In short: to write outside your network, LinkedIn offers three paths. InMail is reserved for Premium subscribers and limited by monthly credits. The Open Profile message is free but limited. A connection request followed by a message needs no subscription. For a freelancer, it remains the most accessible path.
What is the difference between an InMail and a connection request?
A connection request asks to join the person's network. The message only goes out once the connection is accepted, apart from the optional note attached to the request. An InMail is a direct message to a member you are not connected to. LinkedIn classes it as a Premium feature: a free account cannot send one (LinkedIn Help, consulted on 7 October 2026).
The practical difference is cost and what follows. The request is free, but the person may never accept it. The InMail lands in their inbox right away, but it uses a credit and the person has accepted nothing.
How many InMail credits do you get?
It depends on the subscription. According to LinkedIn, each billing cycle brings 5 credits with Premium Career, 15 with Premium Business, 30 with Recruiter Lite and 50 with Sales Navigator Core. Unused credits can build up to 15, 45, 120 and 150 respectively (LinkedIn Help, consulted on 7 October 2026).
A free account has none. InMails are therefore part of the price of a subscription, which counts in the cost of LinkedIn prospecting for a freelancer.
What happens to a credit if the person does not reply?
It is lost. LinkedIn gives back a credit for each InMail that is accepted, declined or answered within 90 days of sending. A pending InMail counts neither as accepted nor as declined. With no reaction, you are not refunded.
That rule changes how you write. A vague InMail that gets nothing costs you. A precise InMail that gets a polite refusal gives your credit back. It is one more reason to work on the fact and the question, as in our guide to the first message.
What is an Open Profile message?
A free message to a Premium subscriber who has turned on the "Open Profile" option. LinkedIn says this feature lets you contact a Premium member without InMail. It limits how many of these messages you can send over a given period, without publishing the number (LinkedIn Help, consulted on 7 October 2026).
You can only write this way to people who have turned the option on. It is a useful door for a few profiles, not a method for a whole list.
What do the numbers say about these three paths?
For the request followed by a message, we have measurements. Expandi reports 28.5% acceptance and 10.4% replies to messages sent after acceptance, across 13 million connection requests between May 2025 and April 2026 (Expandi, consulted on 7 October 2026). That is a tool vendor, on its own customers.
For InMail, we did not find a reliable, independent measure of the reply rate. The figures we found come from recruiting sources or vendors, with different methods. We therefore cite no rate: test on your target before paying for a subscription for this.
Which path should you choose in your situation?
The table sums up the common cases.
| Your situation | Best-suited path | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Free account, small list | Request, then message | No subscription needed |
| The person never accepts requests | InMail, if you have a subscription | You go through the inbox |
| Open Profile turned on | Open Profile message | No credit used |
| Heavily solicited target | Request with a real link, or a precise InMail | A generic message will be ignored |
Keep one rule: one path at a time for the same person. Sending a request and an InMail on the same day is redundant. If the request gets no answer, we suggest waiting several weeks before considering an InMail. Also remember that after you withdraw a request, you cannot resend it to the same person for up to three weeks (LinkedIn Help, consulted on 7 October 2026).
Where does Sales Farmer fit?
Sales Farmer follows the request-then-message path. It does not rely on InMails: in Automatic mode, the invitation goes out without a note, then a message cites a specific fact and asks a question, which you approve. Automatic mode is included in the Growth plan and in the 14-day trial, and Manual mode is available from the Starter plan.
LinkedIn's terms forbid tools that automate activity, ours included. Pacing settings are described on the LinkedIn limits page, and our article on limits and automation details the caps.
FAQ
Can a free account send InMails?
No. According to LinkedIn, InMail is a Premium feature. A free account can send invitations, with a limited number of notes, and write to its connections.
How many InMails per month with Premium?
5 credits with Premium Career and 15 with Premium Business, according to LinkedIn's help page. Sales Navigator Core gives 50.
Do you get your InMail credit back without a reply?
No. LinkedIn gives the credit back if the InMail is accepted, declined or answered within 90 days. With no reaction at all, it is lost.
Does InMail work better than a connection request?
We did not find an independent measure that settles it. Test on a small list before committing to a subscription.
Start with a connection request
Try Sales Farmer for 14 days, no credit card: it prepares the request and the message, you approve. Plans start at $15 a month.