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- LinkedIn InMail Credits Per Month | 2025 Complete Guide
How Many InMail Credits Per Month on LinkedIn? Complete 2025 Guide
Table of Contents
TL;DR: Your Quick Answer
Want to jump straight to what matters? Here’s the deal: Sales Navigator Core gives you 50 InMail credits per month—the sweet spot for most sales professionals. But here’s the game-changer: you get credits back when prospects reply within 90 days, meaning your actual capacity depends on how good your messages are. And for massive outreach? You’ll need cold email alongside LinkedIn to hit your targets consistently.
What Really Are InMail Credits?
Think of InMail credits as LinkedIn’s VIP pass. They let you message anyone on the platform—even if you’re not connected. No awkward connection request. No waiting. Just direct access to decision-makers.
InMail messages crush traditional cold email with response rates between 18-25%, compared to cold email’s 1-5% average. That’s not a typo—InMail gets 5-10x better responses than email.
Here’s what you get with each InMail credit:
- 80-character subject line to grab attention
- 1,900-character message body for your pitch
- 50-60% open rates on average
- The ability to reach anyone, regardless of connection status
The Credit Refund System: Your Secret Weapon
Most people don’t know this, but any response within 90 days returns your InMail credit—even if they say “not interested”. This transforms your 50 monthly credits into a performance-based system. Write compelling messages that get 25% response rates? You’re effectively multiplying your capacity.
Credits roll over for up to 90 days, capping at 3x your monthly allowance. For Sales Navigator Core users, that’s 150 total credits max. Plus, there’s a daily limit of 25 InMails to prevent spam.
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How Many InMail Credits Do You Get?
The number of inmail credits you receive depends entirely on your LinkedIn subscription. Let’s break down what each plan offers and which one actually makes sense for your goals.
The LinkedIn Premium Plans (Not for Serious Prospecting)
linkedin premium comes in different flavors, but here’s the reality:
- Premium Career: 5 InMail credits/month (~$40/month)
- Premium Business: 15 InMail credits/month (~$60/month)
These plans work fine for casual networking or job hunting. But for daily prospecting? You’ll burn through those credits in a week.
Sales Navigator: The Real Deal
Sales Navigator Core costs $99.99/month and provides 50 InMail credits monthly—ten times more than basic Premium. But you’re not just paying for credits. You’re getting:
- 40+ advanced search filters to find your exact ideal customer profile
- Lead and account recommendations powered by LinkedIn’s algorithm
- Real-time alerts when prospects change jobs or engage with your content
- CRM integrations to sync everything automatically
LinkedIn Recruiter Lite offers 30 credits for $170+/month, while the full Recruiter plan provides 150 credits monthly. But unless you’re hiring, stick with Sales Navigator.
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LinkedIn Plan | Monthly Credits | Monthly Cost | Best For |
Premium Career | 5 | ~$40 | Job seekers |
Premium Business | 15 | ~$60 | Light networking |
Sales Navigator Core | 50 | ~$100 | Sales professionals |
Recruiter Lite | 30 | $170+ | Recruiting |
Recruiter | 150 | Custom | High-volume hiring |
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How to Bypass the Monthly InMail Limit Without Premium
Here’s where it gets interesting. You don’t always need to spend credits to reach people on LinkedIn. Smart prospectors use these three strategies to stretch their outreach.
Strategy 1: Target Open Profiles (Free InMails)
Some LinkedIn members enable “Open Profile” status, allowing anyone to message them without spending credits. These free InMails are explicitly designed for Sales Navigator users to maximize their outreach.
Look for the “Open Profile” badge when searching leads. Prioritize these contacts before dipping into your credit pool. It’s free real estate.
Strategy 2: Connection Requests with Personalized Notes
connection request notes are your high-volume workhorse. Premium accounts can send 100-150 connection requests weekly—way more than the 50 InMails you get monthly.
The catch? You’re limited to 300 characters on Premium (200 on free accounts). Every word counts. Make it punch.
Pro tip: Engage with their content first. Like their post. Leave a thoughtful comment. This “warm-up” approach increases acceptance rates, which typically hover around 30% for automated campaigns.
Strategy 3: Group Messaging and 1st-Degree Connections
Once you’re connected, messaging is unlimited and free. Join LinkedIn Groups in your industry and message fellow members directly.
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Paid accounts can send up to 150 messages per week to 1st-degree connections and group members without touching InMail credits. This is pure volume play.
How to Mass InMail People Without Using Credits
Let’s be real: 50 InMails per month won’t hit serious pipeline targets. You need hundreds or thousands of touches monthly to consistently generate opportunities. That’s where cold email becomes non-negotiable.
Why Cold Email Scales (And InMail Doesn’t)
The math is brutal but simple:
- InMail capacity: 50 messages/month (plus refunds if you’re good)
- Cold email capacity: 5,000+ emails/month easily
The average cold email response rate is 8.5%, while InMail gets 18-25%. InMail wins on quality, but email crushes on volume.
Let’s run the numbers:
Scenario A (InMail Only):
- 50 InMails Ă— 20% response rate = 10 replies
Scenario B (Cold Email):
- 5,000 emails Ă— 5% response rate = 250 replies
Email delivers 25x more conversations despite lower engagement rates. With 361.6 billion emails sent daily globally, it remains the foundation of B2B outreach.
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The Multi-Channel Playbook
Stop thinking “InMail vs Email.” Start thinking “InMail + Email.”
Use linkedin inmail for:
- C-suite executives and key decision-makers
- High-value target accounts
- Warm introductions leveraging mutual connections
- Situations where personalization at scale isn’t possible
Use cold email for:
- Top-of-funnel volume generation
- Scalable outreach to hundreds of prospects
- Automated follow-up sequences
- Testing messaging before investing InMail credits
Protecting Your Domain Reputation
Here’s what most people miss: sending thousands of cold emails from your main company domain is risky. One spam complaint can tank deliverability for your entire team’s emails—including critical client communications.
Smart sales teams use dedicated cold email infrastructure with separate domains and multiple mailboxes. This spreads risk, improves deliverability, and protects your primary domain reputation. Tools like Salesso (our cold email solution) handle this infrastructure automatically, so sales teams can focus on selling instead of email server configuration.
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Your Multi-Channel Outreach Sequence
Here’s a proven 8-touch sequence across 2 weeks:
Day 1: Send LinkedIn connection request (300 characters) Day 2: Send Cold Email #1 with value proposition Day 4: If connected on LinkedIn, send follow-up message (free). If not connected, send InMail to high-value targets only Day 7: Send Cold Email #2 with relevant case study or insight Day 10: LinkedIn engagement (comment on their post) Day 12: Send Cold Email #3 with specific question or meeting request Day 14: Final LinkedIn touch or email
Eight messages across two platforms feel less aggressive than eight messages on one platform. You’re meeting prospects where they’re active without overwhelming them in one channel.
Making Your InMails Actually Work
You’ve got the credits. You know the limits. Now make every message count.
Keep It Brutally Short
Messages under 400 characters get 22% higher response rates than average. Meanwhile, messages over 1,200 characters see 11% lower response rates.
Busy executives don’t have time for your life story. Get to the point. Personalized email content increases response rates by 32.7%—the same principle applies to InMail.
Personalize With Purpose
Generic outreach is dead. Personalized subject lines increase open rates by 50%. Reference something specific from their profile:
- Recent job change
- Company news
- Shared connections
- Content they published
Mentioning 2 relevant profile details can lead to 15% higher engagement rates.
Time It Right
Send InMails on Mondays for fastest replies. Avoid Saturdays—they see 13% slower response times.
Target Smart
Profiles marked “Open to Work” are 37% more responsive. They’re actively looking for opportunities and more likely to engage. Company followers? 81% more likely to respond.
Conclusion: Your Decision Framework
Stop wondering “how many inmail credits per month linkedin” gives you. Start asking “how can I maximize every credit I’ve got?”
Here’s your action plan:
Decision 1: Choose the Right Plan
For serious sales professionals, Sales Navigator Core at $99.99/month is the minimum viable option. Those 50 linkedin inmail credits, combined with advanced search filters and real-time alerts, justify the investment. Premium Business’s 15 credits won’t cut it for consistent prospecting.
Decision 2: Optimize Your Message Quality
Your real capacity isn’t 50 messages—it’s unlimited if you’re good enough. Every reply within 90 days returns your credit. Focus relentlessly on:
- Messages under 400 characters
- Deep personalization (2+ profile details)
- Targeting receptive prospects
- Testing and iterating
Decision 3: Build Your Multi-Channel Engine
LinkedIn InMail alone won’t hit your quota. Period. You need cold email running in parallel for volume. Cold email delivers an ROI of $42 for every $1 spent. Combined with InMail’s superior engagement rates, you create an unstoppable prospecting machine.
Use InMail for precision strikes on high-value targets. Use cold email for carpet bombing your total addressable market. Together, they’re unbeatable.
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Ready to scale your outreach beyond LinkedIn’s limits? Salesso provides the dedicated email infrastructure sales teams need to send thousands of daily emails while protecting their primary domain. Book a strategy call to see how we can 10x your outreach capacity while maintaining deliverability.
FAQs
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