LinkedIn Competitors for Business: Do These Alternatives Really Work?

TL;DR:

• LinkedIn still rules for broad, global B2B networking and lead generation thanks to its deep user base, advanced search filters, and integrated sales tools.
• Some of LinkedIn’s competitors are Facebook, Indeed, and Glassdoor, but they lack LinkedIn’s top features, such as high networking possibilities.
• Choose by goal: Recruiters, sales teams, and marketers should weigh audience location, feature specialization, and network size when exploring alternatives—only a few competitors truly “deliver” in focused use cases.

You’ve probably heard that LinkedIn is the perfect place for B2B entrepreneurs. But what if you want to take advantage of other similar platforms and look for alternatives? Where would you even start?

As usual, we’ve got you covered. In this article, we’ll break down LinkedIn’s competitors, describe their pros and cons, and help you choose the best option. 

Let’s get started!

Why look for LinkedIn alternatives?

While LinkedIn is undisputedly the number one platform for professional networking, utilizing it successfully can be challenging. Some sales and marketing professionals prefer its competitors to connect with potential clients, partners, and employees.

The most common reasons why you might look beyond LinkedIn include:

• Unpredictable algorithm changes. LinkedIn frequently updates its algorithm, making it hard to maintain engagement with your content. What worked last month might not work today, forcing you to constantly adjust your strategy.
• Declining organic reach. Like many social media platforms, LinkedIn often prioritizes paid content. If you’re not investing in ads, you’ll have to spend more time and effort to achieve success.
• Messaging and connection request limits. LinkedIn restricts how many users you can connect with and message on a daily basis. Going over such limits may result in account restrictions or even suspension.

💡Did you know?

Sales and marketing professionals who use LinkedIn sales automation software can easily adhere to LinkedIn limits and maintain steady outreach. 

With the Snov.io LinkedIn Automation Tool, you can keep the number of likes, profile views, connection requests, and messages within LinkedIn’s safe range.

• Saturation and competition. With millions of sales and marketing professionals using LinkedIn, standing out becomes increasingly difficult. Exploring LinkedIn alternatives can help you connect with prospects in a less crowded space.

Top LinkedIn competitors in 2025

The digital ecosystem changes rapidly. New sites appear and start trending, gathering thousands of new users day by day. Others fade into oblivion. Let’s explore platforms that can be called LinkedIn competitors in 2025.

Top ten LinkedIn competitors:

1. Alignable
2. Facebook
3. Indeed
4. Glassdoor
5. Meetup
6. Xing
7. Quora
8. Reddit
9. Slack
10. ZipRecruiter

1. Alignable

Best for: Small and local business owners seeking peer-to-peer networking and community-driven referrals.

Alignable is a professional networking alternative to LinkedIn, designed for entrepreneurs and service providers looking to build trust and word-of-mouth recommendations within their local market.

Alignable offers sales professionals a platform to build relationships and generate leads with small businesses in targeted locations.

Pros:

• Trusted peer validation. Alignable is a niche and community-focused solution, so you can build strong, trusting connections there.

• High engagement in local markets. Users in smaller, focused communities are more likely to reply to your connection invitations and take your sales pitch seriously.

• Referral-centric model. Built around sharing and requesting referrals, it streamlines word-of-mouth growth without relying on paid ads.

Cons:

• Lower discoverability for hiring and B2B sales. Employers and large-scale B2B buyers aren’t as active, making Alignable less effective for recruiting or large contract sales.
• Smaller audience. With fewer members than LinkedIn, you may find fewer active professionals on the platform, especially in niche industries.
• Limited functionality. This alternative also lacks some of LinkedIn‘s valuable features, such as detailed analytics, advanced search, post types, etc.

Pricing: free Guest Membership with limited connection credits; paid plans start at $29.00/month.

2. Facebook

Best for: marketers looking for broad reach, dynamic storytelling, and cost-efficient audience targeting via Facebook Ads and Groups.

Facebook is a huge social networking platform that gets 13 billion monthly visits. It offers a vast array of features similar to LinkedIn, including personal profiles, business pages, and groups.

Just like on LinkedIn, companies can showcase their brand, share content, and interact with followers through the business pages. You can connect with prospects and send personalized messages directly. You can also participate in Facebook groups to engage with niche audiences and build a high-quality prospect list.

Pros:

• Flexible ad targeting. You can create targeted campaigns based on demographics, interests, and behaviors with the help of the platform’s advertising tools.

• Vibrant Groups ecosystem. You can participate in Facebook groups to engage with niche audiences and build a high-quality prospect list.

• Real-time communication. You can connect with prospects and send personalized messages directly.

Cons:

• Less professional context. Facebook is primarily focused on personal content, so business-related posts can get lost in the “noise” of memes, family photos, and videos.

• Lower B2B intent. While Facebook reaches a broad audience, it doesn’t offer the industry-specific search filters available on LinkedIn. So it’s quite challenging to find and engage with relevant leads.

Pricing: platform access is free. Advertising cost varies by industry and targeting and can start at $1–$5/day.

💡Expert tip:

To find the most relevant prospects, you have to know exactly what you’re looking for. Start by creating your ideal customer and then go to Facebook groups your prospects are likely to join. 

Dreading the amount of analysis that goes into creating a customer persona? AI can help speed up the process. Watch the video below and see for yourself:

3. Indeed

Best for: job seekers and recruiters.

Indeed is a leading job search platform with over 452 million monthly visits. It aggregates listings from thousands of websites and allows employers to post jobs directly.

Indeed is a great alternative to LinkedIn for companies looking to hire top talent. It is especially useful for recruitment or HR agencies, as Indeed offers access to a vast pool of job seekers. Some businesses also successfully use Indeed for employer branding by showcasing company culture through job postings.

Pros:

• A massive pool of candidates is actively searching for roles. Recruiting specialists can review candidates for almost any role, skillset, and requirements.
• Easy navigation. Indeed offers a user-friendly interface with robust filtering by location, salary, and experience.

Cons:

• Indeed is not designed for professional networking or lead generation. Because Indeed is primarily focused on careers, recruiting, and job searching, it’s not the best LinkedIn alternative for lead generation.

• Limited profile visibility. Unlike LinkedIn, Indeed doesn’t offer networking or content-sharing features.

Pricing: free job posts available; sponsored postings start at $5 per day or $150 per month. Free for applicants.

4. Glassdoor

Best for: employers and HR teams looking for talent, candidates researching company culture, salaries, and interview processes.

Glassdoor is a strong LinkedIn competitor where current and former employees share company reviews, salary data, and interview experiences.

Companies can enhance their brand’s reputation and visibility on Glassdoor by responding to reviews and filling out their profiles with up-to-date information.

Pros

• Deep insight into company reputation via employee reviews and ratings.
• Salary and compensation data to help candidates make the right choice.
• Employer branding options (e.g., “Enhanced Profile,” sponsored content) to showcase culture and values.

Cons:

• Not intended for networking, lead generation, or content marketing.
• Limited direct messaging—no built-in nurture or outreach tools.
• The candidate pool is skewed toward active job seekers only.

Pricing: Basic company pages and job seeker access are free. Paid membership is customized; you need to contact sales to learn more.

5. Meetup

Best for: community managers and marketers for hosting local networking events, B2B sales and marketing specialists for networking opportunities.

In contrast to Glassdoor, Meetup offers a great networking alternative to LinkedIn. This platform facilitates the organization of in-person and virtual events.

Meetup also allows members to create and join groups based on shared interests, including professional and industry-specific topics.

Pros:

• Marketing and sales professionals can connect with potential clients and partners through events and groups.
• Opportunities to target specific interest groups (e.g., “SaaS Founders,” “Tech Marketers,” “Cybersecurity Professionals”).
• Event-based format can drive high-quality conversations and deeper relationship building.

Cons:

• Unlike LinkedIn, Meetup doesn’t have direct messaging, posting, and analytical features.
• Meetup offers a smaller scale than LinkedIn’s 1 billion-plus profiles, so outreach is confined to local or topic-specific communities.

Pricing: free plan available. Paid plans start at $44.00/month.

6. Xing

Best for: professionals and recruiters focused on the DACH region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland); companies and sales teams targeting German-speaking markets.

Xing is a professional networking platform in German-speaking countries. As an alternative to LinkedIn, it offers a set of features to help users connect, find job opportunities, and boost brand visibility.

Xing offers opportunities for joining industry groups, participating in discussions, and attending networking events.

Pros:

• Strong local network in German-speaking countries.
• Industry groups and event listings tailored to regional business culture.
• Built-in job board and employer branding tools.

Cons:

• Limited global reach outside the DACH markets.
• Fewer content-publishing and thought-leadership features compared to LinkedIn
• Basic search filters are less granular; advanced filters require a paid plan

Pricing: free basic membership available. Job ads for recruiters start at €399 per ad. Paid plans for candidates start at ≈ €6.95/month, but the price is customized.

7. Quora

Best for: industry experts and content marketers who want to establish authority by answering relevant questions; B2B professionals seeking to drive inbound leads through in-depth, helpful responses.

Quora is a large question-and-answer platform where users can share knowledge on a wide range of topics. You can leverage it to establish your expertise and stand out among competitors by providing insightful answers to industry-related questions.

Quora provides a platform for building and showcasing your personal branding and visibility.

Pros:

• SEO benefits. Well-ranked answers can drive long-term organic traffic and brand awareness.
• Community validation. Upvotes and “Most Viewed Writer” badges lend credibility to your expertise.

Cons:

• Limited networking features. Quora doesn’t have direct messaging and connection tools, meaning building relationships requires an alternative, more indirect approach.
• Sales pitches and promotional content are frowned upon on Quora.

Pricing: free to join, ask, or answer questions. Ads are paid, and the pricing is aligned to your business goals.

8. Reddit

Best for: community managers and content marketers, and product teams looking to engage niche audiences. B2B professionals to build thought leadership in specialized communities

Reddit is a networking platform organized in a forum-like way. The site is divided into subreddits, where people exchange thoughts, experiences, and questions.

Each subreddit is focused on a particular topic. Industry-specific subreddits can be seen as alternatives to LinkedIn as they provide insights into market trends and customer needs.

Note that Reddit’s users value authenticity and are sensitive to self-promotion. Navigating this environment requires a nuanced approach.

Pros:

• Organic reach potential. Well-received posts can “go viral” within a community, driving significant traffic without paid spend.
• Market research. Real-time feedback on ideas, products, or pain points helps refine offerings and messaging.

Cons:

• Strict community rules. Each subreddit has its own moderation policies. Overt self-promotion often gets removed or downvoted.
• Limited direct prospecting. Reddit doesn’t provide profile filtering or direct messaging for outreach to decision-makers.
• Unpredictable ROI. Success depends on community acceptance and moderation, so there’s no guaranteed path to lead generation.

Pricing: creating an account and posting/commenting is free. Premium subscription starts at $5.99/month. Ad pricing is based on CPC or CPM bidding.

9. Slack

Best for: sales and marketing professionals looking to engage prospects through dedicated Slack workspaces or integrations.

Originally a team collaboration tool, Slack now hosts various communities in dedicated workspaces focused on specific industries or interests.

Joining relevant Slack communities allows you to quickly connect and engage with like-minded professionals.

Pros:

• Community engagement. Public Slack communities offer Q&A sessions and networking beyond formal connections.
• App integrations. Connect CRM, automation, and lead generation software (including LinkedIn prospecting tools) to centralize workflows.

Cons:

• Limited discovery. Unlike other LinkedIn competitors, Slack communities often require invitations to access them.
• Free version includes only a 90-day message history, up to 10 app integrations, and one-to-one voice and video calls. This can significantly limit your prospecting and outreach.

Pricing: free plan available; paid plans start at $8.75 per user/month.

10. ZipRecruiter

Best for: HR teams and hiring managers.

ZipRecruiter is a job board that incorporates AI to connect employers with candidates. With a wide database of resumes and job listings from over 100 partner sites, this platform is a worthy competitor to LinkedIn.

ZipRecruiter allows communication between recruiters and candidates, which makes the hiring process seamless.

Pros:

• Candidates can post to 100+ job boards automatically, maximizing visibility to job seekers.
• Recruiters can search millions of candidate profiles and contact them directly.

Cons:

• Lacks tools for proactive relationship building or content engagement.
• Can be more expensive than individual job board postings, especially for multiple active listings.

Pricing: free trials available. Paid plans are customized based on your goals.

How to choose the best LinkedIn alternative for your business

If you are considering adding alternative channels to your business strategy, it’s worth examining your needs first. As you can see from the list we have compiled in this article, no platform possesses the same combination of features as its competitors. It’s also not realistic to use all of them at once. Therefore, you need to determine your priorities and know exactly what you’re looking for in terms of capabilities.

Below you’ll find a simplified guide that can help you determine which platforms to look into.

How to grow your reach without relying on LinkedIn competitors

Using multiple platforms requires time and energy, and additional resources. The results might not be worth the investment. So, before adding more everyday activities to your plate, consider maximizing your LinkedIn potential. With proper tools and strategies, you’ll be able to expand your outreach without using competitors of LinkedIn.

Here’s what we recommend:

1. Optimize your profile. 

Users with a complete SEO-optimized profile are generally more successful in their social selling endeavors. Add a professional photo of yourself on LinkedIn, a cover photo, and a comprehensive headline to increase your profile’s visibility.

Fill out all possible sections of your profile on LinkedIn, including certifications, projects, skills, and an extensive description of your accomplishments and professional experiences under each employment, to ensure that it is as comprehensive as possible.

Yevheniia Yevsieieva

SEO Specialist at Snov.io

Don’t forget to provide information about your location, industry, company, and position to make it easier for potential customers and partners to find you. Include your business offer and basic information about your company in the About section. It will help you to rank even higher than your competitors in the search results.

2. Use automation software. 

Connecting and engaging with users on LinkedIn manually can limit your reach. But instead of turning to LinkedIn competitors, enhance your outreach capabilities with specialized software. Use the Snov.io LinkedIn lead generation tool to:

• Build high-quality prospect lists by collecting relevant leads from LinkedIn and other websites.
• Streamline routine LinkedIn actions like profile views, post likes, and follows. Thanks to the cloud-based operation, you’ll appear active on LinkedIn even when you’re offline.
• Communicate with multiple prospects at once via highly personalized connection requests, messages, and InMails.

• Monitor your LinkedIn outreach performance to refine and improve your strategy.

Surpass your B2B sales quota

Expand your customer base and outperform competitors with the Snov.io LinkedIn Automation Tool

Start now

3. Join LinkedIn groups and participate in discussions.

Quora and Reddit are worthy competitors to websites like LinkedIn because they focus on answers to particular questions. Their members don’t have to read through multiple posts to find the information they need. 

The best way to mimic such an experience and engage with your LinkedIn audience more effectively is to join groups. Look for well-moderated groups relevant to your business niche to avoid wasting your time on spammers. There, join discussions on industry topics and establish your expertise, thus drawing new followers to your profile.

Key takeaways

Despite its drawbacks and a growing number of competitors, LinkedIn remains the main hub for prospecting and professional networking. Its main strength is a holistic approach where users can find everything they need in one place.

You can do anything business-related there, from recruitment to direct sales. What’s more, your Snov.io account has all the tools you need to grow your LinkedIn network quickly and start taking advantage of this robust social media platform.