Xing vs LinkedIn: Which Network Is Worth It?

For B2B outreach in the DACH region, LinkedIn is worth using as your main channel because it offers dedicated sales tools and allows you to message people outside your network at a larger scale. XING, by contrast, explicitly positions itself as a jobs network and limits messages to people outside your network to five per month, even on its Premium plan. For recruiting and job searches in German-speaking countries, XING remains a serious second channel.

This comparison relies exclusively on information from the providers themselves: company and press pages, help centres and terms of use. Where no official figure is available, we do not provide one. As of 23 September 2026.

LinkedIn vs. XING: a direct comparison

You’ll find the sources for each row in the following sections.

User numbers and activity in the DACH region

XING: New Work SE reports that XING has “over 20 million members in German-speaking countries” (source: new-work.se/de/unternehmen, accessed 23 September 2026).

LinkedIn: On its company page, LinkedIn states over 1.3 billion members worldwide, including more than 430 million in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (source: news.linkedin.com/about-us, accessed 23 September 2026). It does not provide a current figure for Germany, Austria and Switzerland alone. The most recent DACH figure we found in the LinkedIn Pressroom is from 22 March 2018: 11 million members in German-speaking countries as of December 2017 (source: LinkedIn Pressroom). That figure is more than eight years old and is not suitable for a current comparison.

Neither provider publishes DACH figures for activity, such as monthly active users in Germany. Estimates circulating online come from third parties, so we have not included them. A reliable comparison of DACH reach based on official sources is currently not possible. Member counts also measure accounts, not people who are regularly active.

What XING stands for today

XING (officially written in uppercase) belongs to New Work SE. Its homepage promises: “Find the job that suits you. Or let yourself be found!” Its main navigation consists of Find jobs,Company it and enter it Network, putting job search first. The homepage also mentions “270,000+ employers” and “over 20,000 recruiters” (source: xing.com, accessed 23 September 2026).

New Work SE itself describes XING as “the established jobs network in Germany”, listing more than one million jobs and used by “more than 20,000 recruiters” (source: new-work.se/de/unternehmen). It mentions job ads, active sourcing and an applicant management system: recruiting products, not sales products.

What has changed at XING since 2023

• January 2023: XING discontinued Groups, and Event Manager was shut down on 31 March 2023 (report: heise online, 11 January 2023). Instead, the XING help centre now describes group chats in the messaging area with up to 100 participants (source: XING Help, Group Chat, accessed 23 September 2026).
• August 2024: New Work SE described the “repositioning of XING as a jobs network”. Monetising individual users was less of a focus than giving employers access to talent (source: press release dated 6 August 2024). Since the end of 26 August 2024, its shares have no longer been tradable on the regulated market of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, following a delisting tender offer by Burda Digital SE (source: press release dated 23 August 2024).
• June 2025: Henning Rönneberg succeeded Petra von Strombeck as CEO (source: press release dated 13 May 2025).
• July 2026: New Work SE sold InterNations. CEO Henning Rönneberg stated that its strategic focus was “to be the most important recruiting partner in German-speaking countries” (source: press release dated 13 July 2026).

The provider describes its direction itself: XING is focused on jobs and recruiting. XING does not publicly list a sales product.

What LinkedIn stands for

LinkedIn has a broader offering: profiles and job search, plus an active post feed, company pages, newsletters, Groups,events and dedicated product lines for sales (Sales Navigator) and recruiting (Recruiter). We explain what LinkedIn is at its core and how the network works in detail in What is LinkedIn?.

Target audiences and industries

Neither provider publishes an official breakdown of members by industry in the DACH region. What we can verify is how they describe themselves:

• XING targets “professionals across all industries and career levels” in German-speaking countries, as well as employers looking to hire there (source: New Work SE). According to XING’s terms and conditions, its paid ProJobs membership is intended for “active job seekers”.
• LinkedIn operates internationally, is available in 36 languages and says “~100%” of Fortune 500 companies are on the platform (source: news.linkedin.com/about-us). For decision-makers in internationally active companies, large corporations and English-speaking teams, this is the more relevant figure.

In practice, that means: If you sell to customers outside the German-speaking market, LinkedIn is your only option. If you’re looking for professionals who want a job in the DACH region, you’ll find them on XING specifically as job seekers.

Premium plans and pricing

Both networks offer a free basic account. Their paid plans differ significantly, especially when it comes to transparency.

LinkedIn

Pricing: As of 19 September 2026. According to LinkedIn, prices may exclude VAT. You can find all plans, sources and trial periods in our overview.LinkedIn Premium costs. InMail credits according to LinkedIn Help onInMail credits it and enter it InMail credits in Sales Navigator(accessed on September 23, 2026). You can find LinkedIn Recruiter pricing inLinkedIn Recruiter pricing.

XING

XING offers individuals a free Basic membership and paid memberships.Premium it and enter it ProJobsto (Source:XING Help, Membership Types). Premium is available for 3 or 12 months, and ProJobs for 3, 6 or 12 months. Private Premium contracts starting on or after 1 March 2022 continue on a monthly basis after the minimum term (source:XING Help, Service Periods).

We deliberately don’t quote specific prices: the XING Premium page redirects you to the login page if you’re not signed in (checked on 23 September 2026), and the help centre doesn’t list prices. According to XING, Premium includes full visibility into who has viewed your profile, up to 300 search results and 5 messages to non-contacts per month (source:XING Help, Premium Benefits). For recruiters, XING offers TalentManager as a separate product for business customers.

Message and contact limits

For outreach, one question matters most: How many people can you reach who aren’t already in your network?

LinkedIn sources:InMail credits,Invitation limit reached,Invitation limits. Sources XING:Message limit for non-contacts,Connection request limit. All accessed on September 23, 2026.

XING explicitly states why both limits exist: to prevent misuse, such as “mass cold outreach messages”. There is an exception for recruiters: according to XING, the limits on messages to people outside your network do not apply to XING TalentManager users.

Outreach suitability in detail

Search and filter

On XING, you can view up to 10 search results without restrictions as a Basic member, or up to 300 as a Premium member. Premium also gives you access to advanced member search with additional search fields (source:XING Help, Search for Members). LinkedIn limits free people searches through a “commercial use limit” that applies to activities such as recruiting or new customer acquisition. LinkedIn does not specify the exact number (source:LinkedIn Help, Commercial Use Limit). If you want to filter by industry, job title and company size, use LinkedIn’sSales Navigator.

Messages and InMail

On XING, reaching people outside your network almost always starts with a connection request. Once they accept it, you can send as many messages as you like. LinkedIn works much the same way, but InMails give you more flexibility. We discuss whether to send connection requests with or without a note inConnect on LinkedIn with or without a message.

Groups

LinkedIn groups still exist: members can share posts and send message requests to other group members. XING has not had topic-based groups since 2023, only group chats with your existing contacts. That means XING groups are no longer an option for finding new people as part of your outreach.

events

On LinkedIn, members and page admins can create online and offline events and invite attendees. XING discontinued its Event Manager in 2023.

Content and visibility

On LinkedIn, the feed is central: posts and comments help potential customers get to know you before you reach out to them. XING does not position itself as a platform for professional content.

Which network fits your goal?

recruiting

Use both networks, but for different purposes. XING says it focuses on recruiting in German-speaking countries: job ads, active sourcing, TalentManager, and candidates who use the platform specifically to look for jobs. LinkedIn gives you international reach and a dedicated recruiting interface. If English is the working language for a role, or you’re looking for candidates outside the DACH region, LinkedIn is essential. Our page shows how recruiters use LinkedIn.CompLeadly for recruiters.

sales

LinkedIn. Its feed, comments, InMails and Sales Navigator are designed to help you win customers. XING does not list a sales product on its public pages. Basic members cannot message people outside their network, and Premium members are limited to five such messages per month. XING explicitly prohibits bulk cold outreach messages. A well-maintained XING profile is still worth having, as some customers may look you up there. More on how to approach this as a team:LinkedIn outreach for sales teams.

Self-employed professionals and founders

LinkedIn as your active channel, XING as an up-to-date professional profile. On LinkedIn, you build visibility through posts and reach out to potential customers. On XING, a complete profile is enough to help people in the German-speaking region find you. See also CompLeadly for founders.

Job search

1. You are looking for a job in Germany, Austria or Switzerland. Keep both profiles up to date, but make sure your XING profile is complete: XING positions itself as a jobs network with over a million job listings and more than 20,000 recruiters.
2. You are looking internationally or in an English-speaking environment. Then LinkedIn is essential. XING makes no claims about its reach in markets outside the German-speaking region.

What CompLeadly does for sales, recruiting and job searches on LinkedIn

CompLeadly works only with LinkedIn; it does not support XING. On LinkedIn, it helps with all three uses covered in this comparison:

• Sales: You create a target audience of potential customers from a LinkedIn people search, an Excel import or a Sales Navigator search. For the latter, you need your own Sales Navigator licence. Contacts receive a connection request, an opening message after they accept, and a follow-up. Learn more at CompLeadly for sales teams.
• Recruiting: You can add candidates to a target audience in the same way, including from a Recruiter Lite search or pipeline if you have the relevant LinkedIn licence. Outreach follows the same sequence. Details at CompLeadly for recruiters.
• Job search: Add recruiters and hiring managers at your target employers to a target audience. CompLeadly can visit their profiles and follow them before sending a connection request. An opening message and no more than one follow-up come afterwards. For advice on your own profile, see 10 common LinkedIn mistakes when job hunting it and enter it Open to Work on LinkedIn.

There is a free version with basic features and daily limits, such as 25 profile visits and 2 connection requests per day. You can find the plans on the Pricing page.

Using both – when it makes sense

In most cases, “LinkedIn or XING?” is the wrong question. A basic profile is free on both. If you want to be found in the DACH region, an empty XING profile means missing out on visibility with the recruiters who search there.

The catch: Maintaining two profiles takes time. A practical approach is to use one network actively and keep the other as an up-to-date professional profile. For sales and content, that usually means being active on LinkedIn and keeping XING current. For job seekers in the German-speaking region, the reverse may make sense.

Frequently asked questions about LinkedIn and XING

Is LinkedIn or XING better?

That depends on your goal, not the platform. LinkedIn has an international focus, is driven by content and offers dedicated sales tools. XING focuses on the German-speaking region and jobs. LinkedIn is the obvious choice for sales and international contacts; XING is also worth using for recruiting and job searches in the DACH region.

How many members do LinkedIn and XING have?

LinkedIn reports over 1.3 billion members worldwide and more than 430 million across Europe, the Middle East and Africa. New Work SE reports over 20 million XING members in the German-speaking region. There is no current official LinkedIn figure for the DACH region alone; the most recent figure in its pressroom dates from 2018. A reliable direct comparison is therefore not possible (as of 23 September 2026).

Is XING still relevant?

As a jobs and recruiting network, yes: New Work SE promotes over a million jobs and more than 20,000 recruiters, the homepage lists more than 270,000 employers, and the company says it is focusing on recruiting in the German-speaking region, according to its July 2026 announcement. Groups and events have been unavailable since 2023. LinkedIn is the platform for professional content and customer acquisition.

Can I do cold outreach on XING?

Only to a limited extent. Basic members cannot message people they are not connected with; Premium members can send five such messages per calendar month. You can have no more than 100 unconfirmed contact requests open at a time. XING says these limits are designed to prevent mass cold outreach. LinkedIn is therefore the better fit for targeted new customer acquisition.

How much does XING cost compared with LinkedIn?

Both offer a free basic account. XING also offers Premium and ProJobs memberships, but only shows prices after you log in. LinkedIn lists its Premium prices publicly; Premium Career starts at €29.98 per month (as of 19 September 2026). You can find all prices in our pricing overview.

Does CompLeadly support XING too?

No. CompLeadly works with LinkedIn; it does not support XING.