The best times to post on social media in 2026 are weekday late mornings to mid-afternoons, Monday through Thursday, in your audience's local time. Sprout Social's 2026 data puts most networks between 11 AM and 6 PM on weekdays, with weekends weakest. The exceptions matter: TikTok and YouTube do well on weekends in Buffer's 2026 data, and your own audience can beat every study. Use the tables below as a starting point, then test.

By the end of this guide you'll have a starting schedule for every network, the exact clicks to find your own audience's active hours, and a 2-week test that tells you which hours actually work.

Best times to post on social media at a glance

This table uses Sprout Social's 2026 study (nearly 2 billion engagements, November 2025 to February 2026, local time) where it covers the network, and Buffer's 2026 study (52 million+ posts, local time) where Sprout doesn't. The per-network sections below show where other studies disagree.

Why the big studies disagree

Put Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite, Later and Metricool side by side and the "best time to post on Instagram" ranges from 5 AM to 8 PM. None of them are wrong. They measure different things.

Four reasons the answers differ:

1. Different customers. Each study only sees the accounts that use that tool. A tool used mostly by brand teams posting in office hours will find office hours. A study describes the accounts inside it, not the whole network.
2. Different metrics. Sprout counts the total volume of engagements in a timeframe, which rewards hours when many accounts post. A per-post measure can reward quiet hours, where one post faces less competition. That likely explains part of the gap between Later's 5 AM and Sprout's 2 PM.
3. Different time zone handling. Most studies convert to local time. Metricool's roundup doesn't say which time zone it uses, so treat its hours as rough.
4. Different years. Later's Instagram data is from 2024, even though the page was updated in April 2026. Algorithms change. A 2024 hour is weaker evidence than a 2026 hour.

The practical takeaway: where the studies agree (weekday midday for Facebook, LinkedIn and X), you can trust the window. Where they split (Instagram, TikTok), test both windows on your own account.

Best time to post on Instagram

Instagram is the network where the studies disagree most, so here they are side by side.

Sources: Hootsuite's 2026 Instagram study, Later's Instagram analysis (2024 data, updated April 2026) and Metricool's 2026 roundup, plus Sprout Social's and Buffer's 2026 studies above.

The two clusters are early morning (5 to 9 AM) and afternoon to evening (3 to 8 PM). Start with the afternoon cluster, which three of five studies support, and test one early-morning slot per week.

Best time to post a Reel on Instagram

Later's analysis (2024 data) found the best time for Reels is 12 AM, with Monday between midnight and 6 AM the strongest window. Hootsuite doesn't give separate Reels hours. Reels keep reaching non-followers for days, so the hour matters less than for a feed photo. Test one late-night Monday Reel against your usual afternoon slot.

For scheduling mechanics and caption limits, see the Instagram scheduler page.

Best time to post on TikTok

TikTok is the other network where the numbers split, and weekends are the fault line.

• Sprout, 2026: Mon 3 to 5 PM, Tue 2 to 6 PM, Wed 1 to 8 PM, Thu 1 to 5 PM, Fri 3 to 5 PM. Weekends worst.
• Buffer, 2026 (7.1M TikTok posts): Sunday 9 AM is the single best slot. 6 PM and 11 PM also strong. Saturday is the best day, Wednesday the worst.
• Metricool, 2026 (2M+ posts, 92,000+ accounts): 6 to 8 PM. Sunday evening best, then Monday. Friday and Saturday worst.

Sprout says weekends are worst, Buffer says Saturday is the best day, and Metricool puts Saturday among the worst. The honest read: weekday afternoons are safe, weekend mornings are worth a test, and evening (6 PM or later) shows up in two of three studies.

Start with Tuesday to Thursday at 3 PM and one Sunday 9 AM post. The TikTok scheduler page covers the caption and hashtag limits.

Best time to post on Facebook

Facebook has the most agreement: weekdays, from mid-morning through the afternoon.

• Sprout, 2026: Mon 12 to 1 PM, Tue and Wed 12 to 8 PM, Thu 12 to 2 PM and 8 PM. Weekends worst.
• Buffer, 2026: Thursday 9 AM best, mornings strong, Wednesday best overall, Saturday quietest.
• Metricool, 2026: 12 to 2 PM, Monday and Wednesday best. For Facebook Reels, midnight on Saturday.

Start with Wednesday at noon and Thursday at 9 AM. The Facebook scheduler page covers Pages publishing.

Best time to post on YouTube and YouTube Shorts

Sprout's 2026 study doesn't cover YouTube, so the numbers come from Buffer and Metricool.

• Long-form, Buffer 2026: Sunday 10 AM best, 8 AM and 11 AM strong, Sunday the strongest day.
• Long-form, Metricool 2026: 10 AM to 4 PM, Monday and Tuesday best.
• Shorts, Buffer 2026: Friday 4 PM on top, Friday 6 and 7 PM also strong. Tuesday lowest.
• Shorts, Metricool 2026: 2 to 6 PM, Monday and Tuesday best.

The two studies disagree on Tuesday for Shorts but agree on afternoons. For long-form, publish a couple of hours before your viewers' peak, which YouTube Studio shows directly (steps below). Long videos collect views for weeks, so the hour matters less here than on X or Threads.

Best time to post on LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a workday network. Every study puts it on weekdays and none recommend weekends.

• Sprout, 2026: Mon 1 to 2 PM, Tue 11 AM to 5 PM, Wed 11 AM to 4 PM, Thu 11 AM and 1 to 5 PM, Fri 11 AM and 1 to 2 PM.
• Buffer, 2026 (nearly 5M LinkedIn posts): Wed 4 PM, Fri 4 PM and Fri 3 PM top. Wednesday the best day.
• Metricool, 2026 (673,658 posts from 63,108 accounts): Mon 10 AM to 12 PM, Tue and Wed 11 AM, Thu 9 AM to 12 PM, Fri 10 AM. Thursday, Friday and Wednesday best; Saturday and Sunday worst.

Start with Tuesday or Wednesday at 11 AM. If you sell to B2B buyers, test a 4 PM slot, which Buffer's data favors. The LinkedIn scheduler page covers profiles, Pages and document carousels.

Best time to post on X (Twitter)

• Sprout, 2026: Mon 2 to 3 PM and 5 PM, Tue to Thu 12 to 6 PM. Weekends worst.
• Buffer, 2026 (8.7M X posts): Tuesday 9 AM best, then Wednesday 10 AM and 9 AM. Wednesday the best day, Saturday quietest.
• Metricool, 2026 (2M+ posts): 9 PM, morning posts underperform. Tuesday and Wednesday best, Sunday worst.

All three agree on Tuesday and Wednesday but not on the hour (9 AM to 9 PM). Posts on X have a short life, so testing hours pays off most here.

Best times to post on Threads, Pinterest, Bluesky and Reddit

Threads. Buffer (2.5M Threads posts, 2026) found Thursday 9 AM best, 7 AM to 12 PM on weekdays strong, Wednesday the best day, and Saturday, Sunday and Monday lowest. No other study we checked covers Threads.

Pinterest. Sprout (2026) is the only current source: Mon 10 AM to 12 PM and 2 to 3 PM, Tue 7 AM and 10 AM to 1 PM, Wed 8 AM to 1 PM and 3 PM, Thu 10 to 11 AM and 2 to 4 PM, Fri 10 to 11 AM. Pins are found through search for months, so consistency beats the hour. Pinterest Analytics shows which Pins resonate and how they perform over time, and its help page describes no hourly audience report, so compare your own Pins' results by the hour you published them.

Bluesky. None of the studies above publish Bluesky hours. Don't trust anyone who gives you a precise one without data. Start with the hours that work for your X account and run the test below.

Reddit. No large study covers Reddit either. Each subreddit has its own rhythm. Check the subreddit's "new" tab at different hours to see when posts get comments, read the rules for posting days (some subreddits allow self-promotion only on set days), and post when the community's main time zone is awake.

Best time to post on Monday, Saturday and Sunday

Monday. Sprout: Instagram 2 to 4 PM, Facebook 12 to 1 PM, LinkedIn 1 to 2 PM, TikTok 3 to 5 PM, X 2 to 3 PM and 5 PM. Hootsuite: Instagram 3 to 9 PM. Later: Instagram 5 AM. Metricool: LinkedIn 10 AM to 12 PM. For a single Monday post, early afternoon is safest.

Saturday. Sprout Social's 2026 study rates weekends the worst day for every network it measured. But Buffer rates Saturday the best day for TikTok, and Hootsuite gives Instagram slots at 11 AM and 5 PM. Saturday is fine for TikTok and consumer Instagram, poor for LinkedIn and X.

Sunday. Buffer found Sunday 9 AM the single best TikTok slot and Sunday 10 AM the best time for long-form YouTube. Hootsuite puts Instagram at 12 to 3 PM, and Metricool finds Sunday evening best for TikTok. Sunday is weak for LinkedIn, X and Threads.

How to find your own best time to post

Studies describe millions of accounts. Your analytics describe yours. Menu names shift with app updates, so look for the closest match.

Instagram Insights

1. Switch to a professional account (Settings, Account type and tools) if you haven't.
2. Open your profile and tap Professional dashboard.
3. Tap Insights, then scroll to your follower numbers and tap Total followers (or Followers).
4. Scroll to Most active times. Toggle between Hours and Days.
5. Write down the 2 or 3 hours with the tallest bars on your top 2 days. That's your starting list.

TikTok Analytics

1. Switch to a Business or Creator account if you haven't.
2. Go to your profile, tap the menu (three lines) and tap Creator tools or Business suite, then Analytics.
3. Open the Followers tab.
4. Scroll to Follower activity. It shows active hours and days.
5. Check the time zone label on the chart before you copy hours. Convert it to your local time if it's not already.

YouTube Studio

1. Sign in to YouTube Studio.
2. In the left menu, select Analytics. YouTube's Analytics guide walks through each tab, from Overview to Audience.
3. Select the Audience tab.
4. Find the When your viewers are on YouTube card. YouTube's help page says it shows when your viewers were online across YouTube in the last 28 days.
5. The darkest cells are your peak. Schedule long videos 1 to 2 hours before them.

Facebook and Meta Business Suite

1. Open Meta Business Suite and select your Page.
2. Go to Planner (or Content, then Planner) and switch to the week view.
3. Look for the Active times or suggested times shading on the calendar. It highlights hours when your audience is usually on Facebook and Instagram.
4. In Insights, open Content and sort your last 30 days of posts by reach to see which hours produced your top posts.

LinkedIn Page analytics

LinkedIn's Page analytics covers content, followers, visitors, search appearances and competitors, but has no report that shows followers by hour. Use a workaround:

1. Open your Page as an admin and go to Analytics, then Content.
2. Set the date range to the last 90 days (or the longest available).
3. Click Export to download the post-level file.
4. In the spreadsheet, add a column for day of week and one for hour, based on each post's created date.
5. Average the engagement rate per day and per hour. Ignore any slot with fewer than 3 posts.

Run a 2-week posting time test

1. Pick 2 time slots per network. One from the tables above, one from your own analytics. Example: Instagram at 2 PM vs 7 PM.
2. Plan 8 posts per network over 2 weeks. 4 in slot A, 4 in slot B. Alternate them across the same days (Monday A, Tuesday B, Wednesday A, Thursday B) so no slot gets all the good days.
3. Keep the content comparable. Same format in both slots, similar topics. Don't put your best carousel in slot A and a plain photo in slot B.
4. Measure at the same age. Record reach and engagements 24 hours after each post (48 hours for YouTube). Don't compare a 3-day-old post with a 3-hour-old one.
5. Compare engagement rate, not totals. Engagements divided by reach, averaged per slot.
6. Call it only if the gap is large. With 4 posts per slot, one viral post can swing the average. Treat a difference under 20% as a tie. Drop the single best and worst post from each slot and check if the winner still wins.

Here's what a filled-in results row looks like:

Log the results in your social media content calendar so the next plan starts from them.

Best times to post by industry

Industry changes the hours more than the network does. Hootsuite's 2026 Instagram study publishes separate windows for 10 industries, from construction and dining to financial services and nonprofits, which is worth checking if yours is on the list. Use these patterns as hypotheses to test, not rules:

• Restaurants and cafes: post before the decision, not during the meal. 11 AM for lunch, 4 to 5 PM for dinner, Friday and Saturday mornings for weekend plans.
• B2B services and SaaS: weekday working hours, Tuesday to Thursday. Weekends are for low-effort evergreen content, if anything.
• Retail and e-commerce: evenings and weekends, when people browse on the couch. Payday weeks and the days before holidays.
• Fitness studios: early morning (6 to 7 AM) and after work (5 to 6 PM), matching class times.
• Healthcare and dental: weekday business hours, when people can call to book.

Posting across time zones: multi-location businesses and agencies

If your audience is split across time zones, find where most of them live (Instagram and TikTok show top cities and countries in the follower section). If 60% or more sit in one zone, schedule for that zone. If the US audience splits across coasts, a 12 PM Eastern post lands at 9 AM Pacific, which hits both lunch in New York and the morning scroll in LA.

If you run multiple locations, give each location its own account or local posts, scheduled in that location's time zone. A gym with studios in Chicago and Phoenix shouldn't post "Class starts in 1 hour" at one national time.

If you're an agency, set each client's time zone once, at the client level, and schedule in the client's time, not yours. A few rules that save headaches:

• Write the time zone into every client brief, next to the brand voice notes.
• Watch daylight saving changes. US clocks go back on November 1, 2026, Europe's go back a week earlier (October 25), and Arizona doesn't change at all.
• For global brands, run separate posts for each region instead of one post at a compromise hour. Two posts at good hours beat one post at a bad hour for both.

What to do when you can't post at the best time

You don't need to be on your phone at 5 AM or 7 PM. You need a scheduler.

1. Batch-create once a week. Write and design the week's posts in one 2-hour block.
2. Schedule each post into its network's best slot, using the native tools (Meta Business Suite for Facebook and Instagram, YouTube Studio, TikTok's web scheduler) or a tool that covers all networks at once.
3. Protect the first hour. Early engagement signals matter on most networks. If you can't be there to reply to comments when the post goes live, check in within the first 60 minutes on your phone.
4. Don't chase the hour over the content. A strong post at a decent time beats a weak post at the perfect time. Buffer's 2026 report makes the same point: timing matters, but it isn't everything.

How an AI planner picks posting times from your own data

The studies are averages across millions of accounts. An AI planner can use one account's own history instead.

In SocialScheduler, the AI plans each client's week every Sunday, writes the posts in the client's voice, and publishes them at the hours that client's audience is online. After each week it reads the results (reach, engagement, which slots won) and adjusts the next week's hours, which is the 2-week test above running continuously. An agency sees the same thing in the Monday report it sends clients under its own name.

You still set the time zone, approve the plan (or let the client approve from an email link), and override a slot when you know better, like a launch at 9 AM sharp. SocialScheduler's free plan covers 1 client and 3 accounts if you want to try it on one brand.

Whether you use a tool or a spreadsheet, the method is the same: start from the study data, measure your own posts, keep what wins. Pick 2 slots per network this week, run the 2-week test, and write the winners into your calendar. Then repeat each quarter.