> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brightdata.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# LinkedIn data collection options
> Compare 3 LinkedIn data options from Bright Data: Scraper API (real-time URL scraping), Dataset Marketplace (bulk), and Deep Lookup (AI entity search).
Bright Data offers three ways to collect LinkedIn data. Each serves a different use case: real-time scraping by URL, bulk pre-collected datasets, or AI-powered entity search. This guide helps you choose the right one.
## How the three options compare
| | LinkedIn Scraper API | Dataset Marketplace | Deep Lookup |
| :------------------------- | :------------------------------------------------- | :---------------------------------------------- | :-------------------------------------------------- |
| **What you provide** | LinkedIn URLs | Filter criteria (job title, location, industry) | Natural language query ("Find all CTOs in fintech") |
| **What you get back** | Structured data per URL (JSON, NDJSON, JSONL, CSV) | Bulk dataset (CSV, JSON) | Structured results with source attribution |
| **Data freshness** | Real-time (scraped on demand) | Pre-collected, refreshed periodically | Real-time search across 1,000+ sources |
| **Data types** | Profiles, Companies, Jobs, Posts | People profiles, Company info, Posts | People, Companies, Products, News, Events |
| **Volume** | 1-5,000 URLs per request | Millions of records available | Varies by query complexity |
| **Email/phone enrichment** | No | Yes (via RevenueBase partnership) | Yes (built-in) |
| **Best for** | Scraping specific URLs you already have | Large-scale research with demographic filters | Finding entities that match specific criteria |
| **Pricing model** | Per successful record | Per record (volume discounts) | Per matched result |
## LinkedIn Scraper API
The [LinkedIn Scraper API](/datasets/scrapers/linkedin/introduction) is the best option when you already have LinkedIn URLs and need fresh, structured data for each one.
You send a `POST` request with one or more URLs, and the API returns structured JSON with 50+ fields per profile. Bright Data handles proxy rotation, anti-bot bypassing, and HTML parsing.
**Supported endpoints:**
* [Profiles](/api-reference/scrapers/social-media-apis/linkedin-profiles-collect-by-url) - work history, education, skills, connections
* [Companies](/api-reference/scrapers/social-media-apis/linkedin-companies-collect-by-url) - employee counts, funding, specialties
* [Jobs](/api-reference/scrapers/social-media-apis/linkedin-jobs-collect-by-url) - salary, requirements, application links
* [Posts](/api-reference/scrapers/social-media-apis/linkedin-posts-collect-by-url) - content, engagement metrics, hashtags
**Example:**
```bash theme={null}
curl -X POST \
"https://api.brightdata.com/datasets/v3/scrape?dataset_id=gd_l1viktl72bvl7bjuj0&format=json" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '[{"url": "https://www.linkedin.com/in/satyanadella"}]'
```
**When to use it:**
* You have a list of LinkedIn profile, company, job, or post URLs
* You need real-time, fresh data (not cached or pre-collected)
* You want to integrate LinkedIn data into an automated pipeline
* You need data for a specific, known set of entities
Scrape your first LinkedIn profile in 5 minutes.
## When to use Dataset Marketplace
The [Dataset Marketplace](/datasets/marketplace/overview) offers pre-collected LinkedIn datasets that you can filter and purchase in bulk. This is ideal when you need large volumes of data but don't have specific URLs.
**Available LinkedIn datasets:**
* **LinkedIn People Profiles** - 669M+ records with professional details
* **LinkedIn Company Information** - company profiles with firmographic data
* **LinkedIn Posts** - post content and engagement metrics
You browse the marketplace, apply filters (job title, location, industry, company size), preview a sample, and purchase the matching records.
**Email and phone enrichment:** Standard LinkedIn profiles do not include email addresses or phone numbers. However, the marketplace offers an enriched business contact option (via RevenueBase partnership) that adds GDPR-compliant business emails and phone numbers where available. Use the **Contact filters** button in the Dataset Marketplace view to enable this.
**When to use it:**
* You need thousands or millions of records matching demographic criteria
* You don't have specific URLs, just filter criteria (e.g., "marketing directors in Germany")
* You need enriched contact information (business email, phone)
* You want a one-time data purchase or recurring delivery
Filter, preview, and purchase pre-collected LinkedIn data.
## When to use Deep Lookup
[Deep Lookup](/datasets/deep-lookup/overview) is an AI-powered research tool that searches 1,000+ public sources to find entities matching your criteria. Unlike the Scraper API (which requires URLs) or the Marketplace (which uses predefined filters), Deep Lookup accepts natural language queries.
**Example queries:**
* "Find all VP of Engineering at Series B+ startups in Austin, TX"
* "Find all SaaS companies with 50-200 employees that raised funding in 2025"
Deep Lookup validates results across multiple sources for 95%+ accuracy, and can enrich results with contact information, technology stacks, funding data, and social profiles.
**When to use it:**
* You need to discover entities matching complex, specific criteria
* You want AI-validated results with source attribution
* You need enrichment columns added dynamically (email, revenue, tech stack)
* Your research question doesn't map to simple URL scraping or marketplace filters
Search the public web like a database using natural language.
## Which option should I use?
| Scenario | Recommended option |
| :------------------------------------------------------------------------ | :------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| "I have 500 LinkedIn profile URLs and need their work history" | **LinkedIn Scraper API** - send URLs, get structured JSON |
| "I need 10,000 marketing directors in the US with email addresses" | **Dataset Marketplace** - filter by job title and location, enable contact enrichment |
| "Find all CTOs at AI startups in Europe who previously worked at Google" | **Deep Lookup** - complex criteria best suited for AI-powered search |
| "I want to monitor job postings from 50 companies weekly" | **LinkedIn Scraper API** (async) - schedule recurring scrapes using the Jobs endpoint |
| "I need a one-time export of all LinkedIn company profiles in healthcare" | **Dataset Marketplace** - filter by industry, purchase in bulk |
## Data access limitations
All three options collect **publicly available data only**. Bright Data does not access data behind LinkedIn's login wall.
This means:
* **Available**: Public profile details (name, headline, current position, education, skills, follower count), public company pages, public job listings, public posts
* **Not available**: Private profiles, connection lists, direct messages, InMail content, data visible only to logged-in users or 1st/2nd-degree connections
If a LinkedIn profile is set to private or restricted, the Scraper API returns only the publicly visible fields.
## Common questions
The LinkedIn Scraper API does not return email addresses because they are not publicly displayed on LinkedIn. For business contact enrichment, use the **Dataset Marketplace** with the Contact filters option enabled (via RevenueBase partnership), or use **Deep Lookup** which can search for contact information across multiple public sources.
Marketplace datasets are pre-collected and refreshed periodically. If you need guaranteed real-time data, use the LinkedIn Scraper API, which scrapes on demand with every request.
Yes. A common workflow is to use **Deep Lookup** or the **Dataset Marketplace** to discover relevant LinkedIn URLs, then feed those URLs into the **LinkedIn Scraper API** for real-time, detailed scraping.
* **LinkedIn Scraper API**: JSON, NDJSON, JSONL, CSV (delivered via API, webhook, S3, or other storage)
* **Dataset Marketplace**: CSV, JSON (downloaded or delivered to your storage)
* **Deep Lookup**: Structured results viewable in the control panel or exported
New Bright Data accounts receive \$2 in free credit, which can be used with any of the three options. The Dataset Marketplace and Deep Lookup also offer free sample previews before purchase.