LinkedIn's monthly search limit, and why Sixgree works best with Premium

Sixgree maps who your connections know by reading their connection lists, and every page of a list is a LinkedIn people search. That makes LinkedIn's monthly search limit the one limit that matters most, and it's why Sixgree works best with LinkedIn Premium.

What the limit looks like

Free LinkedIn accounts get a monthly allowance of people searches. LinkedIn doesn't publish the number. Once you pass it:

• A box appears among your results: "You've reached the monthly limit for profile searches. Upgrade to Premium…" It isn't a pop-up; you can scroll past it.
• The results are still listed, but people outside your first degree show as "LinkedIn Member" with a View button and no name. There's nothing to map.
• It lasts until the limit resets at the start of the next month.

What Sixgree does when it hits it

• If people on the page still have names, it reads them and carries on.
• If everyone is hidden, it stops that list and keeps its place, so nothing is lost and nothing is marked finished. The next run, after the reset or after you upgrade, carries on from the same page.
• It never counts this as LinkedIn pushing back on your account: it's a plan limit, not a warning.

Why Premium gives the best experience

With LinkedIn Premium (Business, or Sales Navigator) the people-search limit is lifted, so:

• Every page of every circle shows names, and 2nd and 3rd degree fill in properly.
• Big circles map in days, not months.
• Separation, Paths and the Strategy engine have whole circles to work with, so their rankings are better.

Sixgree itself stays free, and it doesn't need Premium to work: your own connections, the map, tiers and everything you've already scanned work on any account. Premium is what removes LinkedIn's cap on reading further. LinkedIn often offers a free first month, which is a good time to map your core circles.

Without Premium

• Map your most important circles first (S and A tiers), in small rounds, early in the month.
• Keep the default daily limit and Medium or Slow speed; see Is scanning LinkedIn against the rules?.
• Import LinkedIn's own Connections.csv for your first degree at no search cost: how to export it.