What is the best time to post on social media?

There is no universal best time. Midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) is the most consistent finding across Buffer’s and Sprout Social’s 2026 studies, but the hour varies by platform and the two studies sometimes disagree (TikTok and Facebook most of all), so the table above shows both. Bluesky and Telegram have no large 2026 study, so no window is quoted for them.

Are these best times the same for every account?

No — these are general benchmarks, not a measurement of your account. Your own audience’s activity always wins, so treat this as a starting point and adjust from what you observe. SkedCast’s built-in best-times feature learns the real optimal time for every connected account automatically.

How often do these benchmarks change?

Platform algorithms and audience habits shift over time, so this cheat sheet is a snapshot of the studies as read on 23 September 2026, not computed live. If you need an answer specific to your own audience, your account’s own analytics will always be more accurate than a general benchmark.

Does this cheat sheet use my own posting data?

No. The benchmarks shown are figures from Buffer’s and Sprout Social’s published 2026 studies (named, dated and sized on each row). Nothing about your account is read, uploaded, or stored to produce them.

Does the best day matter as much as the best time — is Monday or Sunday ever best?

Yes for some platforms: Buffer’s 2026 study found Facebook performs best on Saturday, Monday and Sunday, while most other platforms test strongest midweek (Tuesday to Thursday). The "best days" column next to each platform above — and the day × hour chart at the top of this page — show the actual day, since it varies more between platforms than the hour does.

Is there a best-time-to-post app, not just a cheat sheet?

Yes — SkedCast is a social media scheduling app with a built-in best-times feature that learns each connected account’s own optimal posting window from its real history, rather than a general benchmark like the ones on this page.

How do I turn these best-time benchmarks into an actual posting schedule?

Start from the best days and times for your platform above, then lay them into a content calendar so you know what publishes when; the content calendar template and the free social media planner tools on this site are built for exactly that next step.

How do I find the best time to post for my own account?

Test a few slots for three to four weeks, compare the engagement rate of each, and keep the best one. Repeat the test each quarter. SkedCast’s best-times feature does this per account from your own history.

Do the best times depend on my time zone?

They depend on your audience’s time zone. If most of your followers live in a different zone from you, pick times for their local day.

Free tool

Best time to post on social media

A 2026 cheat sheet of posting-time benchmarks across all 10 major platforms, each cited to a named, dated study. Treat these as a starting point — there is no universal best time, and your own audience’s activity always wins, so test and adjust.

Best time to post on social media, by platform

X (Twitter)

Tue–Thu · Buffer: 9–11am (Tue 9am top slot) · Sprout Social: 12–6pm

Both studies favour Tuesday to Thursday and find the weekend weak; they differ on the hour, so test a morning and an afternoon slot.

Source: Buffer, 13 Mar 2026 (8.7M posts); Sprout Social, 31 Mar 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements)

X (Twitter) posting schedule guide

Instagram

Wed, Thu (Tue also strong) · Buffer: Thu 9am, Wed 12pm and 6pm · Sprout Social: Tue 1–7pm, Wed 12–9pm

Wednesday midday into the evening is where the two studies overlap; Friday and Saturday are weakest in Buffer’s data.

Source: Buffer, updated Sep 2026 (9.6M posts); Sprout Social, 31 Mar 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements)

Instagram posting schedule guide

Wed, Thu (Fri in Buffer; Tue in Sprout Social) · Buffer: Wed 4pm, Fri 3–4pm, 3–8pm block · Sprout Social: Tue–Thu 11am–5pm

Buffer reports the peak moving later into the afternoon and evening than in 2025; Wednesday afternoon is the overlap.

Source: Buffer, 9 Sep 2026 (4.8M posts); Sprout Social, 31 Mar 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements)

LinkedIn posting schedule guide

Facebook Pages

Wed, Thu, Tue · Buffer: Thu 9am, weekdays 6–11am · Sprout Social: Tue–Wed 12–8pm

The studies conflict: Buffer’s weakest hours (12–5pm) fall inside Sprout Social’s best window, so test a morning and an afternoon slot.

Source: Buffer, 26 Feb 2026 (14M posts); Sprout Social, 31 Mar 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements)

Facebook Pages posting schedule guide

TikTok

Buffer: Sat, Mon, Sun · Sprout Social: Tue–Fri · Buffer: Sun 9am, Mon 1pm, evenings 6–11pm · Sprout Social: 2–6pm

The most direct conflict between the two studies; test one weekday-afternoon window and one evening or weekend window.

Source: Buffer, updated 14 Sep 2026 (7.1M posts); Sprout Social, 31 Mar 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements)

TikTok posting schedule guide

YouTube

Long-form: Sun, Tue, Mon · Shorts: Fri, Sat · Long-form: Sun 10am · Shorts: Fri 4pm, 6pm, 7pm

Buffer finds long-form and Shorts peak at almost opposite times (mornings versus evenings), so schedule them separately. Sprout Social’s study does not cover YouTube.

Source: Buffer, 24 Jul 2026 (1.8M videos)

YouTube posting schedule guide

Threads

Wed, Thu, Tue · Thu 9am, Wed 12pm and 9am; weekdays 6–11am

Evenings and weekends are weakest in Buffer’s data. Sprout Social’s study does not cover Threads.

Source: Buffer, 4 Feb 2026 (2.5M posts)

Threads posting schedule guide

Tue–Thu · 10am–1pm

Sprout Social found weekends weakest. Buffer’s study does not cover Pinterest, so this is one study rather than two.

Source: Sprout Social, 31 Mar 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements)

Pinterest posting schedule guide

Bluesky

No published study · Test your own audience

Neither Buffer’s nor Sprout Social’s 2026 study covers Bluesky, so no window is quoted.

Source: Buffer and Sprout Social 2026: not covered

Bluesky posting schedule guide

No published study · Test your own audience

Neither Buffer’s nor Sprout Social’s 2026 study covers Telegram, so no window is quoted.

Source: Buffer and Sprout Social 2026: not covered

Telegram posting schedule guide

Sources, read 23 September 2026: Buffer’s 2026 per-platform best-time studies (samples of 1.8 to 14 million posts, named on each row) and Sprout Social’s 2026 study (nearly 2 billion engagements across about 307,000 profiles, 27 November 2025 to 27 February 2026). These are averages across many accounts; there is no universal best time.

How to find your own best time to post

Start from the benchmark. Take the suggested days and times for your platform in the table above as your first guess.
Test three or four slots. Publish comparable posts in different slots, for example a morning, a lunch and an evening slot, over three to four weeks.
Compare the engagement rate per slot. Work out each slot’s engagement rate with the engagement rate calculator rather than comparing raw likes, so a busy day does not skew the result.
Keep the winner and re-test. Schedule more posts in the best slot, and re-run the test every quarter because audience habits shift.
Use your audience’s time zone. Time slots should be in the time zone where most of your followers are, not yours, when the two differ.

Worked examples

Comparing two slots fairly

A 9am slot with 5 posts and 550 engagements against a 6pm slot with 4 posts and 600 engagements: per post that is 110 against 150, so the evening slot is stronger even though the morning produced more posts.

When the benchmark and your data disagree

The cheat sheet suggests 9–11am on X, but four weeks of your own posts show 12 evening posts averaging 140 engagements against 90 for 12 morning posts. Schedule for the evening: the benchmark is general guidance and your audience’s activity always wins.

Best time to post FAQ

What is the best time to post on social media?: There is no universal best time. Midweek (Tuesday to Thursday) is the most consistent finding across Buffer’s and Sprout Social’s 2026 studies, but the hour varies by platform and the two studies sometimes disagree (TikTok and Facebook most of all), so the table above shows both. Bluesky and Telegram have no large 2026 study, so no window is quoted for them.
Are these best times the same for every account?: No — these are general benchmarks, not a measurement of your account. Your own audience’s activity always wins, so treat this as a starting point and adjust from what you observe. SkedCast’s built-in best-times feature learns the real optimal time for every connected account automatically.
How often do these benchmarks change?: Platform algorithms and audience habits shift over time, so this cheat sheet is a snapshot of the studies as read on 23 September 2026, not computed live. If you need an answer specific to your own audience, your account’s own analytics will always be more accurate than a general benchmark.
Does this cheat sheet use my own posting data?: No. The benchmarks shown are figures from Buffer’s and Sprout Social’s published 2026 studies (named, dated and sized on each row). Nothing about your account is read, uploaded, or stored to produce them.
Does the best day matter as much as the best time — is Monday or Sunday ever best?: Yes for some platforms: Buffer’s 2026 study found Facebook performs best on Saturday, Monday and Sunday, while most other platforms test strongest midweek (Tuesday to Thursday). The "best days" column next to each platform above — and the day × hour chart at the top of this page — show the actual day, since it varies more between platforms than the hour does.
Is there a best-time-to-post app, not just a cheat sheet?: Yes — SkedCast is a social media scheduling app with a built-in best-times feature that learns each connected account’s own optimal posting window from its real history, rather than a general benchmark like the ones on this page.
How do I turn these best-time benchmarks into an actual posting schedule?: Start from the best days and times for your platform above, then lay them into a content calendar so you know what publishes when; the content calendar template and the free social media planner tools on this site are built for exactly that next step.
How do I find the best time to post for my own account?: Test a few slots for three to four weeks, compare the engagement rate of each, and keep the best one. Repeat the test each quarter. SkedCast’s best-times feature does this per account from your own history.
Do the best times depend on my time zone?: They depend on your audience’s time zone. If most of your followers live in a different zone from you, pick times for their local day.

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