The best time to post on social media is midweek, during the day, but it changes by platform. Across the big 2026 studies, X, LinkedIn and Facebook lean towards mornings or the working day, Instagram and TikTok towards afternoons, evenings and weekends, and YouTube splits by format: Sunday mornings for long-form, Friday evenings for Shorts. All times are in your audience's local time.
This page summarises every platform in one place and links to a full guide for each, with day-by-day times from each study. Updated October 2026.
To turn any of these windows into times on your own clock, use our free best time to post finder.
Best time to post on social media, by platform
The "most agreement" column shows where at least two of the studies we use overlap. Everything is in the audience's local time.
| Platform | Where the studies agree most | Top single slot | Studies | Full guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon–Wed afternoons and early evenings, about 3–7 p.m. | Thu 9 a.m. (Buffer) | Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Later | ||
| TikTok | Wed 4–6 p.m., Fri 4–5 p.m., Sat 3–6 p.m. | Sun 9 a.m. (Buffer) | Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite | TikTok |
| YouTube | Long-form: Sunday mornings. Shorts: Friday evenings | Sun 10 a.m. long-form; Fri 4 p.m. Shorts (Buffer) | Buffer, plus vidIQ on days | YouTube |
| Weekdays; mornings (Buffer, Hootsuite) or Tue–Wed 12–8 p.m. (Sprout Social) | Thu 9 a.m. (Buffer) | Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite | ||
| Tue 4–5 p.m., Wed 3–4 p.m., Thu 2–3 p.m. | Wed 4 p.m. (Buffer) | Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite | ||
| X (Twitter) | 9–11 a.m., most days | Tue 9 a.m. (Buffer) | Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite | X (Twitter) |
What the overall studies say
Two publishers also give an overall answer across platforms:
- Sprout Social says the overall best times to post on social media are "Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Local Time", based on nearly 2 billion engagements across about 307,000 profiles (Sprout Social).
- Hootsuite says the overall best time is 8 a.m. on Wednesdays, and that "Facebook, LinkedIn, and X (Twitter) perform best in the mornings, while Instagram and TikTok peak in the afternoons and evenings" (Hootsuite).
Both agree on midweek. They disagree on the hour, which is why the platform guides show each study separately instead of averaging them.
The studies behind these times
| Publisher | Platforms covered | Sample | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and Shorts, Facebook, LinkedIn, X | 1.8 to 14 million posts per platform, sent through Buffer | Audience's local time |
| Sprout Social | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X | Nearly 2 billion engagements, 307,000 profiles, Nov 2025 – Feb 2026 | Audience's local time |
| Hootsuite | Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, LinkedIn, X | Over 1 million posts from businesses in 118 countries | Audience's local time |
| Later | 6 million+ Instagram posts, Jan – Oct 2024 | Audience's local time | |
| vidIQ | YouTube (day of week) | 40.2 million US long-form uploads | US uploads |
Each platform guide lists the exact page, date, sample and measure for every number we use.
Three rules that apply everywhere
1. Use your audience's time zone, not yours
Every major study gives its times in the audience's local time. Sprout Social: "Whether your target audience is in Los Angeles or London, schedule your posts for the hours listed below in their respective local time zones." If you live in Manila and your followers are in New York, 9 a.m. means 9 a.m. in New York, which is 10 p.m. in Manila in November.
2. Be consistent
A regular schedule helps your followers know when to expect you, and it makes your own results easier to compare. Later's advice for Instagram applies everywhere: aim for "a predictable posting rhythm and adjust based on your own data".
3. Test, then trust your own data
Use the studies to pick two or three windows, post similar content in each for a few weeks, and compare engagement per view or per impression. Each platform guide explains where to find your own data: Instagram's Most active times, TikTok's follower activity, YouTube's "When your viewers are on YouTube", Meta's Active times, and post analytics on LinkedIn and X.
How to use the best time to post finder
Our free best time to post finder does the conversion for you:
- Pick a platform.
- Tell it where your audience is. You can add more than one place for a split audience.
- See each study's windows in your own time zone, with daylight saving handled and overlaps shown where audiences share a window.
It uses the same studies as these guides and shows each one separately, so you can see where they agree.
How much does timing really matter?
Less than the content, but enough to test. YouTube says publish time "is not known to impact a video's long-term performance", though posting when viewers are active "can be beneficial for early viewership". In vidIQ's analysis of 40.2 million US YouTube uploads, the gap between the best and worst hours shrank "to within a few percent by day 30". Timing helps a post get its first views. Whether it keeps going depends on how people respond to it.
That's why the best use of these times is as a starting schedule. Good hooks and clear videos do more. See our guides to writing a UGC script, hook rate and filming and editing short videos.
Common questions
What is the best time to post on social media?
Midweek, during the day, in your audience's local time. Sprout Social's overall answer is Tuesday and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Hootsuite's is Wednesday at 8 a.m. Each platform differs, so use the table above.
What is the best day to post on social media?
Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday on most platforms. The main exceptions are TikTok, where Buffer finds Saturday the best day, and YouTube long-form, where Sunday leads.
What is the worst time to post on social media?
Late at night and, on most platforms, weekends. Buffer finds evenings the worst time on X, and Sprout Social ranks weekends lowest on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and X.
Do I need different times for each platform?
Yes. X, LinkedIn and Facebook lean towards mornings and working hours; Instagram and TikTok towards afternoons, evenings and weekends; YouTube long-form towards Sunday mornings and Shorts towards Friday evenings.
What time zone should I use?
Your audience's. All the big studies give times in the audience's local time. If your audience is somewhere else, convert the times to your own clock, or let the finder do it.
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Sources
Checked October 2026. Full per-platform sources are in each guide.
- Sprout Social: Best times to post on social media in 2026
- Hootsuite: Best time to post on social media (by platform)
- Buffer: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, X
- Later: Best time to post on Instagram in 2026
- vidIQ: Best time to post on YouTube: what 40 million videos actually show
- YouTube Help: YouTube performance FAQ
