Guides · LinkedIn API
LinkedIn's official API versus a data API.
Short answer: LinkedIn's own API, opened to any developer, covers signing a member in, reading that member's name, headline, photo and email, and posting for them. Searching people, reading other profiles, companies and jobs at scale needs a partner programme LinkedIn approves. A LinkedIn data API returns public profile, company, post and job data without that approval.
- Official, open to all
- Sign-in, posting
- Official, approval needed
- Marketing, Sales, Talent
- Data API
- Public profiles, search, jobs
- Checked
- Oct 2026
Updated 16 October 2026
What each can do
LinkedIn's side is from its developer documentation on Microsoft Learn, seen 16 October 2026.
| You want to | LinkedIn official API | LinkedIn data API (this one) |
|---|---|---|
| Sign a user in with LinkedIn | Yes, open to all | No |
| Post or comment as that user | Yes, open to all | No |
| Read any public profile by URL | Partner programmes only | Yes, $0.004 |
| Search people by title and company | Partner programmes only | Yes, $0.004 per profile |
| Read company pages | Partner programmes only | Yes, $0.004 |
| Search job listings | Talent partners only | Yes, $0.001 per listing |
| Read posts, comments, reactions | Mostly your own organisation's | Yes, $0.002 each |
| Read the LinkedIn Ad Library | No | Yes, $0.002 per ad |
What LinkedIn opens to every developer
LinkedIn's documentation says most of its permissions and partner programmes need explicit approval, and that Open Permissions are the only ones available to all developers. Those are Sign in with LinkedIn (the member's name, headline, photo and email) and Share on LinkedIn (post, comment and like for the member who signed in).
Marketing permissions need approval as an Advertising API partner. Sales permissions need approval as a Sales Navigator Application Platform partner. Talent integrations, including jobs, go through an application to LinkedIn's talent partner programme.
When the official API is the right tool
If your app signs people in with LinkedIn, posts for them, or you are an approved partner building an ads, sales or recruiting integration, use LinkedIn's API: it acts with the member's permission, on their own account.
If you need public data about people and companies who are not your users (to research accounts, enrich leads or watch hiring), a data API is the practical route. This one is pay as you go, from $0.001 per record.
Questions people ask.
Is there a free LinkedIn API?
LinkedIn's open permissions (sign-in and posting) are free to use. They do not include searching or reading other people's profiles. Data APIs charge for that; here a profile is $0.004 and agents start with a free trial.
Can I get people search through LinkedIn's API?
Only through a partner programme LinkedIn approves, such as the Sales Navigator Application Platform. It is not in the open permissions.
Does a data API need my LinkedIn login?
Not this one. It returns public data and never asks for a LinkedIn account, password or cookie.
Sources (1)
- LinkedIn (Microsoft Learn): Getting Access to LinkedIn APIs, seen 16 October 2026
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