PRMR™
Let's Get Loud

Best Time
to Post.

Published posting windows for every major platform, shifted into your time zone. A starting point to test, with the sources linked.

Interactive guide / No signup
Platform

Same zone, so times show exactly as the studies publish them: in local time.

Starting points, not rules. These are averages across millions of posts. Your own audience can behave differently, so test them and keep what wins.

Instagram

Shown in audience local time

Three slots to test first

  1. Week 1Monday 3 PMBoth studies or industry data
  2. Week 2Tuesday 3 PM to 7 PMBoth studies or industry data
  3. Week 3Wednesday 5 PMBoth studies or industry data
When the studies say Instagram posts get the most engagement, in your audience's local time.
HourMonTueWedThuFriSatSun
12 AMMonday 12 AM: not flaggedTuesday 12 AM: not flaggedWednesday 12 AM: not flaggedThursday 12 AM: not flaggedFriday 12 AM: not flaggedSaturday 12 AM: not flaggedSunday 12 AM: not flagged
1 AMMonday 1 AM: not flaggedTuesday 1 AM: not flaggedWednesday 1 AM: not flaggedThursday 1 AM: not flaggedFriday 1 AM: not flaggedSaturday 1 AM: not flaggedSunday 1 AM: not flagged
2 AMMonday 2 AM: not flaggedTuesday 2 AM: not flaggedWednesday 2 AM: not flaggedThursday 2 AM: not flaggedFriday 2 AM: not flaggedSaturday 2 AM: not flaggedSunday 2 AM: not flagged
3 AMMonday 3 AM: not flaggedTuesday 3 AM: not flaggedWednesday 3 AM: not flaggedThursday 3 AM: not flaggedFriday 3 AM: not flaggedSaturday 3 AM: not flaggedSunday 3 AM: not flagged
4 AMMonday 4 AM: not flaggedTuesday 4 AM: not flaggedWednesday 4 AM: not flaggedThursday 4 AM: not flaggedFriday 4 AM: not flaggedSaturday 4 AM: not flaggedSunday 4 AM: not flagged
5 AMMonday 5 AM: not flaggedTuesday 5 AM: flagged by HootsuiteWednesday 5 AM: not flaggedThursday 5 AM: not flaggedFriday 5 AM: not flaggedSaturday 5 AM: not flaggedSunday 5 AM: not flagged
6 AMMonday 6 AM: not flaggedTuesday 6 AM: flagged by HootsuiteWednesday 6 AM: not flaggedThursday 6 AM: not flaggedFriday 6 AM: not flaggedSaturday 6 AM: not flaggedSunday 6 AM: not flagged
7 AMMonday 7 AM: not flaggedTuesday 7 AM: flagged by HootsuiteWednesday 7 AM: not flaggedThursday 7 AM: not flaggedFriday 7 AM: not flaggedSaturday 7 AM: not flaggedSunday 7 AM: not flagged
8 AMMonday 8 AM: not flaggedTuesday 8 AM: not flaggedWednesday 8 AM: not flaggedThursday 8 AM: not flaggedFriday 8 AM: not flaggedSaturday 8 AM: not flaggedSunday 8 AM: not flagged
9 AMMonday 9 AM: not flaggedTuesday 9 AM: not flaggedWednesday 9 AM: not flaggedThursday 9 AM: not flaggedFriday 9 AM: not flaggedSaturday 9 AM: not flaggedSunday 9 AM: not flagged
10 AMMonday 10 AM: not flaggedTuesday 10 AM: not flaggedWednesday 10 AM: not flaggedThursday 10 AM: not flaggedFriday 10 AM: not flaggedSaturday 10 AM: not flaggedSunday 10 AM: not flagged
11 AMMonday 11 AM: not flaggedTuesday 11 AM: not flaggedWednesday 11 AM: not flaggedThursday 11 AM: not flaggedFriday 11 AM: not flaggedSaturday 11 AM: flagged by HootsuiteSunday 11 AM: not flagged
12 PMMonday 12 PM: not flaggedTuesday 12 PM: not flaggedWednesday 12 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 12 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialFriday 12 PM: not flaggedSaturday 12 PM: not flaggedSunday 12 PM: flagged by Hootsuite
1 PMMonday 1 PM: not flaggedTuesday 1 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialWednesday 1 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 1 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialFriday 1 PM: not flaggedSaturday 1 PM: not flaggedSunday 1 PM: flagged by Hootsuite
2 PMMonday 2 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialTuesday 2 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialWednesday 2 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 2 PM: not flaggedFriday 2 PM: not flaggedSaturday 2 PM: not flaggedSunday 2 PM: flagged by Hootsuite
3 PMMonday 3 PM: flagged by Sprout Social and HootsuiteTuesday 3 PM: flagged by Sprout Social and HootsuiteWednesday 3 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 3 PM: not flaggedFriday 3 PM: not flaggedSaturday 3 PM: not flaggedSunday 3 PM: not flagged
4 PMMonday 4 PM: flagged by HootsuiteTuesday 4 PM: flagged by Sprout Social and HootsuiteWednesday 4 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 4 PM: flagged by HootsuiteFriday 4 PM: flagged by HootsuiteSaturday 4 PM: not flaggedSunday 4 PM: not flagged
5 PMMonday 5 PM: flagged by HootsuiteTuesday 5 PM: flagged by Sprout Social and HootsuiteWednesday 5 PM: flagged by Sprout Social and HootsuiteThursday 5 PM: not flaggedFriday 5 PM: not flaggedSaturday 5 PM: flagged by HootsuiteSunday 5 PM: not flagged
6 PMMonday 6 PM: flagged by HootsuiteTuesday 6 PM: flagged by Sprout Social and HootsuiteWednesday 6 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 6 PM: not flaggedFriday 6 PM: not flaggedSaturday 6 PM: not flaggedSunday 6 PM: not flagged
7 PMMonday 7 PM: flagged by HootsuiteTuesday 7 PM: not flaggedWednesday 7 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 7 PM: not flaggedFriday 7 PM: not flaggedSaturday 7 PM: not flaggedSunday 7 PM: not flagged
8 PMMonday 8 PM: flagged by HootsuiteTuesday 8 PM: not flaggedWednesday 8 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 8 PM: not flaggedFriday 8 PM: not flaggedSaturday 8 PM: not flaggedSunday 8 PM: not flagged
9 PMMonday 9 PM: not flaggedTuesday 9 PM: not flaggedWednesday 9 PM: not flaggedThursday 9 PM: not flaggedFriday 9 PM: not flaggedSaturday 9 PM: not flaggedSunday 9 PM: not flagged
10 PMMonday 10 PM: not flaggedTuesday 10 PM: not flaggedWednesday 10 PM: not flaggedThursday 10 PM: not flaggedFriday 10 PM: not flaggedSaturday 10 PM: not flaggedSunday 10 PM: not flagged
11 PMMonday 11 PM: not flaggedTuesday 11 PM: not flaggedWednesday 11 PM: flagged by Sprout SocialThursday 11 PM: not flaggedFriday 11 PM: not flaggedSaturday 11 PM: not flaggedSunday 11 PM: not flagged

Tap or hover a square to see which study flags it.

What the studies say for Instagram

The exact windows behind the map, in your audience's local time. Industry windows count double on the map because they are more specific.

Sprout Social

Best times to post on social media in 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Published March 31, 2026. Nearly 2 billion engagements across roughly 307,000 social profiles, November 27, 2025 to February 27, 2026.

  • Mon 2 to 4 PM
  • Tue 1 to 7 PM
  • Wed 12 to 9 PM
  • Wed 11 PM
  • Thu 12 to 2 PM

All times are recorded in Local Time, so 9 a.m. means 9 a.m. in Los Angeles, London or Sydney.

YouTube is not covered: neither study publishes YouTube posting times. For YouTube, check When your viewers are on YouTube in YouTube Studio analytics.

No account. Everything runs in your browser. Times come from the public studies linked on this page.More free tools

How to use it

Best Time to Post Guide, in 5 steps.

  1. Pick the platform and the industry closest to yours.

  2. Set where your audience lives and where you schedule from. The map shifts into your time.

  3. Read the heatmap: darker squares are hours more of the published data points to.

  4. Copy the three slot test plan and post at one slot a week, keeping the content type the same.

  5. After 48 hours compare reach and engagement in your insights. Keep the winner and test a new slot against it.

Questions

Good to know.

Where does this data come from?

Two public studies, linked on this page: Sprout Social's best times to post in 2026 (nearly 2 billion engagements across about 307,000 profiles) and Hootsuite's best time to post research (more than 1 million posts, with per industry breakdowns). We copy their published windows exactly and show where they agree.

Are these times in my time zone?

Both studies publish times in the audience's local time, so 2 PM means 2 PM wherever your followers are. If your audience is somewhere else, set both time zones and the map shifts into the time you schedule in.

Why do Sprout Social and Hootsuite disagree?

They measure different accounts, periods and engagement types. That is exactly why these are starting points to test, not rules. Hours both studies flag are the safest first test.

Does posting time matter that much?

Less than the content, but it helps a post get early engagement, which most feeds reward. Pick two or three candidate slots, test them for a few weeks, then follow your own insights, which beat any average.

Why is YouTube missing?

Neither study publishes YouTube posting times. YouTube Studio shows when your own viewers are online, which is the better source anyway.

Ready to grow?

Timing gets the first look.
Great content keeps it.

Want more out of every post? Let's talk about what your audience actually stops for and how to turn it into customers.

Let's Get Loud