Best Time to Post on Social Media (2026)
For the best time to post on social media, Tuesday and Wednesday are the days the published studies name most often for Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads, and Wednesday and Thursday for X, but on every network the studies split on the hour.
No study can see your audience, so use these windows to choose your first two weeks of slots, then keep the ones your own results prove.
By Tayyab, Founder
Studies last checked October 14, 2026: 23 pages from eight publishers, each linked below with its date and sample. How we read them.
Convert the studies to your timezone
Pick where your audience is and the clock you schedule in. Every window below is something a named publisher printed; the converter only moves it between time zones and counts how many studies agree. It is not our data and it is not a prediction for your account.
Hours are shown as the studies print them, which for most is local time where the audience is. Pick a different place above to convert.
Most agreement: Tue 3 p.m., Tue 5 p.m., each named by 3 of 5 studies.
What the studies say, not our data. Hours named by at least 2 of 5 studies, in your clock.
- Monday2 to 9 p.m. (2)
- Tuesday5 a.m. (2), 7 a.m. (2), 3 to 7 p.m. (3)
- Wednesday8 a.m. (2), 12 p.m. (2), 5 to 7 p.m. (2)
- Thursday7 to 9 a.m. (2)
- Fridaynone
- Saturday11 a.m. (2)
- Sunday12 a.m. (2), 11 p.m. (2)
See each study’s windows in your clock
Buffer September 23, 2026
Mon 6 to 9 p.m.; Tue 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m.; Wed 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.; Thu 7 to 10 a.m.; Fri 6 a.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.; Sat 8 to 11 p.m.; Sun 8 to 11 p.m.
Hootsuite July 14, 2026
Mon 3 to 9 p.m.; Tue 5 to 8 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.; Wed 5 p.m.; Thu 4 p.m.; Fri 4 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.; Sun 12 to 3 p.m.
Later April 21, 2026
Mon 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.; Tue 5 a.m.; Wed 3 to 5 a.m.; Thu 4 a.m.; Fri 3 to 6 a.m.; Sat 5 a.m.; Sun 12 a.m., 5 a.m., and 11 p.m.
Sprout Social March 31, 2026
Mon 2 to 4 p.m.; Tue 1 to 7 p.m.; Wed 12 to 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.; Thu 12 to 2 p.m.
SocialPilot no date on the page
Mon 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.; Tue 7 a.m.; Wed 7 to 9 a.m.; Thu 7 to 9 a.m.; Fri 7 to 9 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Sun 12 a.m., 8 a.m., and 11 p.m.
Metricool June 18, 2026; shown as published, not converted
Mon 8 p.m.; Tue 7 to 9 p.m.; Wed 7 to 9 p.m.; Thu 6 to 8 p.m.; Fri 6 to 8 p.m.; Sat 6 to 8 p.m.; Sun 6 to 8 p.m.
The page does not say which time zone its hours are in. It is left out of the heatmap.
Where the studies agree and where they split
Days are counted from the studies that rank them. For hours, each study is placed by the part of the day that holds most of the hours it names across the week. Open a network for every study, its sample and its clock.
| Network | Studies | Days named most | Where the hours lean |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Tuesday (5 of 6), Wednesday (4 of 6), and Monday and Thursday (3 of 6 each) | CoSchedule and SocialPilot lean to mornings, Hootsuite and Sprout Social lean to afternoons, Buffer and Metricool lean to evenings, and Later leans to the small hours | |
| TikTok | 5 | Thursday (3 of 5) and Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Sunday (2 of 5 each) | Hootsuite leans to mornings, Sprout Social and SocialPilot lean to afternoons, and Buffer and Metricool lean to evenings |
| 5 | Tuesday and Wednesday (4 of 5 each) and Monday and Thursday (3 of 5 each) | Buffer, Hootsuite, CoSchedule, and SocialPilot lean to mornings and Sprout Social leans to afternoons | |
| 6 | Wednesday (6 of 6), Tuesday (5 of 6), and Thursday (4 of 6) | Metricool, Hootsuite, and CoSchedule lean to mornings, Sprout Social and SocialPilot lean to afternoons, and Buffer leans to evenings | |
| YouTube (long videos) | 2 | no day is named by more than one study | Buffer leans to mornings and SocialPilot leans to afternoons |
| YouTube (Shorts) | 2 | Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (2 of 2 each) | SocialPilot leans to mornings and Buffer leans to evenings |
| X (Twitter) | 5 | Wednesday and Thursday (5 of 5 each) and Tuesday (3 of 5) | Buffer, Hootsuite, CoSchedule, and SocialPilot lean to mornings and Sprout Social leans to afternoons |
| 3 | Tuesday and Friday (3 of 3 each) and Thursday (2 of 3) | Sprout Social leans to mornings, Hootsuite leans to afternoons, and CoSchedule leans to evenings; Tailwind found no generic best time | |
| Threads | 3 | Tuesday and Wednesday (2 of 3 each) and Thursday (1 of 3) | Buffer leans to mornings and Hootsuite and SocialPilot lean to afternoons |
What each study says, network by network
Hours are shown exactly as published, on the clock in the last column. Open a network for its advice, how to read your own analytics there, and its questions answered.
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BufferBest Time to Post on Instagram: Data from 9.6M Posts [Updated Sep 2026]Published September 23, 2026 | 9.6 million Instagram posts sent through Buffer, from 200,000+ accounts. Data: January 2024 to December 2025. Measure: Median engagement rate: likes, comments, shares and saves divided by followers. | Best: Wed, Thu, and Tue. Weakest: Fri and Sat | Mon 6 to 9 p.m.; Tue 3 p.m., 5 p.m., and 7 p.m.; Wed 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 6 p.m.; Thu 7 to 10 a.m.; Fri 6 a.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.; Sat 8 to 11 p.m.; Sun 8 to 11 p.m.Avoid: 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on any day. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteThe best time to post on Instagram [2026 data]Published July 14, 2026 | Over 1 million social posts from businesses of all sizes, analysed with Critical Truth. | Best: Mon and Tue | Mon 3 to 9 p.m.; Tue 5 to 8 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m.; Wed 5 p.m.; Thu 4 p.m.; Fri 4 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m. and 5 p.m.; Sun 12 to 3 p.m.Avoid: Before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m.Hootsuite’s all-network page (November 19, 2025) lists Monday 3 to 9 p.m., Tuesday 5 to 8 a.m. and 3 to 7 p.m., and Thursday 5 to 7 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| MetricoolBest Times to Post On Instagram for Reach & Engagement in 2026Published June 18, 2026 | 24,364,803 posts from 375,118 accounts, worldwide. Measure: Interactions; the page does not define the formula. | Names no best day | Mon 8 p.m.; Tue 7 to 9 p.m.; Wed 7 to 9 p.m.; Thu 6 to 8 p.m.; Fri 6 to 8 p.m.; Sat 6 to 8 p.m.; Sun 6 to 8 p.m.Avoid: 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. every night. | Not statedNot converted below. |
| LaterBest time to post on Instagram in 2026 (based on 6M+ posts)Published April 21, 2026 | Over 6 million Instagram feed posts and over 975,000 Reels. Data: January to October 2024 (feed posts). Measure: Engagement rate over time; the formula is not defined. | Best: Mon. Weakest: Sat | Mon 5 a.m. and 11 p.m.; Tue 5 a.m.; Wed 3 to 5 a.m.; Thu 4 a.m.; Fri 3 to 6 a.m.; Sat 5 a.m.; Sun 12 a.m., 5 a.m., and 11 p.m.Later’s Friday list reads 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. and a later summary on the page reads 3 a.m. to 5 a.m.; this uses the list. | Local to the audience |
| Sprout SocialBest Times to Post on Social Media 2026 [Updated]Published March 31, 2026 | Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 profiles, from over 30,000 Sprout customers. Data: Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. Measure: Engagements: reactions, comments, shares, direct messages and link clicks. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 2 to 4 p.m.; Tue 1 to 7 p.m.; Wed 12 to 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.; Thu 12 to 2 p.m.Avoid: Weekends and early mornings. | Local to the audience |
| CoScheduleBest Times To Post On Social Media In 2026 [Original Research]Published February 5, 2024, updated September 29, 2026 | 37,219,512 social messages from more than 30,000 organizations in 107 countries. Measure: An engagement score that weights clicks, shares and comments. | Best: Wed, Fri, and Tue | Top hours, not tied to a day: 9 a.m., 8 a.m., and 10 a.m.The network section further down CoSchedule’s page lists different top times from its summary; this uses the summary. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Time to Post on Instagram in 2026 (7 million post Data)No date on the page | 7 million Instagram posts from about 50,000 accounts connected to SocialPilot. Data: February 2025 to January 30, 2026. | Best: Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sat | Mon 1 to 3 p.m. and 4 to 6 p.m.; Tue 7 a.m.; Wed 7 to 9 a.m.; Thu 7 to 9 a.m.; Fri 7 to 9 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 p.m.; Sun 12 a.m., 8 a.m., and 11 p.m.Avoid: Saturday at 5 a.m. and Friday at 9 p.m. | Local to the audience |
TikTok
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BufferThe Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026: New Data from 7M PostsPublished September 14, 2026 | 7.1 million videos, carousels, photos and text posts sent through Buffer. Measure: Median engagement rate. | Best: Sat, Mon, and Sun | Mon 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 1 p.m.; Tue 6 to 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.; Wed 6 a.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.; Thu 6 a.m., 1 p.m., and 10 p.m.; Fri 6 p.m., 8 p.m., and 10 p.m.; Sat 3 to 6 p.m.; Sun 9 a.m. and 12 to 2 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| MetricoolWhen Is the Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026?Published June 11, 2026 | 2,314,756 posts from more than 92,000 accounts. Measure: Views. | Best: Sun. Weakest: Sat | Mon 8 p.m.; Tue 8 p.m.; Wed 7 to 9 p.m.; Thu 8 p.m.; Fri 8 p.m.; Sat 7 p.m.; Sun 8 p.m.Avoid: 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. | Not statedNot converted below. |
| Sprout SocialBest Times to Post on Social Media 2026 [Updated]Published March 31, 2026 | Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 profiles, from over 30,000 Sprout customers. Data: Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. Measure: Engagements: reactions, comments, shares, direct messages and link clicks. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 3 to 5 p.m.; Tue 2 to 6 p.m.; Wed 1 to 8 p.m.; Thu 1 to 5 p.m.; Fri 3 to 5 p.m.Avoid: Weekends and early mornings. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteBest time to post on social media in 2025 (by platform)Published November 19, 2025 | Over 1 million social posts, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. | Best: Thu | Thu 7 to 11 a.m.Avoid: Before 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday, and after 11 p.m. on any day. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Time to Post on TikTok in 2026 [700K TikTok Insights]No date on the page | 700,000 TikTok posts from more than 50,000 accounts connected to SocialPilot. Data: January to December 10, 2025. | Best: Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sun | Mon 5 to 7 p.m. and 10 p.m.; Tue 8 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.; Wed 8 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.; Thu 9 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.; Fri 8 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m., 3 p.m., and 8 p.m.; Sun 9 to 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.Avoid: 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. | Local to the audience |
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout SocialBest Times to Post on Social Media 2026 [Updated]Published March 31, 2026 | Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 profiles, from over 30,000 Sprout customers. Data: Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. Measure: Engagements: reactions, comments, shares, direct messages and link clicks. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 12 p.m.; Tue 12 to 8 p.m.; Wed 12 to 8 p.m.; Thu 12 to 2 p.m. and 8 p.m.Avoid: Weekends and early mornings. | Local to the audience |
| BufferBest Time to Post on Facebook: New Data from 14M PostsPublished February 26, 2026 | More than 14 million Facebook posts sent through Buffer. Measure: Engagement: reactions, comments and shares. | Best: Wed, Thu, and Tue. Weakest: Sat | Mon 7 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.; Tue 7 to 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.; Wed 8 to 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.; Thu 8 to 11 a.m.; Fri 6 to 9 a.m.; Sat 6 a.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.; Sun 8 to 11 a.m. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteBest time to post on social media in 2025 (by platform)Published November 19, 2025 | Over 1 million social posts, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. | Best: Tue | Tue 9 a.m.Avoid: 12 a.m. to 4 a.m.Hootsuite’s Facebook page (November 19, 2025) names 5 a.m. on Tuesdays instead. | Local to the audience |
| CoScheduleBest Times To Post On Social Media In 2026 [Original Research]Published February 5, 2024, updated September 29, 2026 | 37,219,512 social messages from more than 30,000 organizations in 107 countries. Measure: An engagement score that weights clicks, shares and comments. | Best: Fri, Wed, and Mon | Top hours, not tied to a day: 9 a.m., 7 a.m., and 10 a.m.The network section further down CoSchedule’s page lists different top times from its summary; this uses the summary. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Time to Post on Facebook [50000+ Accounts Analyzed]No date on the page | About 700,000 posts from 50,000+ Facebook accounts connected to SocialPilot. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri. Weakest: Sun | Mon 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 7 p.m.; Tue 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 6 p.m.; Wed 7 to 9 a.m. and 2 to 5 p.m.; Thu 9 to 11 a.m. and 8 p.m.; Fri 7 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m., 11 a.m., and 4 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BufferThe Best Time to Post on LinkedIn in 2026: 4.8 Million Posts AnalyzedPublished September 9, 2026 | Over 4.8 million LinkedIn posts sent through Buffer. Measure: Engagement: reactions, comments and reposts. | Best: Wed, Thu, and Fri. Weakest: Mon and Tue | Mon 5 p.m. and 9 to 11 p.m.; Tue 4 to 6 p.m. and 10 p.m.; Wed 3 to 6 p.m.; Thu 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m.; Fri 3 to 6 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m., 6 p.m., and 10 p.m.; Sun 6 a.m. and 9 to 11 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| MetricoolBest Time to Post on LinkedInPublished May 15, 2026 | 673,658 posts from 63,108 accounts. | Best: Mon, Tue, and Wed. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Tue 11 a.m.; Wed 11 a.m.; Thu 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.; Sat 10 a.m.; Sun 10 a.m. | Not statedNot converted below. |
| Sprout SocialBest Times to Post on Social Media 2026 [Updated]Published March 31, 2026 | Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 profiles, from over 30,000 Sprout customers. Data: Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. Measure: Engagements: reactions, comments, shares, direct messages and link clicks. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 1 p.m.; Tue 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Wed 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Thu 11 a.m. and 1 to 5 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m. and 1 p.m.Avoid: Weekends and early mornings. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteBest time to post on social media in 2025 (by platform)Published November 19, 2025 | Over 1 million social posts, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. | Best: Tue and Wed | Tue 4 to 6 a.m.; Wed 4 to 6 a.m.Avoid: After 7 p.m. and on weekends.Hootsuite’s LinkedIn page (November 19, 2025) lists 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in its key takeaways. | Local to the audience |
| CoScheduleBest Times To Post On Social Media In 2026 [Original Research]Published February 5, 2024, updated September 29, 2026 | 37,219,512 social messages from more than 30,000 organizations in 107 countries. Measure: An engagement score that weights clicks, shares and comments. | Best: Tue, Thu, and Wed | Top hours, not tied to a day: 11 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12 p.m.The network section further down CoSchedule’s page lists different top times from its summary; this uses the summary. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Times to Post on LinkedIn in 2026 (Data Backed Insights)No date on the page | Over 683,000 posts from 47,672 LinkedIn accounts, covering five years. Data: Five years of LinkedIn posts (dates not given). | Best: Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m.; Tue 11 a.m., 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.; Wed 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 2 p.m.; Thu 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 5 p.m.; Fri 9 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.Avoid: Weekends and hours outside business hours. | US Eastern time |
YouTube
Long videos
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BufferThe Best Time to Post on YouTube: Data from 1.8M Shorts and Long-form VideosPublished July 24, 2026 | About 1.8 million YouTube videos, Shorts and long-form, sent through Buffer. Measure: Median engagement, shown as an engagement factor. | Best: Sun, Tue, and Mon. Weakest: Thu and Wed | Mon 7 a.m., 9 a.m., and 10 p.m.; Tue 8 to 10 a.m. and 11 a.m.; Wed 7 a.m., 3 p.m., and 5 p.m.; Thu 7 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.; Fri 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Sat 10 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m.; Sun 9 to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Time to Post on YouTube in 2026: Videos and ShortsNo date on the page | 301,000 YouTube videos published through SocialPilot by 27,000+ channels. | Best: Wed, Thu, and Fri | Mon 2 to 4 p.m.; Tue 2 to 4 p.m.; Wed 3 to 5 p.m.; Thu 3 to 5 p.m.; Fri 1 to 3 p.m.; Sat 8 to 10 a.m.; Sun 8 to 10 a.m.Avoid: Before 9 a.m. and after 10 p.m. on weekdays. | Local to the audience |
YouTube Shorts
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BufferThe Best Time to Post on YouTube: Data from 1.8M Shorts and Long-form VideosPublished July 24, 2026 | About 1.8 million YouTube videos, Shorts and long-form, sent through Buffer. Measure: Median engagement, shown as an engagement factor. | Best: Fri, Sat, and Thu. Weakest: Tue and Mon | Mon 5 to 7 p.m. and 8 p.m.; Tue 7 to 10 p.m.; Wed 7 to 10 p.m.; Thu 7 to 10 p.m.; Fri 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.; Sat 11 a.m. and 6 to 8 p.m.; Sun 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Time to Post on YouTube in 2026: Videos and ShortsNo date on the page | 301,000 YouTube videos published through SocialPilot by 27,000+ channels. | Best: Fri, Sat, and Thu | Mon 7 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Tue 7 to 11 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m.; Wed 12 p.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.; Thu 7 to 11 p.m.; Fri 7 to 9 a.m. and 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m. and 3 to 6 p.m.; Sun 10 a.m. and 3 to 5 p.m.Avoid: 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. and Sunday evenings.SocialPilot’s text and its table disagree on the Friday Shorts hours; this uses the table. | Local to the audience |
X (Twitter)
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout SocialBest Times to Post on Social Media 2026 [Updated]Published March 31, 2026 | Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 profiles, from over 30,000 Sprout customers. Data: Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. Measure: Engagements: reactions, comments, shares, direct messages and link clicks. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.; Tue 12 to 6 p.m.; Wed 12 to 6 p.m.; Thu 12 to 6 p.m.Avoid: Weekends and early mornings. | Local to the audience |
| BufferThe Best Time to Post on Twitter/X in 2026: 8.7 Million Posts AnalyzedPublished March 13, 2026 | More than 8.7 million posts sent through Buffer. Measure: Engagement rate. | Best: Wed, Tue, and Thu. Weakest: Sat and Fri | Mon 8 to 11 a.m.; Tue 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Wed 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Thu 8 to 11 a.m.; Fri 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sat 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sun 8 to 11 a.m.Avoid: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. is the weakest window on every day. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteBest time to post on social media in 2025 (by platform)Published November 19, 2025 | Over 1 million social posts, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. | Best: Wed, Thu, and Fri | Mon 10 a.m.; Tue 10 a.m.; Wed 9 to 11 a.m.; Thu 9 to 11 a.m.; Fri 9 to 11 a.m.; Sat 8 to 10 a.m.; Sun 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.Avoid: Before 5 a.m. | Local to the audience |
| CoScheduleBest Times To Post On Social Media In 2026 [Original Research]Published February 5, 2024, updated September 29, 2026 | 37,219,512 social messages from more than 30,000 organizations in 107 countries. Measure: An engagement score that weights clicks, shares and comments. | Best: Wed, Fri, and Thu | Top hours, not tied to a day: 10 a.m., 9 a.m., and 12 p.m.The network section further down CoSchedule’s page lists different top times from its summary; this uses the summary. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotWhen is the Best Time to Post on Twitter/X in 2026? [Based on 50,000+ Twitter Accounts]No date on the page | Around 700,000 posts from 50,000+ X accounts connected to SocialPilot. | Best: Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 8 to 11 a.m.; Tue 8 a.m. and 10 a.m.; Wed 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Thu 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.; Fri 7 a.m. and 10 a.m.; Sat 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.; Sun 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.SocialPilot’s Friday section lists 8 a.m. and 1 p.m. instead of the Friday hours in its day-by-day list; this uses the list. | US Eastern time |
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout SocialBest Times to Post on Social Media 2026 [Updated]Published March 31, 2026 | Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 profiles, from over 30,000 Sprout customers. Data: Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. Measure: Engagements: reactions, comments, shares, direct messages and link clicks. | Best: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, and Fri. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. and 2 p.m.; Tue 7 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.; Wed 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.; Thu 10 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.; Fri 10 a.m.Avoid: Weekends. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteBest time to post on social media in 2025 (by platform)Published November 19, 2025 | Over 1 million social posts, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. | Best: Tue and Fri | Mon 10 a.m.; Tue 12 p.m.; Wed 10 a.m.; Thu 6 p.m.; Fri 12 p.m.; Sat 1 p.m.; Sun 4 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| TailwindThe 2025 Pinterest Marketing Best Practices Benchmark Report, Part 2Published December 9, 2024 | Over 1.2 million organic Pins from over 17,000 Pinterest accounts; paid Pins excluded. Data: The last 90 days before October 4 and October 8, 2024. Measure: Distribution tiers across impressions, saves, outbound clicks and profile visits. | None: no best day | Found no generic best time that holds across accounts. | Not stated |
| CoScheduleBest Times To Post On Social Media In 2026 [Original Research]Published February 5, 2024, updated September 29, 2026 | 37,219,512 social messages from more than 30,000 organizations in 107 countries. Measure: An engagement score that weights clicks, shares and comments. | Best: Fri, Tue, and Thu | Top hours, not tied to a day: 9 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m.The network section further down CoSchedule’s page lists different top times from its summary; this uses the summary. | Local to the audience |
Threads
| Study | Sample | Days | Hours, as published | Clock |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BufferThe Best Time to Post on Threads in 2026: Data from 2.5M PostsPublished February 4, 2026 | About 2.5 million Threads posts sent through Buffer. Measure: Median engagement: likes, replies and reposts. | Best: Wed, Thu, and Tue. Weakest: Sat and Sun | Mon 9 a.m. and 12 to 2 p.m.; Tue 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Wed 9 to 11 a.m. and 12 p.m.; Thu 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Fri 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sat 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.; Sun 6 to 8 a.m. and 11 a.m.Avoid: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. underperformed on every day. | Local to the audience |
| HootsuiteBest time to post on social media in 2025 (by platform)Published November 19, 2025 | Over 1 million social posts, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. | Best: Tue | Mon 9 a.m.; Tue 8 a.m.; Wed 12 p.m.; Thu 9 a.m.; Fri 2 p.m.; Sat 12 p.m.; Sun 1 p.m. | Local to the audience |
| SocialPilotBest Time to Post on Threads in 2026No date on the page | Over 50,000 Threads accounts; the number of posts is not stated. | Best: Wed | Mon 9 a.m. and 12 to 2 p.m.; Tue 8 a.m., 10 a.m., and 1 p.m.; Wed 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 4 p.m.; Thu 8 a.m., 12 p.m., and 3 p.m.; Fri 12 p.m. and 2 to 4 p.m.; Sat 7 a.m., 10 a.m., and 12 p.m.; Sun 2 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9 p.m.SocialPilot’s headline window for Wednesday (8 a.m. to 1 a.m.) does not match its own Wednesday list; this uses the list. | US Eastern time |
How we read the studies
We read each page on October 14, 2026 and copied only numbers, with the page, its date and its sample beside them. A publisher with two pages for one network is counted once, using the newer page, and the other page's answer is noted. A range such as 2 to 4 p.m. is read as the hours from 2:00 to 4:00, and a single time such as 9 a.m. as the 9:00 hour. Where a page prints nothing, we print nothing.
Some studies print no time zone. Those are shown as published and kept out of the converter and the heatmap, because a window in an unknown zone cannot be moved honestly. All 23 pages we read come from publishers that sell social media software. Buffer, SocialPilot, Sprout Social, Metricool and Tailwind say their samples are their own customers' posts or accounts; the others do not say.
Pages we read and did not count
- HubSpot: The Best Times to Post on Social Media in 2025 [New Data] (March 25, 2025). A roundup of other publishers’ figures (Buffer, SocialPilot, SocialBee, CoSchedule, Later and others). The only HubSpot-run numbers on it are about marketer attitudes and TikTok investment, not posting times.
- Later: Best time to post on social media in 2026 (all platforms) (May 6, 2026). States the same top Instagram and TikTok slots and the same post counts as Buffer’s 2026 studies without naming a research source, so that research is counted once, under Buffer.
Find your own best time
Your followers are a sample no study has. Each network already holds it; this is where to look.
- Instagram: Insights, then Total followers, then Most active times (professional accounts). Full steps and sources.
- TikTok: TikTok Studio, then Analytics, then Followers, then Most active times. Full steps and sources.
- Facebook: Meta Business Suite, then Insights: list your posts with their reach and engagement by publish time. Full steps and sources.
- LinkedIn: Your Page, then Analytics, then Content: impressions and engagement rate by post, plus your own log of publish times. Full steps and sources.
- YouTube: YouTube Studio, then Analytics, then Audience: When your viewers are on YouTube, for the last 28 days. Full steps and sources.
- X (Twitter): X Analytics (analytics.x.com) or Post activity in X Ads: impressions and engagement rate by post. Full steps and sources.
- Pinterest: Analytics overview by publish date. Audience insights shows interests and demographics, not hours. Full steps and sources.
- Threads: Threads insights (threads.com/insights): views over time and interactions. Full steps and sources.
What our scheduler uses by default, and where it comes from
By default, on every plan, the scheduler offers slots from a table we keep in our code: 3 slots for each of 9 networks, 9 industries and 6 world regions, read in your account’s timezone. The file credits Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Buffer research from 2024 and 2025. It was written in April 2026 and extended to the newer networks in July 2026. Nothing in the scheduler reads the studies on this page: the table is fixed data in our code. Its 0 to 100 scores only rank the slots against each other; they are not engagement measurements. When a combination has no table of its own, the fallback is Tuesday 10 a.m., Wednesday 11 a.m., Thursday 9 a.m..
How it learns from your own posts
Content Drifter learns from the results of the posts you publish through it. Once a day it rebuilds, for each network, a picture of your last 30 days: every post’s engagement rate, grouped by the day and hour it went out. It needs at least 7 measured posts on that network, and an hour with fewer than 3 posts counts for less, so one lucky Tuesday cannot rewrite your week.
On Pro and up, that picture re-ranks the table’s slots when the scheduler picks the next one, together with our own general weekly curve for the network. It reorders the candidates and never invents a slot the table did not offer.
On Pro and up, the suggested next slot on your Home screen comes from your own measured posts once there are at least 4 on that network and a day-and-time-of-day group with at least 2 of them. Until then it shows the table’s slot.
Because it ranks your own past results, it can only favor hours you have already tried. Test a new hour on purpose now and then.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on social media?
There is no single time, and the studies split on the hour on every network. Tuesday and Wednesday are named most often on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Threads, and Wednesday and Thursday on X. No day is named by all five TikTok studies, and the two YouTube studies share no day for long videos. This page lists 23 pages from eight publishers, each with its date, sample and time basis, so you can see exactly who says what.
Why do the best-time studies disagree?
They measure different things on different people. Most publishers analyse posts from their own customers (for example posts sent through Buffer or accounts connected to SocialPilot), and the measure of "best" differs: median engagement rate, engagements, interactions or views. They also cover different periods, and one Instagram study uses data from 2024. Some state their time zone and some do not.
Do posting times change with my timezone?
What matters is your audience’s timezone, not yours. Most studies here read every hour in local time at the audience, so "5 p.m." means 5 p.m. for each follower. The converter above takes where your audience is and the timezone you schedule in and moves each study’s windows between them, following daylight saving on the date of each weekday. Three SocialPilot pages (LinkedIn, X and Threads) are on US Eastern time, and Metricool does not say, so those are marked.
Which study should I trust?
None on its own. Samples run from 301,000 YouTube videos to 37 million social messages (Sprout Social counts 2 billion engagements instead), but every publisher sells social media software, most analyse their own users, and no sample can see your audience. Use the days and windows that several studies share as a first guess, then keep the slots your own analytics prove.
How does Content Drifter choose when to post?
By default it offers the slots from a table in our code (3 slots per network, industry and region, credited to Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Buffer research from 2024 and 2025), read in your account’s timezone. On the plans that include it, it also re-ranks those slots using your own last 30 days of results once a network has at least 7 measured posts. The scheduler does not read the studies on this page.
Is there a study for Bluesky?
Not in the pages we read. Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Buffer, CoSchedule and Metricool do not report Bluesky posting times in the pages we checked, so we show none rather than borrow another network’s.
Is this tool free?
Yes, free with no signup and no card. The converter runs in your browser, so the timezone you pick is not uploaded or stored.
Let your own results pick your slots
Connect your networks and Content Drifter schedules posts into suggested slots, then learns from how your own posts perform. The studies above are where to start; your results are where to finish.
Start for $0Free forever plan, no credit card. Every network is included.