
Saad Mouaouine
Shield Analytics is winding down. If you’ve been using it to track your LinkedIn performance, you’re not in a crisis, but you do need to export your data now and find a replacement before access closes.
This guide covers what Shield was, why it’s shutting down, and the five best Shield analytics alternatives to move to depending on what you actually need.
Short Answer: Export your data as soon as possible, as Shield is officially winding down. For analytics plus content creation in one place, MagicPost covers the full workflow and connects through LinkedIn’s official API.
What Is Shield Analytics?
Shield launched in 2018 and became the go-to LinkedIn analytics tool for serious creators, agencies, and teams. It did one thing and did it well: complete analytics on your LinkedIn profile performance.
It tracked the following:
Post-level impressions, engagement rates, reactions, comments, and reposts.
Follower growth over time with demographic breakdowns by job title, industry, and location.
Your full post history from the day you connected, not just recent posts.
Earned media value, which is the estimated cost of achieving your organic reach through paid ads.
Shield Agent, an AI assistant that answered plain-language questions about your data.
The tool was trusted by 10,000+ creators and brands in 50+ countries; it was priced at $25/profile/month with a 14-day free trial.
However, it had a limitation: Shield was read-only. It told you what happened, but publishing, scheduling, and content creation depended on you.
Why Is Shield Winding Down?
Here’s what the co-founders, Andreas and Alex, published in their statement:
“Both Google and LinkedIn made it clear that we could not continue operating Shield as it was built. We decided not to fight it.”
LinkedIn and Google pushed back on how Shield was built, and the tool ran through a Chrome extension, which sits outside LinkedIn’s official API and outside Google’s Chrome Web Store policies.
This isn’t unique to Shield: Supergrow, Apollo.io, and Seamless.ai faced similar enforcement actions.
LinkedIn actively monitors browser extensions that access profile data outside of its official API. Extensions that scrape data, modify the LinkedIn interface, or automate behaviour are regularly flagged, restricted, or removed from the Chrome Web Store entirely.
No end date has been confirmed yet, but account access may have a clock on it and data exports may not be available forever.
⚠️ If you’re still a Shield subscriber, export your data now. Post history, follower trends, and engagement benchmarks are important. LinkedIn’s native analytics won’t restore what you lose when Shield closes.
The 5 Best Shield Alternatives at a Glance
Here’s how the five alternatives we recommend compare at a glance.
Tool | Starting Price | Analytics | Content Creation | Scheduling | LinkedIn API |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
MagicPost | $49/mo | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ Verified partner (100% safe) |
AuthoredUp | $19.95/mo. | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ Non-native | ❌ (Extension/DOMinjection risk) |
PerfectPost | $19/mo. | ✅ | ❌ | ⚠️ Non-native | ❌ (Hybrid extension/Non-partner) |
Blabigo | €19/mo. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ❌ (Hybrid extension/Non-partner) |
SocialBee | $24/mo. | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ Verified partner (Not LinkedIn-first) |
1. MagicPost — Best for Analytics and Full Content Workflow
MagicPost is the only tool here that replaces Shield’s analytics and gives you everything Shield never had: LinkedIn-first AI content creation, scheduling, and account safety through the platform’s official API.

Shield users who were also creating content manually will feel this the most. MagicPost connects your LinkedIn account through the official developer program, imports your writing style from past posts, and generates drafts in your voice.
The analytics dashboard tracks impressions, engagement, follower growth, and competitor profiles. That’s everything Shield offered, packaged alongside the content tools Shield never included.
What makes it the right Shield replacement is that unlike most of the tools on this list, MagicPost uses LinkedIn’s official OAuth API. It’s a verified technical status that means zero risk of account suspension. Shield’s wind-down was likely caused by the opposite approach, despite the platform’s excellent record.
Notable Features
LinkedIn analytics: impressions, engagement, follower growth, competitor tracking, themes that work, and more.
AI post generation trained on your own writing style.
Hook generator, idea generator, and a 500,000+ viral post inspiration library.
Scheduling through LinkedIn’s official API.
Employee advocacy tools for team-wide posting.
Multi-account management for agencies.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
✅ Only LinkedIn-first tool here with official LinkedIn API; no account risk | ❌ Analytics-only users pay for features they may not use |
✅ Analytics + content + scheduling in one place | |
✅ Voice learning from your own posts | |
✅ Free trial, no credit card is required |
Pricing
Plan | Price | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
Starter | $49/mo. | 20 posts/mo., analytics, idea generator, hook generator, scheduling |
Creator | $69/mo. | Unlimited posts, full analytics, inspiration library, engagement tools |
Team/Agency | Custom | Multi-account, team seats, custom reports, dedicated support |
2. AuthoredUp — Best Pure Analytics Replacement
AuthoredUp is a close replacement for Shield’s analytics at a lower price. It offers historical data from before you installed the tool.

AuthoredUp is a Chrome extension and web platform built for LinkedIn analytics and post formatting.
It pulls your full post history regardless of when you connect, not just from the installation date forward, which was one of Shield’s actual limitations. At $19.95/mo., it undercuts Shield’s $25/profile/mo. plan while going deeper on per-post analytics.
It doesn’t generate content. You write everything. But if you were a Shield user who just needed the data and handled writing yourself, AuthoredUp is a viable option.
Notable Features
Full post history analytics from before the installation date.
Multi-device preview (desktop, tablet, and mobile) before publishing.
Engagement, reach, saves, and comments tracked per post.
300+ hook and post ending templates.
Readability score and word count optimisation.
CSV export, scheduling up to 3 months ahead.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
✅ Historical data that’s deeper than Shield on post analytics | ❌ No AI content generation |
✅ $19.95/mo. undercuts Shield’s pricing | ❌ Chrome extension dependency |
✅ No automation, meaning zero account ban risk | ❌ No mobile app |
✅ GDPR-compliant, data hosted in Germany |
Pricing
Plan | Price | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
Individual | $19.95/mo. | 1 profile, full analytics, editor, scheduling, 300+ hooks, 14-day trial |
Business | $14.95/profile/mo. | 3+ profiles minimum, team analytics, draft collaboration |
3. PerfectPost — Best Free Plan
PerfectPost has a generous free tier with one month of analytics history that goes deeper than LinkedIn’s native dashboard.

PerfectPost is a Chrome extension and SaaS platform for LinkedIn analytics, scheduling, and post editing. Its free plan includes real analytics, scheduling, and post preview. The Premium plan unlocks engagement curves, visibility trends, and decision-making rates that LinkedIn doesn’t surface natively.
It’s not a content creation tool, so Shield users who also wrote their own content will still need something else for drafting. But for pure analytics access at zero cost (with caveats), it’s a good place to start.
Notable Features
Engagement curves, visibility trends, and decision-making rates (Premium).
Top commenter insights and unreplied comment tracker.
First comment scheduling.
Post editor with preview and formatting.
Customisable LinkedIn feed filters.
Analytics data export.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
✅ Free plan with 1 month analytics history | ❌ Chrome extension — carries account risk |
✅ Analytics depth above average for the price | ❌ No content generation |
✅ First comment scheduling is rare at this price | ❌ No Trustpilot presence for independent validation |
Pricing
Plan | Price | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
Free | $0 | 5 scheduled posts, 1 month analytics history, post preview, unlimited drafts |
Premium | $19/mo. | Unlimited scheduling, full analytics, AI writing assistant, data export |
4. Blabigo — Best for Analytics + Basic AI Writing
Blabigo is a clean platform with stronger-than-average analytics and basic AI content generation; it’s a middle ground between Shield’s pure data focus and MagicPost’s full content features.

Blabigo is a LinkedIn personal branding platform with an editorial calendar, AI post generation, scheduling, and analytics.
The analytics dashboard goes above average for the price, covering post performance, follower tracking, and company page analytics on the Business plan.
It won’t match the depth of Shield or AuthoredUp at the post-history level, but it covers the metrics most creators track day-to-day.
For Shield users who want to stop paying for a separate analytics tool and a separate content tool, Blabigo consolidates both at a competitive price. Carousel generation is listed as coming soon on the Business plan.
Notable Features
Basic AI post generation and a rich text editor.
Editorial calendar with scheduling.
LinkedIn post and profile analytics.
Hook and ending templates.
1-click repurposing of high-performing posts.
Company page management and analytics (Business plan).
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
✅ Analytics + basic AI writing in one tool | ❌ Carousel is coming soon, not available yet |
✅ Company page analytics on Business plan | ❌ Analytics not as deep as AuthoredUp or Shield |
✅ Clean, focused interface | ❌ Not LinkedIn API-verified |
✅ Competitive pricing | ❌ Smaller user base, less community validation |
Pricing
Plan | Price | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
Growth | €19/mo. (~$21) | Personal account, AI drafts, scheduling, editorial calendar, analytics, hooks |
Business | €28/mo. (~$30) | Everything in Growth + company page, page analytics, and first comment automation |
5. SocialBee — Best for Multi-Channel Users
If you were using Shield for LinkedIn but also managing other social platforms, SocialBee consolidates your stack. It offers analytics, scheduling, and AI content creation across LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook, X, TikTok, YouTube, and more.

SocialBee is a multi-platform social media management tool built for teams and solopreneurs who need scheduling, AI content creation, and analytics across multiple channels.
On the Accelerate plan ($40/mo.) and above, it offers up to 2 years of analytics history, actually a longer window than Shield’s default 90-day view. The analytics are functional but not LinkedIn-specific: you won’t get Shield-style earned media value calculations or demographic breakdowns.
But if LinkedIn is one of several platforms you manage, SocialBee removes the need for a separate analytics tool, a separate scheduler, and a separate content creation layer. It also uses OAuth 2.0, meaning there’s no risk of account suspension.
Notable Features
Analytics up to 2 years of data (Accelerate and Pro plans).
Scheduling and publishing across 9 platforms, including LinkedIn.
AI assistant for content planning and caption generation.
Post approval workflows and team collaboration.
Bulk post editor and CSV uploads.
Engagement management: mentions, comments, DMs.
14-day free trial, no credit card required.
Pros and Cons
Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
✅ Up to 2 years of analytics history | ❌ Analytics are multi-platform, not LinkedIn-specialist |
✅ Covers 9 platforms from one dashboard | ❌ No LinkedIn-specific earned media value or demographic depth |
✅ Post approval workflows and team collaboration | ❌ Bootstrap plan only gives 3 months analytics history |
✅ 14-day free trial, no credit card |
Pricing
Plan | Price | Key Inclusions |
|---|---|---|
Bootstrap | $24/mo. | 5 social profiles, 1 user, AI content, scheduling, 3 months analytics |
Accelerate | $40/mo. | 10 profiles, advanced analytics up to 2 years, bulk post editor, CSV uploads, post approval |
Pro | $82/mo. | 25 profiles, 3 users, 5 workspaces, analytics export, unlimited content categories |
Which Shield Analytics Alternative Should You Choose?
Not sure which is the best replacement for Shield? Here’s a quick breakdown.
If you need... | Best pick |
|---|---|
Analytics + content creation + account safety | MagicPost |
Analytics only, deep data, low price | AuthoredUp |
Analytics for free (Limited) | PerfectPost (free plan) |
Analytics + basic AI writing in one tool | Blabigo |
Are LinkedIn Tools Safe to Use?
Shield’s wind-down is a reminder of something most LinkedIn tool comparisons gloss over: how a tool connects to LinkedIn matters as much as what it does.
Tools that access LinkedIn data through browser extensions or session cookies sit outside LinkedIn’s official developer programme. LinkedIn actively scans for these and has enforcement mechanics ranging from temporary restrictions to permanent account bans.
❌ Shield ran via a Chrome extension, and the Chrome Web Store trouble that preceded its wind-down is consistent with exactly this kind of enforcement pressure, despite the tool’s security, positive ratings, and user endorsements.
✅ MagicPost connects through LinkedIn’s official OAuth API as a verified partner, meaning using its features poses no risk to your account.
AuthoredUp and PerfectPost both use Chrome extensions, which carry account risk by definition. That’s not a reason to avoid them, but it’s worth knowing. You can learn more about this in our guide to LinkedIn account restrictions.
Moving on from Shield? MagicPost is the upgrade
Analytics you already know, plus AI content creation, scheduling, and the only official LinkedIn API integration on this list. There’s no Chrome extension and no account risk.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Shield Analytics shutting down?
Yes. The co-founders published a formal statement: “Both Google and LinkedIn made it clear that we could not continue operating Shield as it was built. We decided not to fight it.”
No end date has been confirmed, but the window for data exports will close. Log in to Shield, go to the dashboard, and use the CSV export option to the right of the time period selector. Export everything; your full post history can be downloaded in one file.
What is the best Shield Analytics alternative?
It depends on what you need. For pure analytics at a lower price, AuthoredUp is the closest match. For analytics plus content creation and account safety, MagicPost covers the full workflow and is the only option on this list with official LinkedIn API verification.
Can I export my Shield data?
Yes, while access is still available. Log in to Shield and export your post history, follower data, and engagement reports before the service closes. Once access ends, that historical data is gone; LinkedIn’s native analytics won’t restore it.
Why did Shield Analytics wind down?
Shield ran through a Chrome extension, which put it in conflict with both LinkedIn’s official API requirements and Google’s Chrome Web Store policies. Apollo.io and Seamless.ai faced similar enforcement action in 2025 for the same underlying reason.
Are LinkedIn analytics tools safe to use?
It depends on how they connect to LinkedIn. Tools using Chrome extensions or session cookies operate outside LinkedIn’s official program and carry account risk. Tools using LinkedIn’s official OAuth API are verified and safe. On this list, only MagicPost and SocialBee are officially API-verified. For a full breakdown, see our guide to LinkedIn automation tools.
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