Best times to post in 2026 (audience's local time)
| Platform | Top 3 slots (Buffer 2026) | Best days |
|---|---|---|
| Thursday 9 a.m., Wednesday 12 p.m., Wednesday 6 p.m. | Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday | |
| TikTok | Sunday 9 a.m., Monday 1 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m. | Saturday, Monday, Sunday |
| YouTube (long videos) | Sunday 10 a.m., Sunday 9 a.m., Sunday 11 a.m. | Sunday, Tuesday, Monday |
| YouTube Shorts | Friday 4 p.m., Friday 6 p.m., Friday 7 p.m. | Friday, Saturday, Thursday |
The studies normalize every post to the audience's local time, so "Wednesday 12 p.m." means noon where your followers are. If most of them are in another time zone, the calculator converts it for you.
Use these as a starting point
Buffer ranks hours by median engagement across tens of millions of posts scheduled through its tool; Sprout Social looks at when engagement peaks across about 307,000 business profiles. They don't always agree, especially on TikTok, and your own audience matters more than any average. Post at two or three of these slots for a few weeks, then compare in your analytics (Instagram Insights, TikTok Studio, YouTube Studio's "When your viewers are on YouTube").
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on Instagram in 2026?
Thursday 9 a.m., Wednesday 12 p.m. and Wednesday 6 p.m. in your audience's time zone, according to Buffer's study of 9.6 million posts. Tuesday to Thursday are the strongest days.
What is the best time to post on TikTok?
Buffer's 7.1-million-post study puts Sunday 9 a.m., Monday 1 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m. on top, with Saturday the best day. Sprout Social favors weekday afternoons instead, so test both.
What time should I upload to YouTube?
For long videos, Sunday around 10 a.m. and weekday mornings; for Shorts, Friday evening from 4 to 7 p.m., based on Buffer's analysis of 1.8 million videos.
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