Best LinkedIn Analytics Tools 2026 - After Shield's Wind-Down
Compare Orsana, LinkedIn native analytics, AuthoredUp, Taplio and Shield migration options by use case, access model, pricing and personal-profile fit.
The best LinkedIn analytics tool in 2026 depends on what you need to decide. Use LinkedIn native analytics for free first-party numbers. Use Orsana when you want to turn personal-profile content patterns into next-post decisions without LinkedIn passwords, cookies, or account automation. Use AuthoredUp when writing workflow matters most. Use Taplio when scheduling and team workflow matter enough to accept a broader automation trade-off.
This guide is the broad comparison. If you want the measurement method itself, read what a LinkedIn analytics tool should track. If you are replacing Shield specifically, read the Shield Analytics alternative guide.
Quick answer: best LinkedIn analytics tools
| Rank | Tool | Best for | Access model | Public price checked August 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Orsana | Solo founders, consultants, and creators who want content decisions from LinkedIn patterns | Public LinkedIn data, no password or session cookies | Essential: €39.99/month or €29.99/month billed annually |
| 2 | LinkedIn native analytics | Anyone who wants the safest free baseline | First-party LinkedIn dashboard | Included with LinkedIn |
| 3 | AuthoredUp | Personal-profile creators who need a stronger editor plus basic analytics | Browser extension | Individual listed at $19.95/month, or $16.63/month billed annually |
| 4 | Taplio | Teams and power users who want scheduling, CRM, and analytics in one suite | LinkedIn-connected automation workflow | Starter $39/month, Growth $69/month, Pro $199/month |
| Historical | Shield Analytics | Former Shield users planning migration | Service is winding down | No longer a long-term choice |
How to choose without buying the wrong tool
Start with the decision you need, not the dashboard you want.
| Your intent | Choose | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| "I need a free LinkedIn analytics tool" | LinkedIn native analytics | It is first-party, free, and enough to learn impressions, members reached, clicks, reactions, comments, reposts, profile activity, and followers gained |
| "I post from a personal profile and want to know what to post next" | Orsana | It focuses on content patterns, profile positioning, and next-post decisions rather than agency reporting |
| "I mainly need formatting, drafts, and a content library" | AuthoredUp | Its strongest value is the LinkedIn writing workflow |
| "I need scheduling plus analytics in one product" | Taplio | It is broader than analytics and priced as an all-in-one suite |
| "I used Shield and need continuity" | Orsana plus LinkedIn native exports | Preserve your old decision workflow, then rebuild around safe current data |
What matters in a LinkedIn analytics tool
A useful LinkedIn analytics workflow should answer five questions:
- Which topics create qualified comments?
- Which formats repeatedly outperform your baseline?
- Which posts create profile visits, followers, or conversations?
- Which posts only create passive impressions?
- What should you publish next based on the pattern?
That is why this comparison separates analytics, writing, scheduling, and account-access risk. A tool can be excellent at scheduling and only average at analytics. Another can be safe and focused but not built for agencies.
1. Orsana: best for personal-profile content decisions
Best for: solo founders, consultants, coaches, freelancers, and small B2B teams using LinkedIn to create business conversations.
Pricing checked in the repository: Orsana's current self-service Essential offer is €39.99 monthly or €29.99 per month when billed annually. Organizations with 2 or more seats use a Custom offer.
Why it ranks first here: Orsana is built around the decision after the metric. It helps you understand which content patterns to repeat, what to personalize, and how to avoid generic AI posts.
What Orsana is good at:
- Turning post patterns into content direction
- Reviewing positioning and content quality for personal profiles
- Suggesting next posts from your own context and performance signals
- Keeping LinkedIn access conservative: no LinkedIn password, no session-cookie handoff, no automated actions on your account
What Orsana is not:
- It is not an agency suite for managing dozens of client profiles.
- It is not a replacement for every private metric in LinkedIn's native dashboard.
- It is not a scheduler-first platform.
Use Orsana when your real question is: "Which posts create useful conversations, and what should I publish next?"
CTA: Create an Orsana account if you want the analytics-to-content workflow. Check current pricing before choosing a paid plan.
2. LinkedIn native analytics: best free baseline
Best for: anyone starting from zero, creators who need first-party numbers, and users who want no third-party risk.
LinkedIn native analytics should be your baseline even if you buy another tool. It is the source of truth for post analytics and profile analytics. LinkedIn Help describes metrics such as impressions, members reached, clicks, reactions, comments, reposts, profile viewers from posts, followers gained from posts, and viewer demographics.
What LinkedIn native analytics is good at:
- First-party post metrics
- Profile activity and follower signals
- Page analytics for company Pages
- Zero external account-access risk
What it misses:
- It does not turn metrics into a weekly content plan.
- It does not give you a strong personal-brand writing workflow.
- It can be slow when you want to compare many posts by topic, format, or intent.
Use LinkedIn native analytics when your intent is "free LinkedIn analytics tool" or "what did this specific post do?"
3. AuthoredUp: best when writing workflow is the main job
Best for: personal-profile creators who care about drafting, formatting, hooks, content libraries, and a smoother publishing workflow.
AuthoredUp positions itself around LinkedIn content creation, formatting, scheduling, analytics, and a Chrome extension. Its official pricing page lists an Individual plan at $19.95/month, or $16.63/month billed annually, and a Business plan priced per profile.
What AuthoredUp is good at:
- Writing and formatting LinkedIn posts
- Previewing posts before publishing
- Saving and reusing content assets
- Combining creator workflow with basic analytics
What it misses:
- Analytics is not the deepest part of the product.
- It is less focused on deciding what topic, proof, or business signal should shape the next post.
- It depends on a browser-extension workflow.
Use AuthoredUp when your bottleneck is post creation quality and editor comfort, not analytics depth.
4. Taplio: best all-in-one suite
Best for: power creators and teams that want scheduling, CRM, content inspiration, AI writing, and analytics in one tool.
Taplio's official pricing page starts at $39/month, and Taplio's own 2026 review lists Starter at $39/month, Growth at $69/month, and Pro at $199/month. It is broader than a LinkedIn analytics tool. You are paying for a suite.
What Taplio is good at:
- Scheduling and calendar workflow
- Content inspiration
- AI-assisted LinkedIn writing
- Relationship and CRM-style features
- Team-oriented workflows at higher tiers
What to check before choosing it:
- Do you need the all-in-one suite, or only analytics?
- Does the access model fit your risk tolerance?
- Will the scheduling workflow actually replace something you use every week?
LinkedIn's User Agreement restricts bots, scraping, and automation-style access. Any tool that performs actions or accesses LinkedIn in ways LinkedIn has not clearly authorized deserves extra review from the account owner. That does not mean every tool has the same risk. It means account access should be part of the buying decision, not a footnote.
What about Shield Analytics?
Shield Analytics is no longer a safe long-term default. Shield's own site says the service is winding down and points users toward the end of service.
If you used Shield, do not start by hunting for a clone. Preserve the decisions Shield helped you make:
- Your top 20 posts by engagement rate
- Your strongest topics
- Your strongest formats
- Your profile-visit or follower-growth signals when available
- Your reporting rhythm
Then choose a current workflow. For many personal-profile creators, that means LinkedIn native analytics for first-party post data plus Orsana for content decisions. For writing-heavy creators, AuthoredUp may be the better second tool. For scheduling-heavy teams, Taplio may still fit.
Head-to-head comparison
| Feature | Orsana | LinkedIn native | AuthoredUp | Taplio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best fit | Personal-profile content decisions | Free first-party metrics | Writing and formatting workflow | All-in-one LinkedIn suite |
| Free baseline | Account creation available | Included | Free trial listed | Free trial listed |
| Post metrics | Pattern-focused | First-party source | Basic analytics | Suite analytics |
| AI content help | Yes, content-direction focused | No | Not the core analytics value | Yes, suite-focused |
| Scheduling | Not the main reason to buy | Native LinkedIn scheduling exists | Listed feature | Core feature |
| Personal profile fit | Strong | Strong | Strong | Strong |
| Agency fit | Limited | Limited | Business plan | Stronger |
| Access-risk posture | No LinkedIn password or session cookies | First-party | Extension workflow | Requires extra review |
| Best first step | Test content workflow | Audit last 30 posts | Trial editor workflow | Validate suite use |
30-day setup for personal profiles
Do not start with a huge dashboard. Run this for 30 days:
- Export or record your last 30 posts.
- Tag each post by format: story, opinion, framework, list, carousel, question, case study.
- Tag each post by topic.
- Compare impressions, members reached, engagement rate, profile activity, and followers gained.
- Select the three topics that created the best business signal, not only the most likes.
- Publish six follow-up posts using those patterns.
- Review again and remove one weak format from your calendar.
This is the practical bridge between analytics and content. Tools help, but the workflow matters more than the number of charts.
Official sources checked
- LinkedIn Help: Post analytics for your content
- LinkedIn Help: View post analytics for your content
- LinkedIn User Agreement
- AuthoredUp pricing
- Taplio pricing
- Taplio 2026 review and pricing
- Shield Analytics notice
FAQ - LinkedIn analytics tools
What is the best free LinkedIn analytics tool?
LinkedIn native analytics is the best free baseline because it is first-party and included with LinkedIn. Start there before buying software. If you need content decisions from your personal-profile patterns, add a tool like Orsana after you understand your baseline.
What is the best LinkedIn analytics tool for personal profiles?
For personal profiles, choose based on your main job. Use LinkedIn native for first-party post numbers, Orsana for content decisions, AuthoredUp for writing workflow, and Taplio for an all-in-one suite.
Can LinkedIn analytics tools get your account restricted?
Risk depends on the access model. First-party LinkedIn analytics has no external risk. Public-data workflows avoid password and session-cookie handoff. Browser extensions and automation-style tools deserve more review because LinkedIn restricts bots, scraping, and unauthorized automation in its User Agreement.
Is Orsana a full Shield Analytics replacement?
No tool should be treated as a perfect Shield clone. Orsana is a strong fit if the decision you need is what to post next from personal-profile content patterns. Use LinkedIn native analytics alongside it for first-party post metrics.
Should I choose Orsana, AuthoredUp, or Taplio?
Choose Orsana for analytics-to-content decisions, AuthoredUp for writing and formatting, and Taplio for a broader scheduling suite. If you only need free analytics, start with LinkedIn native.
Which LinkedIn metric should I track first?
Track impressions, members reached, engagement rate, profile viewers from posts, and followers gained from posts. Then add a qualitative note about the comments. The best metric is the one tied to your goal: visibility, trust, qualified conversation, or demand.
Read next: LinkedIn analytics tool · LinkedIn impressions vs reach · LinkedIn dashboard
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