Is the LinkedIn API free?

Sign In with LinkedIn and Share on LinkedIn: Not published. Community Management API: Not published. Advertising, Sales Navigator and Talent APIs: Not published. The InsightSocial LinkedIn API is pay-per-call: calls start at 10 credits, your first 10 calls up to 100 credits each are free, and failed calls cost nothing.

How do I get LinkedIn data without the official API?

Use a public-data API. InsightSocial has 68 LinkedIn endpoints for public data, with one API key and no LinkedIn app review. A LinkedIn profile lookup costs 50 credits; Pro's 10,000 monthly credits cover about 200 of them.

Is it legal to collect public LinkedIn data?

Collecting publicly available data is generally treated differently from accessing private data, but the answer depends on your jurisdiction, LinkedIn's terms and what you do with personal data afterwards. The InsightSocial API reads public data only. Talk to a lawyer for anything commercial.

Does LinkedIn have an API?

Yes, but most of it is gated. Only sign-in (your own name, headline, photo and email) and posting on your own behalf are open to every developer; marketing, community management, Sales Navigator and talent APIs need LinkedIn approval or a partner program.

To read public LinkedIn data you do not own, a public-data API is the usual route. InsightSocial has 68 LinkedIn endpoints from 10 credits a call, with one key and no app review.

Official documentation checked 2026-10-05.

The official LinkedIn APIs

API	What it covers	Who can get it	Cost
Sign In with LinkedIn and Share on LinkedIn	The signed-in member's name, headline, photo and email, and posting on their behalf.	Self-serve for every developer in the Developer Portal.	Not published
Community Management API	Company pages you manage: posts, comments, reactions, followers and analytics.	Vetted: a Development tier needs approval, and the Standard tier needs an upgrade request with a screencast of each use case.	Not published
Advertising, Sales Navigator and Talent APIs	Ads management, Sales Navigator data and recruiting integrations.	Each needs approval, through the Developer Portal or a partner application.	Not published

What the official API does not do

Without approval, profile access is limited to the signed-in member's own name, headline, photo and email. source
Member post management (r_member_social) is closed to new requests. source

Public LinkedIn data without the official API

Every LinkedIn endpoint has a published price, and failed calls cost nothing. A few of the 68:

Get a free API key All LinkedIn API endpoints Use it from Claude or ChatGPT

LinkedIn API: frequently asked questions

Does LinkedIn have an API?

The official LinkedIn APIs

What the official API does not do

Public LinkedIn data without the official API

LinkedIn API: frequently asked questions

Sources

Other platforms