Best Time to Post on TikTok and Instagram

What do the big studies say about the best time to post on TikTok?

The big studies say different things about the best time to post on TikTok, which is the main finding in itself.

One study ranks the weekend at the top; the other tells you to skip it. Both measure the customers of their own scheduling tools, so neither describes your audience. Buffer says as much: there's no single best time that works for any account, and its times are a starting point.

Why do the studies disagree?

The studies disagree because they measure different accounts in different ways. Buffer looks at the median engagement rate of posts published through Buffer. Sprout Social counts engagements across its customers' profiles, many of them brands, and splits results by industry. A food brand, a gaming creator and a university reach people with different daily routines.

That's why the useful question isn't "what time is best on TikTok?" but "when are my followers watching?"

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

You find the best time to post on TikTok for your account in TikTok's own analytics. TikTok's Followers tab lets you "explore your audience's consumption habits broken down by hours and days to help you understand when they're most active" (TikTok Creator Academy, checked 5 Nov 2026). Then test:

1. Check follower activity. Open TikTok analytics, go to the Followers tab and note the hours and days with the most activity.
2. Pick 2–3 time slots. One from your follower peaks, plus one or two from the studies above to compare.
3. Keep the videos similar. Same format and length, so timing is the main thing that changes.
4. Give it a few weeks. One post per slot can't separate timing from the video itself.
5. Compare the results. Look at views, likes, comments and shares for each slot, then keep the winner and test a fresh slot against it.

If you post to more than one platform, run the same test on each. Your Instagram or YouTube audience may be active at different hours from your TikTok followers.

Once a time slot wins, plan what to film next with What to Post Next — AI Advisor from Your Own Analytics.

What if my followers are in different time zones?

If your followers are in different time zones, check which regions they're in before you pick a slot. Sprout Social lists its times in local time, so its 2–6 p.m. window means your audience's afternoon, not yours. Buffer says its times work without converting. When your audience is split, test a slot that lands in the afternoon or evening for your largest region, and compare it with one that suits your second region.

Does posting time matter more than the video?

No, posting time matters less than the video. Buffer's own guide says timing is rarely the main reason a video underperforms and points to watch time first. Good timing helps a video that already holds attention; it won't rescue a weak opening.

If your views stay flat whatever time you post, read TikTok Views Stuck at 0, 200 or 1,000? What to Check.

What is the best time to post on Instagram?

There's no single best time to post on Instagram either, but the big studies agree more here than they do for TikTok: midweek wins and weekends lose.

Buffer finds evenings (6–11 p.m.) strongest on most weekdays, with Thursday mornings as the exception, and says its times apply in any time zone without converting. Sprout Social lists local times and finds the same windows for Reels as for photos. Buffer adds that Reels may peak at different times from feed posts, so test Reels on their own.

How do I find my Instagram followers' active times?

You find them in Instagram insights. Instagram says any public account can use free insights "to learn more about overall trends across your followers and your content's performance with your audience", for a preset or custom timeframe within the past 90 days, plus per-post and per-reel insights such as views and interactions (Instagram Help Center, About Instagram insights, checked 5 Nov 2026). Buffer's guide points to the follower active times view in the Professional dashboard, which needs a creator or business account (Buffer, checked 5 Nov 2026).

Then run the same test as on TikTok:

1. Note your followers' peak hours in Instagram insights.
2. Pick 2–3 slots: one from your own peaks, one or two from the studies above.
3. Keep the posts similar, for example Reels of the same length and style.
4. Give it a few weeks and compare views and interactions per slot.

Your TikTok and Instagram winners can differ. Buffer's top TikTok slot is Sunday morning, while both Instagram studies rank the weekend lowest, so test each platform separately.

How do I compare my posting-time tests?

You compare posting-time tests by putting each video's results side by side. Viralflicks connects TikTok, YouTube and Instagram in one dashboard and shows your TikTok videos with per-video views, likes, comments and shares, so you can see how each test slot performed.

TikTok Videos grid with per-video stats (test account; captions, faces and handles blurred).

Viralflicks doesn't pick a posting time for you. You run the test and read the numbers. When a test video falls flat, ask your AI Advisor "why did this flop?" and each answer shows a basis line with what it's based on. When you create a video in Viralflicks, you can publish or schedule it to YouTube and Instagram, and TikTok gets a draft in your TikTok inbox that you post from the TikTok app at the time you're testing. More on that: TikTok Draft vs Direct Post — after Gate 2, you still own the click.

Compare your test slots side by side

Connect TikTok, YouTube and Instagram free and see each video's views, likes, comments and shares in one place. Free plan: $0.

By Hanif Jadoon, Head of Growth & SEO · Updated 5 Nov 2026