When using search endpoints like Person Search or Employee Listing, the `page_size` parameter controls how many results are returned per API call. Since credits are charged per result, `page_size` directly affects how many credits each call costs.
This is one of the most common sources of unexpected credit usage — so understanding how it works can save you from surprises.
What Is page_size?
`page_size` sets the maximum number of results returned in a single API call. If you don't specify it, the default is 100.
That means a single Person Search call with no `page_size` set will attempt to return up to 100 LinkedIn profile URLs.
How page_size Affects Credit Cost
Search endpoints charge 3 credits per returned result. The formula is straightforward:
Credits used = 3 credits × number of results returned
Since `page_size` controls how many results come back, it directly determines your cost per call:
page_size | Max Results | Max Credit Cost |
10 | 10 | 30 credits |
25 | 25 | 75 credits |
50 | 50 | 150 credits |
100 (default) | 100 | 300 credits |
If your search matches fewer profiles than your `page_size`, you'll only be charged for the actual results returned — not the full `page_size` value.
The Default Can Be Costly
If you don't set `page_size`, it defaults to 100. At 3 credits per result, that's up to 300 credits in a single call.
This is the most common reason customers see unexpected credit drops. For example, if you have 120 credits and run a Person Search without setting `page_size`, the call will fail with a "not enough credits" error — because it tries to reserve 300 credits (3 × 100).
Best Practices
- Always set page_size explicitly — don't rely on the default
- Start small when testing — use `page_size` of 10 or 25 while you're iterating on filters
- Scale up gradually — increase `page_size` once you've confirmed your filters return relevant results
- Check your credit balance before running large queries — make sure you have at least 3 × `page_size` credits available
Example Requests
A conservative request for testing:
{
"country": "US",
"current_role_title": "software engineer",
"page_size": 10
}
This returns up to 10 results and costs a maximum of 30 credits.
A larger request once you've validated your filters:
{
"country": "US",
"current_role_title": "software engineer",
"current_company_linkedin_profile_url": "https://www.linkedin.com/company/google",
"page_size": 50
}
This returns up to 50 results and costs a maximum of 150 credits.
Retrieving More Results with Pagination
If your search matches more profiles than your `page_size`, you don't need to increase `page_size` to get all of them. Each response includes a `next_page` token that you can use in a follow-up call to retrieve the next batch of results.
This lets you pull large result sets in manageable chunks — keeping your per-call credit usage predictable.
Quick Recap
Scenario | Credits Used |
Person Search, page_size not set (default 100) | Up to 300 credits |
Person Search, page_size = 25 | Up to 75 credits |
Person Search, page_size = 10 | Up to 30 credits |
Search returns fewer results than page_size | 3 × actual results |
Still Have Questions?
If you're unsure what `page_size` to use — or want help estimating how many credits a query will cost — reach out to our team at `[email protected]` or message us through the in-app messenger.