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Best time to post

Best Time to Post on Instagram (2026)

Seven studies disagree on the hour but mostly agree on the day: Tuesday is named by 5 of the 6 that rank days and Wednesday by 4, while 4 lean to afternoons and evenings, 2 to mornings and 1 (Later, with 2024 data) to the small hours.

Instagram Insights shows when your own followers are active, which no study can see, 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: seven publishers report Instagram. Every figure below links to the page it came from.

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.

What each study says about Instagram

Hours are shown exactly as published, on the clock in the last column. Use the converter above to move them to yours.

Instagram: what each published study says about the best time to post
StudySampleDaysHours, as publishedClock
BufferBest Time to Post on Instagram: Data from 9.6M Posts [Updated Sep 2026]Published September 23, 20269.6 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 SatMon 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, 2026Over 1 million social posts from businesses of all sizes, analysed with Critical Truth.Best: Mon and TueMon 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, 202624,364,803 posts from 375,118 accounts, worldwide. Measure: Interactions; the page does not define the formula.Names no best dayMon 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, 2026Over 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: SatMon 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, 2026Nearly 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 SunMon 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, 202637,219,512 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 TueTop 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 page7 million Instagram posts from about 50,000 accounts connected to SocialPilot. Data: February 2025 to January 30, 2026.Best: Tue, Wed, and Thu. Weakest: SatMon 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

Where the Instagram studies agree and where they split

  • Days named most: Tuesday (5 of 6), Wednesday (4 of 6), and Monday and Thursday (3 of 6 each).
  • Hours: 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.
  • No study ranks a weekend day among its best.

Each study is placed by the part of the day that holds most of the hours it names across the week. For the reasons the numbers differ, and the pages we did not count, see how we read the studies.

What the studies say about Instagram specifically

  • Buffer’s evenings from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. scored highest on every weekday except Thursday, where 7 to 9 a.m. did better. It analysed all post types together, so none of its slots is a Reels-only slot. (Buffer)
  • Later reports formats separately: its 975,000 Reels favor midnight, with Monday the best day, and its carousels favor 5 a.m. on Tuesday. The feed data behind its day-by-day list runs January to October 2024. (Later)
  • SocialPilot splits formats too: Reels from 8 a.m. to noon Monday to Thursday, carousels from 7 to 9 a.m. Tuesday to Thursday, and Stories by day, for example Tuesday 8 to 10 a.m. and Friday 4 to 6 p.m. (SocialPilot)
  • Metricool’s 24 million posts find 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. the busiest block of the week and 2 a.m. to 5 a.m. a dead zone every night. (Metricool)
  • On what to avoid, Sprout Social says weekends and early mornings, Hootsuite says before 8 a.m. and after 10 p.m., and Buffer says Friday and Saturday and the hours from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. (Sprout Social, Hootsuite, Buffer)

Find your own best time on Instagram

Your followers are the only sample that matters for your account, and the network already holds it.

  1. Use a professional (business or creator) account; Insights are free there.
  2. Open Insights from your profile, then Total followers.
  3. Read the Most active times chart for the days and hours your followers are on Instagram.
  4. Check it against your last 30 or 90 days of posts: which publish times earned the most reach and saves?

Source: Instagram Help Center: About Instagram insights.

Instagram shows follower trends once an account has 100 followers, and its help page calls these metrics estimates.

What our scheduler uses for Instagram, and where it comes from

For Instagram, the table’s three slots for a general account in North America are Tuesday 10 a.m., Wednesday 11 a.m. and Thursday 2 p.m., in your account’s timezone. The table is a file in our code whose header credits Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Buffer research from 2024 and 2025; the scheduler does not read the studies above, and its scores only rank the slots against each other.

On Pro and up, the scheduler also re-ranks those slots from your own last 30 days of results once a network has at least 7 measured posts.

The full account, including what it needs before it learns anything from your posts, is on the best time to post hub. Niche-by-niche slots are on the Instagram scheduling page.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to post on Instagram?

The seven studies do not agree on the hour. 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. Weekday afternoons and evenings come up most, but the single best hour ranges from 5 a.m. (Later, 2024 data) to 8 p.m. (Metricool). Treat any one of them as a slot to test, and let Instagram Insights show when your own followers are on.

What is the best day to post on Instagram?

Of the six studies that rank days, Tuesday (5 of 6), Wednesday (4 of 6), and Monday and Thursday (3 of 6 each) come up most. Sprout Social, Buffer, Later and SocialPilot name Saturday or the weekend as the weakest time, and none ranks a weekend day among its best.

What is the best time to post Instagram Reels?

The studies that split Reels do not agree. Later’s 975,000 Reels favor midnight, with Monday the best day. SocialPilot’s data favor 8 a.m. to noon, Monday to Thursday. Buffer analysed all post types together, so its slots are not Reels-only.

Do these times use my timezone?

Hootsuite, Buffer, Sprout Social, Later and SocialPilot read every hour as local time where the audience is, so the times apply wherever your followers are. Metricool does not say which time zone it uses. Pick where your audience is in the converter to see the windows on your own clock.

How do I find when my Instagram followers are active?

On a professional account, open Insights, then Total followers, and look for Most active times. Instagram’s help page says this shows once an account has 100 followers and that the metrics are estimates, so compare it with the publish times of your own best posts.

How does Content Drifter pick Instagram posting times?

Its default Instagram slots for a general account in North America are Tuesday 10 a.m., Wednesday 11 a.m., and Thursday 2 p.m., in your account’s timezone. They come from a table in our code whose header credits 2024 and 2025 research, and the scheduler does not read the studies above.

Let your own results pick your Instagram slots

Connect Instagram 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.

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