Best posting times, platform by platform.
Each platform below leads with the midweek industry consensus — the days and windows the studies agree on. Where the big studies disagree, we show both verdicts and name the studies, because an honest range beats a fake-precise single time.
Best time to post on Instagram
Three studies agreeThe consensus across all three major studies: post midweek — Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday — and avoid Friday and Saturday. Where they split is the hour: Sprout finds the afternoon peaks, Buffer finds the evenings. Treat it as a midday-to-evening band on Tue–Thu, not one exact time.
Tuesday
1–7 pm · Sprout5–8 am + 3–7 pm · Hootsuite
Wednesday
12–9 pm (+ 11 pm) · Sprout12 pm + 6 pm · Buffer
Thursday
12–2 pm · Sprout9 am · Buffer
Fri / Satweakest days
avoid — weakest engagement
Sources disagree on the peak hour and on weekends
Sprout Social 2026Peak is the afternoon (roughly 12–7 pm). Weekends are the worst days to post — skip them.
Buffer 2026 (9.6M posts) / Hootsuite 2025Peak drifts into the evening (6–11 pm). Weekends are usable, not dead: Hootsuite finds Sun 12–3 pm; Buffer names Sun 8–10 pm the best weekend slot.
Where they agree: Both camps agree on the core: post midweek (Tue–Thu), and pick a window from midday through the evening.
SourcesSprout Social 2026Buffer 2026 (9.6M posts)Hootsuite 2025 (1M+ posts)
Best time to post on TikTok
Two studies, sharp splitThe safe answer: late-afternoon into the evening on weekdays. TikTok is the one platform where the two big studies flatly disagree about weekends — so we show you both verdicts rather than pick one.
Tue–Fri
2–6 pm · Sproute.g. Wed 1–8 pm · Sprout
Weekdays
evenings 6–11 pm strong · Buffer
SundayBuffer's top slot
9 am (peak single slot) · Buffer1 pm · Buffer
The sharpest disagreement in the whole dataset — TikTok weekends
Sprout Social 2026Weekdays (Mon–Fri) are best; weekends are the worst time to post.
Buffer 2026 (7.1M posts)Saturday is the single top day, then Monday and Sunday — weekends are among the strongest.
Where they agree: Both agree on the time-of-day window: late afternoon into the evening reliably performs. Only the best days are contested — so treat TikTok weekends as unsettled, not proven either way.
SourcesSprout Social 2026Buffer 2026 (7.1M posts)
Best time to post on Facebook
One study — likely, not confirmedPost midday into the evening, midweek — Facebook's window runs later than Instagram's. This one rests mainly on a single major study, so we show the hours as a window ("likely"), not a fake-precise single time.
Tue / Wedthe primary block
12–8 pm (likely window) · Sprout
Thursday
12–2 pm · Sprout8 pm · Sprout
Weekendsweakest days
avoid — weakest engagement
Thinner evidence than Instagram or TikTok — read as a window, not a clock
Sprout Social 2026Mon–Thu, weekends worst; the sustained afternoon-into-evening wave peaks Tue & Wed 12–8 pm.
PhotographyToProfits 2026 (secondary)Re-states a similar Tue–Wed noon–8 pm peak — agrees, but isn't independent data.
Where they agree: Only one tier-1 study measured Facebook hours here, so we present it honestly as a likely window. The shape (midweek, midday-to-evening) is solid; the exact hour is less triangulated than Instagram's.
SourcesSprout Social 2026PhotographyToProfits 2026 (secondary)
Best time to post on LinkedIn
Two studies agree on midweekA weekday, working-adult audience. The classic answer is late-morning-to-afternoon business hours (Sprout); Buffer's 2026 data shows the peak drifting into the early evening and into Friday. Publish as weekday business-hours-to-early-evening, ranged.
Wednesday
11 am–5 pm · Sprout4 pm · Buffer
Tue / Thu
11 am–5 pm business hours · Sprout
FridayBuffer rates it strong
3 pm · Buffer4 pm · Buffer
General
later shift: 3–8 pm · Buffer
Sources disagree on which weekdays — and how late
Sprout Social 2026Midweek Tue–Thu, business hours 11 am–5 pm; Monday still counts as a workable day.
Buffer 2026 (4.8M posts)Wednesday is best, then Thu and Fri; Monday and Tuesday are the worst. Peak has shifted later, to 3–8 pm.
Where they agree: Both keep it firmly on weekdays and centre on Wednesday. Aim for Wed–Thu; anywhere from late morning through early evening is defensible.
SourcesSprout Social 2026Buffer 2026 (4.8M posts)
Best time to post on Pinterest
One study — timing matters least herePinterest is a visual search engine, not a feed — pins have a months-long lifespan, so "best time" matters far less than on Instagram or TikTok. The honest advice is consistency over timing. When you do want a window, weekday mornings.
Tue–Thuthe core window
10 am–1 pm · Sproute.g. Wed 8 am–1 pm · Sprout
Thursday
10–11 am · Sprout2–4 pm · Sprout
Weekendsweakest days
avoid — weekdays outperform
SourcesSprout Social 2026PhotographyToProfits 2026 (secondary)
What about Google Business Profile?
We deliberately don’t give a “best time” for Google Business Profile. No credible study measures GBP engagement by time of day — because GBP posts surface in Search and Maps, not in a time-ordered feed. Posting time isn’t a meaningful lever there. Post consistently instead. We’d rather say that than invent a number.
One caveat every study makes:all times are local to your audience — a 6 pm peak means 6 pm wherever the people you’re posting for actually are (6 pm GMT/BST for a UK audience). And this data ages: platform algorithms shift, and peaks have been drifting later each year. Use it as a strong starting point, not gospel.
Data last verified: 3 July 2026