LinkedIn limits — what you need to know
This article explains the most important LinkedIn limits (invites/connection requests, messages/InMail, profile/view limits, API/automation risks), provides practical guidelines for safe scaling, and outlines measures to take if an account is restricted. Ideal for teams that use LinkedIn outreach with HubSpot or Outreach Master.
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LinkedIn sets various types of limits and may temporarily restrict accounts in the event of conspicuous behaviour; some restrictions typically last for about a week. LinkedIn
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LinkedIn does not always publish official, fixed daily limits — therefore, the figures recommended here are considered practical guidelines based on industry monitoring.
What types of limits exist?
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Connection requests / Invitations: LinkedIn limits the number of invitations you can send in a given period; exceeding this limit may result in a temporary suspension.
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Direct messages to 1st-degree contacts (Messages): There is no officially published daily limit for messages to existing contacts, but platform monitoring recommends conservative upper limits to minimise risk. We limit this to +100 messages per day (varying randomly each day), for example.
- InMail (messages to non-contacts): The number per month clearly depends on your premium plan — credits are renewed monthly. (LinkedIn ) At Outreach Master, we do not currently support InMail messages.
- Profile/view limits & network size: There are limits on profile views and a maximum number of 1st-degree connections (30,000). In practice, however, this limit is often irrelevant (LinkedIn).
- API/automation controls & suspicious activity: LinkedIn checks for automation patterns (high frequency, similar content, low acceptance rate) and may restrict accounts; however, our system ensures that these limits cannot be reached.
Practical guidelines (safe defaults)
These recommendations are based on aggregated observations from the industry — however, LinkedIn may respond more strictly or more leniently on an individual basis. If you are unsure, start slowly (gradual warm-up).
- Connection requests: ~15–25 per day (≈100 per week for many free accounts). For sales/recruiter products, the safe weekly limit may be higher (up to ~200+ for well-aged accounts).
Outreach Master usually sends a maximum of ~20 requests per day. The number varies per day in order to simulate human behaviour as closely as possible. - Direct Messages to 1st Degree: ≤100–150 per day (depending on account age & activity, it is better to start at the lower end).
Outreach Master usually sends a maximum of ~100 requests per day. - InMails: Use the credits from your plan; you can find InMail quotas and rules in your premium subscription.
Outreach Master does not yet offer this functionality. - Profile views: For free accounts, experts recommend not relying on massive daily profile viewing — vary your actions to avoid patterns.
Outreach Master does not yet explicitly offer this functionality.
Why the limits vary (what LinkedIn evaluates)
LinkedIn not only adjusts the permitted activity to a general limit, but also evaluates, among other things:
- Account age & history (older, ‘trusted’ accounts have more leeway).
- Acceptance rate of your invitations (low rates increase your risk score).
- Homogeneity of content (identical mass messages are risky).
- Sudden spikes in activity (large sudden volumes are more likely to raise alarm bells).
Best practices — how to scale safely
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Warm-up: Start new accounts gradually (start with just a few actions per day, then increase).
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Throttle & randomise: Spread out instead of ‘bursting’; random breaks and different times of day avoid patterns.
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Personalisation > volume: Higher acceptance/reply rates reduce risk.
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Monitor acceptance rate: if many invitations are rejected or ignored, throttle the volume.
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Do not use unauthorised automation tools (risky for account suspension) - Outreach Master is safe.
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Split traffic/multiple senders only with governance: if multiple accounts are used, ensure clear ownership, limits and quality assurance.
What to do if an account has been restricted?
- Read the LinkedIn notice: LinkedIn usually displays a message (‘Invitation limit reached’, etc.) and the restriction often lasts for ~1 week.
- Slow down activity / take a break: Immediately send fewer messages or none at all.
- Improve quality: Review message templates, reduce mass patterns and increase personalisation.
- Contact support: If you think the restriction is a mistake, contact LinkedIn Support via the Help section.
- Account health documentation: Make a note of what actions were taken immediately before the suspension (volume, template, tool) to learn from when upgrading.
Monitoring & Alerts (useful for teams)
- Track acceptance rate (invitations accepted/sent) daily.
- Alert in case of spike (e.g. >20% increase in daily volume compared to 7-day average).
- Log Templates & Variants — ensure that every automation is logged with a template ID and personalisation level.
- Rate Limit Backoff: Automatically use exponential backoff in case of 429/blocked responses from LinkedIn.