Free guide
Best time to post on Instagram and Facebook
No single hour works for every account. These pages show what published studies found for each platform, day and format, where they disagree, and how to read your own insights to find the time that suits your followers.
Instagram · 6
- OverallWeekday afternoons and evenings in your followers’ time zone are the most common picks in 2026 data. Studies disagree on the exact hour, so check your own Most active times.
- ReelsWeekday evenings are the safest start: 6 p.m. to 11 p.m., best on Wednesday and Thursday (Buffer). Sprout Social uses its usual peaks; Later picks 12 a.m. Test two slots.
- StoriesLater says 6 a.m. to 8 a.m. or 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Metricool 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so there is no consensus. Post when Most active times shows your followers online.
- WeekendsSaturday at 11 a.m. or about 5 p.m., Sunday from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. (Hootsuite), or 9 p.m. on either day (Buffer). Midweek still scores higher in most studies.
- Small businessStart on weekdays from about 11 a.m. (Sprout Social’s industry data) or at 5 p.m. (Later, accounts with 1,000 to 5,000 followers), then follow your own Most active times.
- IndiaRead the studies’ local times as IST: Tue 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. and Wed 12 p.m. to 9 p.m. (Sprout Social), Thu 9 a.m. (Buffer). Then test them against your own Insights.
Instagram, day by day · 7
- MondayBetween 2 p.m. and 9 p.m. local time: Sprout Social says 2 p.m. to 4 p.m., Hootsuite 3 p.m. to 9 p.m., Buffer 7 p.m. Test one afternoon and one evening slot.
- Tuesday3 p.m. to 7 p.m. local time, where Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Buffer overlap. Hootsuite and Later also back an early slot from 5 a.m., right where Buffer’s weakest hours end.
- Wednesday12 p.m., or 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., local time. Buffer ranks Wednesday its best day, and Sprout Social gives it the longest peak of the week: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Thursday9 a.m. (Buffer) or 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. (Hootsuite), local time, with Sprout Social’s 12 p.m. to 2 p.m. in between. The studies never overlap on Thursday, so test two.
- FridayAbout 4 p.m. (Hootsuite) or 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Buffer), in your followers’ local time. Friday is weak on average, so save your most important post for midweek.
- SaturdayLate morning or evening, local time: 11 a.m. or around 5 p.m. (Hootsuite), 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. (Buffer). Most studies rank Saturday last, so test it before relying on it.
- SundayMidday (12 p.m. to 3 p.m., Hootsuite) or evening (9 p.m., Buffer), local time. Sprout Social rates Sunday one of the weakest days, so test it against a weekday.
Facebook · 5
- OverallThe studies split. Buffer and Hootsuite mostly favour weekday mornings; Sprout Social favours Tuesday and Wednesday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Test both on your Page.
- ReelsEvenings, in the only study we read with a Facebook Reels result: Dash Social found 9 p.m. best and 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., Monday to Thursday, strongest. Test it against a morning slot.
- GroupsNo study we found covers groups. For Facebook overall, Buffer favours Thursday at 9 a.m., Sprout Social midweek from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m., Dash Social 9 p.m. Your group’s own peak matters more.
- BusinessStart with weekday late mornings, around 10 a.m., a time every industry in Sprout Social’s 2026 data covers on at least one weekday. Hootsuite’s industry windows vary more, so test.
- IndiaRead study times as IST: Thursday 9 a.m. is Buffer’s best, Tuesday and Wednesday 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Sprout Social’s. None has India-only data, so check your Active times.
Facebook, day by day · 7
- MondayThe studies split three ways: 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. (Sprout Social), 5 p.m. (Hootsuite) and 9 p.m. (Buffer). Test one of each on your Page.
- TuesdayEarly, from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. (Hootsuite, Buffer), or from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. (Sprout Social). 7 p.m. is the one Tuesday hour two studies share.
- Wednesday8 a.m. or 9 a.m. local time, backed by Buffer and CoSchedule, or 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., inside Sprout Social’s 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. peak.
- Thursday9 a.m. local time: Buffer’s best hour of the week and CoSchedule’s top Thursday hour. For a second slot, test Sprout Social’s 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
- FridayEarly morning, 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. local time, where Buffer, CoSchedule and Hootsuite put Friday’s best hours. Sprout Social says midday instead.
- SaturdaySaturday is the weakest Facebook day in most studies. If you post, test 6 a.m. (Buffer, Hootsuite), 9 a.m. (CoSchedule) or 10 p.m. (Buffer), local time.
- SundaySunday morning, 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. local time, where Buffer’s and Hootsuite’s Sunday picks fall. Sprout Social rates Sunday the weakest day, so measure your own.
Plan the post itself
- Image and video sizesEvery Instagram and Facebook size, checked against Meta’s docs.
- CaptionsOriginal captions by topic, ready to copy.
- Post ideasIdeas for posts, Stories, Reels, Notes and highlights.
- Engagement calculatorAny public account’s engagement rate and most-commented posts.
- GlossaryReach, impressions, engagement rate and other terms, explained.
- DM templatesMessages that get replies, within Meta’s rules.