Zapier, Make…), but not natively. ⚠️ API available on a limited basis (whereas LinkedIn Recruiter Professional Services offers more extensive possibilities). |
In a nutshell, here’s the user feedback on LinkedIn Recruiter Core:
- ✅ Advanced features and extended profile visibility are highly appreciated.
- ❌ On the other hand, users are less satisfied with the cost, complexity of the tool, lack of native CRM and limitations on the API.
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite, for freelance and VSE recruiters
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite is a simple, individual and effective tool for a low volume. ☝🏼 But it’s not what you need if you want to collaborate, report or automate.
If that’s what you’re looking for, LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offers you direct access to LinkedIn members who are “open to work“. 👂🏼
Here are the details of LinkedIn Recruiter Lite’s features 👇🏼 :
| Functionality | Detail LinkedIn Recruiter Lite Features |
|---|---|
| Profile database access | Limited access to results (not exhaustive compared with other versions) |
| InMails | 30 InMails/month (fixed and non-expandable) Credits cannot be carried over but are always reimbursed if a reply is received within 90 days (yes/no). |
| Performance monitoring (KPIs) | Basic indications (read/answered) InMail templates recordable, but not comparable ❌ No dashboard, no team analytics. |
| Collaboration | ❌ Individual use only, no sharing of projects or information with other recruiters. |
| Advanced search & Booleans | Boolean search available only in field “keywords” Filters available: location, sector, current company, function, experience, hierarchical level, school, language… ❌ Filters absent: past company, seniority in position, “open to work”, custom tags… |
| ATS integration | ❌ No direct integration with an ATS |
| Data export | ❌ No native export function. Manual copy and paste is possible, but limited use and not automatable. |
| CRM & API | ❌ No native CRM or API available. Impossible to synchronize automatically. |
Best practices to follow on LinkedIn Recruiter Lite:
✓ Add recommendations and post a job offer to attract qualified candidates.
✓ Have a lead nurturing strategy towards potential candidates by sharing content so that they develop an interest before making contact (inbound recruiting) and are then more likely to respond.
Here is a summary of user feedback on LinkedIn Recruiter Lite:
- ✅ Users especially mention the affordable prices and ease of use.
- ❌ On the other hand, they mention restricted and solo access only as a big hindrance.
LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate (or LinkedIn RPS), for recruitment agencies and ESNs
💼 LinkedIn RPS (also known as LinkedIn Recruiter Corporate) is the most powerful version of LinkedIn Recruiter, designed for outsourced recruitment teams, with advanced piloting, fluid collaboration, and full integrations.
Here are the details of LinkedIn RPS (Recruiter Professional Services) features 👇🏼 :
| Functionality | LinkedIn RPS Details |
|---|---|
| Profile database access | Full profile view and access to LinkedIn database + Additional advanced filters |
| InMails | 150 InMails/month per license (volume adjustable according to contract) Credits can be carried over for 90 days (ceiling = 3 months) and reimbursed if a response is received within 90 days. |
| Performance monitoring (KPIs) | Advanced team dashboards: 👉🏼 Open/response/click rates 👉🏼 Tracking by recruiter, project or team 👉🏼 Model testing and comparison |
| Collaboration | Complete collaboration: shared projects, comments, endorsements, grades, candidate allocation, centralized view… |
| Advanced search & Booleans | Multi-field Boolean search and comprehensive filters: current/past company, seniority, experience, company size, mobility, languages, etc. |
| ATS integration | Native integration with all major ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Workday, etc.) + full bidirectional synchronization (profiles, projects, status) |
| Data export | Export profile lists with metadata in a LinkedIn-compliant framework + Compatible with HR reporting tools |
| CRM & API | Compatible via third-party connectors (Zapier, Make, standard integration) and possible access to certain LinkedIn Partner APIs (by agreement). ❌ No native CRM |
Best practices to follow on LinkedIn Recruiter Professional Services:
✓ Leverage availability and recent activity filters to identify candidates and prioritize them (deal with the “hottest” first to maximize response rates).
✓ Segment candidates into well-structured projects (by customer, by position, by level) to keep a clear view of your pipeline and speed up matching.
Here is a summary of user feedback on LinkedIn Recruiter Lite::
- ✅ The powerful collaborative tools offered by LinkedIn RPS are a major asset.
- ❌ But users regret that this subscription is reserved for large structures and that the annual commitment is mandatory.
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How to choose between LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS?
To choose the right version of LinkedIn Recruiter, start by asking yourself the right questions 💭 :
- Do you work alone or in a team?
- What’s your monthly recruitment volume?
- Do you try to target generalist profiles or hard-to-fill?
- The size of your organization, your budget, the way you work, your market and your objectives (one-off or recurring) also play a key role.
🛟 To help you answer these questions, here’s a final comparison chart with the differences between LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS :
| Functionality | Recruiter Lite | Recruiter Core | Recruiter Corporate / RPS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LinkedIn Profile database access | Limited (partial results) | Complete (access to all LinkedIn) | Complete + multi-user collaboration |
| Monthly InMails | 30/month (non-reportable) | 100/month, renewable for 90 days | 150/month, deferrable + shared by team. |
| Collaboration | Individual use | Shared projects, comments | Advanced collaboration, roles, cross-visibility |
| Candidate search tools | Basic + Boolean on keywords | Powerful LinkedIn filters + multi-field Boolean | Comprehensive search + centralized management + advanced team dashboard |
| Analytics & performance monitoring | Basic (opened/unanswered) | Individual Analytics | Team analytics, advanced reporting |
| ATS/API integration | No | ATS integrations | ATS integration + API + CRM synchronization |
| Data export | No native export (manual copy-paste only) | Export to internal recruiting tools | Complete export of profiles + metadata (within a compliant framework) |
If you’re just starting out or have limited needs, Recruiter Lite may suffice. 👌
On the other hand, if you recruit regularly or with several people, you can switch to Recruiter Core, or even RPS if you manage a team or a firm. 🏢
Don’t forget to try out the latest version via a demo or to take a test drive with a LinkedIn consultant 👨🏻🏫 (good support from the outset means you’ll quickly get the most out of the tool and exploit its full potential).
Conclusion: What are the differences between LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS?
Now that you have a clear view of the differences between LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS products, you’re in a position to choose the LinkedIn Recruiter account best suited to your needs. 🔥
But, if you’re wondering if there’s a more flexible and effective alternative for recruiting on LinkedIn, you can also use Waalaxy as an alternative to LinkedIn Recruiter tools. 👽
The tool lets you benefit from the advantages of LinkedIn Recruiter features (sourcing, relaunches, recruitment automation, export…) while adding a true multi-channel dimension (email + LinkedIn) to your recruitment. 🎁
AND all without blowing the budget. It’s a golden opportunity to move towards intelligent, multi-channel, self-piloted recruitment. 👇🏼
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
🏁 To conclude, here are the answers to the most frequently asked questions on this subject.👇🏼
Why use LinkedIn Recruiter tools?
Use LinkedIn Recruiter tools (Lite, Core or RPS) to transform LinkedIn into a true professional sourcing platform. 💪🏼
Unlike free LinkedIn accounts, these tools provide extended access to the LinkedIn database, powerful LinkedIn filters for precisely targeting profile, and the ability to send direct InMails to talent on LinkedIn (even outside your professional network).
They also offer tracking, recruitment project management, collaboration (depending on version), and integration with ATS. The result: time savings, better organization and an increase in candidate response and conversion rates. 📊
Is LinkedIn RPS (Recruiter Professional Services) accessible to all?
No, LinkedIn RPS (Recruiter Professional Services) is not available to everyone, not even to personal Premium accounts. ❌
This is a LinkedIn Premium tool reserved for companies specializing in recruitment, such as :
- recruitment agencies,
- ESN (SSII),
- HR agencies,
- or structures with a high volume of external recruitment.
👉 To access it, you need to go through a LinkedIn sales representative and meet certain criteria: minimum number of licenses, type of business, team structure, etc.
LinkedIn RPS is not available for self-subscription, unlike Recruiter Lite.
For individual or SME use, Recruiter Core is generally more suitable.
🎬 That’s the end of our LinkedIn Recruiter Lite VS Recruiter Core VS LinkedIn RPS comparison; you’ve got all the info you need to choose the right version for your recruiting needs! See you soon. 👽
