Understanding LinkedIn limits
When using Account API, it's necessary to understand the limitations of your LinkedIn account to avoid potential account restrictions or blocks. While LinkedIn doesn't publish official limits, this guide combines community knowledge and our hands-on expertise.
Throughout the article, we divide reputation into 3 virtual levels:
| Reputation Level | Account Characteristics |
|---|---|
| New | Recently created with minimal activity and engagement. |
| Established | Active for 3–12 months with growing engagement and network size. |
| Trusted | Long-established with a strong presence and proven activity patterns. |
While we use these division for simplicity, think of reputation as a continuous gradient rather than fixed categories. Consider Social Selling Index (SSI) as one of the indirect metrics to assess your account's reputation.
Connection request limits
Connection requests are limited on a rolling weekly basis:
| Reputation Level | Daily Limit | Weekly Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New | ~10-15 | ~50-75 | Start with 5-10/day and gradually increase. |
| Established | ~20-25 | ~100 | Standard LinkedIn weekly cap. |
| Trusted | ~30-40 | Up to 200 | Requires high acceptance rate. |
Recommendations:
- Keep outgoing (pending) connection requests under 500 (700 is hard cap) by withdrawing unaccepted requests.
- Personal notes don't increase limits. Free accounts are limited to ~10 noted invites monthly.
- Monitor acceptance rates – higher acceptance rates may increase your limits.
Direct message limits
There is no strict limitation, but high volumes trigger spam flags. Here are our recommended limits:
| Reputation Level | Daily Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New | ~50 | Monitor closely for spam flags. |
| Established | ~100 | Moderate and steady pace recommended. |
| Trusted | ~100-150 | Requires high engagement rates. |
Recommendations:
- Personalize messages to maintain higher allowed volumes.
- Monitor response rates – ignored messages can lower limits.
- Consistent engagement is better than irregular bulk sending.
InMail massage limits
InMail messages allow you to reach LinkedIn members you're not connected with. Unlike direct messages, InMail limits depend on subscription type rather than account reputation:
| Subscription Type | Monthly Credits | Daily Limit |
|---|---|---|
| Free | 0 | 0 |
| Premium Business | 15 | ~25 |
| Premium Career | 15 | ~25 |
| Sales Navigator (Core, Advanced, Advanced Plus) | 50 | ~25 |
| Recruiter Lite | 100 | ~25 |
| Recruiter Professional | - | Up to 1000* |
| Recruiter Corporate | - | Up to 1000* |
Recommendations:
- Spread your InMails across days even if you have available credits.
Open profile message limits
LinkedIn allows free messaging to users who have enabled "Open Profile" status on their accounts. These message limits scale based on account reputation:
| Reputation Level | Weekly Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| New | ~100 | Start with lower volumes. |
| Established | ~150 | Maintain steady sending pace. |
| Trusted | ~200 | Monitor response rates. |
Recommendations:
- After reaching limits, switch to InMail for continued outreach.
Company page view limits
LinkedIn sets different limits for viewing company pages based on subscription type:
| Subscription Type | Daily Views | Weekly Views |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ~30-50 | ~200-300 |
| Premium (all plans) | ~50-100 | ~300-600 |
| Sales Navigator (all plans), Recruiter (all plans) | ~100-200 | ~600-1200 |
Person profile view limits
LinkedIn sets different limits for viewing person profiles based on subscription type:
| Subscription Type | Daily Views | Weekly Views |
|---|---|---|
| Free | ~80 | ~560 |
| Premium | ~150 | ~1050 |
| Sales Navigator | ~150 / 1000* | ~1050 / 7000* |
* Sales Navigator's higher limit (1000/day) applies only when using Sales Navigator interface.
Search query limits
LinkedIn officially defines Commercial Use Limit (CUL) for search operations, regardless of whether you're searching for people, companies, or other content.
| Subscription Type | Monthly Limit | Daily Recommended | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free | 300 | ~10 | Resets on 1st day of calendar month. |
| Premium Career | 300 | ~10 | Same as free account. |
| Premium Business | Unlimited | - | No monthly cap. |
| Sales Navigator | Unlimited | - | No monthly cap. |
| Recruiter | Unlimited | - | No monthly cap. |
Search results limits
LinkedIn limits the number of search results displayed within one search session based on the interface used, not subscription type. Here's a comparison between standard LinkedIn interface and Sales Navigator:
| Interface | People Search | Companies Search |
|---|---|---|
| Standard LinkedIn | 1000 (100 pages × 10) | 1000 (100 pages × 10) |
| Sales Navigator | 2500 (100 pages × 25) | 1000 (40 pages × 25) |
Engagement limits
LinkedIn counts all engagement actions (likes, comments, shares) under a single daily limit based on account reputation:
| Reputation Level | Daily Engagement Limit |
|---|---|
| New | ~20-40 |
| Established | ~100 |
| Trusted | ~150 |
Recommendations:
- Regardless of your reputation level, start with lower volumes and gradually increase engagement over time to reach your limit organically.
Post publishing limits
While LinkedIn doesn't enforce strict posting limits, excessive posting may trigger spam filters or diminish overall reach. Here are recommended daily posting frequencies:
| Reputation Level | Recommended Posts per Day |
|---|---|
| New | 1-2 |
| Established | 3-5 |
| Trusted | 5-7 |
Recommendations:
- Focus on content quality over quantity: one engaging post typically generates better results than multiple average-quality posts.
Other LinkedIn limits
| Category | Limit |
|---|---|
| Total network connections | 30,000 |
| Outgoing (pending) connection requests | 700 |
| Group memberships | 100 |
| Connection request note length | 200 characters (Free), 300 (Premium) |
| Standard message length | 8,000 characters |
| InMail/Sales Navigator subject length | 200 characters |
| InMail/Sales Navigator message length | 2,000 characters |
| Daily job applications | 50 |