Growth
Best Time to Post on Instagram on Monday, Tuesday and Every Other Day
- Wednesday and Thursday are the strongest Instagram days in Buffer's 2026 study, and Tuesday and Wednesday lead in Sprout Social's March 2026 report.
- Monday works best in the afternoon or evening in the two most recent studies, not first thing in the morning.
- Saturday is the weakest day in both Buffer and Sprout Social data, so weekend posts need a reason to go out.
- Use the Days tab in your Instagram Insights to check whether your own followers follow the same weekly pattern.
What is the best day to post on Instagram?
The best day to post on Instagram is Wednesday in Buffer's 2026 study and Tuesday or Wednesday in Sprout Social's March 2026 report. Both studies rank midweek ahead of the weekend.
Buffer analysed 9.6 million Instagram posts from January 2024 to December 2025 and ranked days by median engagement rate. Wednesday came first, followed by Thursday and Tuesday, with Friday and Saturday at the bottom.
Sprout Social studied about 2 billion engagements from roughly 307,000 social profiles between November 2025 and February 2026. It found the highest peaks on Tuesday and Wednesday, called Saturday the lowest day of the week, and described Sunday as one of the worst days.
Later's guide, updated in April 2026 but based on 2024 posts, is the outlier. It ranks Monday highest, with the strongest results for posts published between midnight and 6 a.m. This guide covers each day in turn. For the full background on the studies and posting time in general, read our main guide to the best time to post on Instagram.
Best time to post on Instagram by day: Monday to Sunday
The table below lists the top posting times for each day of the week from three published studies. All times are in your audience's local time zone.
| Day | Buffer 2026 (top slots, day rating) | Sprout Social, March 2026 | Later, April 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 p.m. (moderate) | 2-4 p.m. | 5 a.m. (11 p.m. also strong) |
| Tuesday | 7 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. (high) | 1-7 p.m. | 5 a.m. |
| Wednesday | 12 p.m., 6 p.m., 8 a.m. (highest) | 12-9 p.m., plus a spike at 11 p.m. | 3 a.m., strong until 5 a.m. |
| Thursday | 9 a.m., 8 a.m., 7 a.m. (highest) | 12-2 p.m. | 4-5 a.m. |
| Friday | 10 p.m., 9 p.m., 6 a.m. (low) | No clear peak; avoid 3-7 a.m. | 3-5 a.m. |
| Saturday | 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 8 p.m. (low) | Lowest day of the week | 5 a.m. |
| Sunday | 9 p.m., 10 p.m., 8 p.m. (moderate) | One of the worst days | 12 a.m., 5 a.m., 11 p.m. |
Read the table as a list of test slots, not a schedule. Each company studied its own customers, used its own metric and covered a different period. Where two studies agree, such as Tuesday afternoon or a weak Saturday, the pattern is more likely to hold for your account too.
Best time to post on Instagram on Monday
The best time to post on Instagram on Monday is the afternoon or evening in the two most recent studies. Sprout Social puts the Monday peak at 2-4 p.m., and Buffer's top Monday slots are 7 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
Buffer rates Monday as a moderate day overall, behind Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Its Monday slots all fall in the evening, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Later's 2024 data points the other way, with 5 a.m. as its best Monday slot and Monday as its best day of the week. If your own followers are active early on Mondays, that early slot is worth a test.
A practical Monday test is one post at 3 p.m. and one at 7 p.m. over four weeks. If your Most active times chart shows a strong early-morning spike on Mondays, swap one of those slots for 6 a.m.
Best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday
Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday are the strongest days to post on Instagram in both Buffer and Sprout Social data. They are the best place to put your most important posts.
Tuesday
The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday is the afternoon into early evening. Sprout Social reports a long Tuesday window from 1-7 p.m., and Buffer's top Tuesday slots are 7 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. Buffer rates Tuesday as a high-engagement day.
Wednesday
Wednesday is the top day in Buffer's study, with its best slots at 12 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8 a.m. Sprout Social also finds Wednesday strong, with a wide window from 12-9 p.m. and a smaller spike at 11 p.m.
Thursday
Thursday is the morning day. Buffer's single best slot of the whole week is Thursday at 9 a.m., followed by 8 a.m. and 7 a.m. Sprout Social puts the Thursday peak a little later, at 12-2 p.m.
If you post three times a week, a simple midweek plan is Tuesday at 5 p.m., Wednesday at 12 p.m. and Thursday at 9 a.m. Test it against your own Insights before you settle on it.
Best time to post on Instagram on Friday and Saturday
Friday and Saturday are the weakest days to post on Instagram in the 2026 studies. If you post on those days, late evening is the best bet in Buffer's data.
Buffer rates both Friday and Saturday as low-engagement days. Its top Friday slots are 10 p.m., 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., and its top Saturday slots are 9 p.m., 10 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sprout Social found no significant Friday peak and warns against posting from 3-7 a.m. that day.
The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday, if you need to post at all, is the evening from about 8-10 p.m., based on Buffer. Sprout Social calls Saturday the lowest day of the week, so save Saturdays for posts that suit a relaxed weekend audience rather than your biggest launch.
These rankings are averages across many accounts. Your own followers may be busier at the weekend, so check your Days chart in Insights before you rule Friday or Saturday out.
Best time to post on Instagram on Sunday
The best time to post on Instagram on Sunday is the evening, from about 8-10 p.m., according to Buffer. Sunday ranks better than Saturday in Buffer's study but poorly in Sprout Social's.
Buffer rates Sunday as a moderate day, with top slots at 9 p.m., 10 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sprout Social describes Sunday as one of the worst days to post on Instagram. Later lists 12 a.m., 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. as its strongest Sunday times.
Sunday evening is a good test slot for content people want to save for the week ahead, such as plans, lists, recipes or tips. Our guide to the right Instagram carousel size helps if you build those posts as carousels.
How to test your own best day to post on Instagram
The most reliable way to find your best day to post on Instagram is to compare your own posts by day for at least four weeks. Start with the Days tab in Insights, then test.
- Open your Most active times chart. In a professional account, go to Insights, open your followers data and scroll to Most active times. Tap Days to see which days your followers are busiest. Instagram's Help Center says these follower trends appear once you have at least 100 followers, and menu names can differ by app version.
- Pick four days. Choose your two busiest days from the chart and two from the table above, such as Wednesday and Saturday.
- Post at the same hour each time. Keep the hour fixed during the test so only the day changes.
- Rotate formats. Give each day a mix of Reels, carousels and photos so one strong format does not decide the result.
- Measure after 48 hours. Note accounts reached and total engagement for each post.
- Compare engagement per account reached. A day with fewer total likes but more likes per account reached can still be the better day.
If you are not sure where these numbers sit in the app, our step-by-step guide on how to see Instagram Insights shows each screen. To understand why reach is the fairer base, see Instagram reach vs impressions.
Should you post on weak days at all?
Yes, you can post on weak days, but give them content that does not depend on a big first hour. Day rankings describe averages across many accounts, not a penalty from Instagram.
Posts that people save or share, such as how-to carousels and Reels, keep earning attention after the first day. Those are a better fit for Friday and Saturday than a time-sensitive announcement.
Some accounts add a small push of engagement to a post that goes out on a slow day, so it does not sit at zero likes. That adds social proof to the post for the people who see it. It does not create real fans, comments from your audience or sales by itself, and it is not risk-free, since Meta's spam policy bans buying, selling or exchanging engagement such as likes. If you want that option, SocialGrowthly's likes + views combo needs only a public post link. Your strongest content still belongs on your best tested day.
Questions people also ask
Is Monday a good day to post on Instagram?
Monday is a middle-of-the-pack day in the 2026 studies. Buffer rates it moderate, with the best slots at 6-8 p.m., and Sprout Social sees a Monday peak from 2-4 p.m. Later's 2024 data ranks Monday as its best day, especially for very early posts. Test a Monday afternoon slot and a Monday evening slot before you decide.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday is between 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. in Sprout Social's March 2026 report. Buffer's 2026 study lists 7 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. as the top Tuesday slots and rates Tuesday a high-engagement day. A 3 p.m. or 5 p.m. post sits inside both studies' windows, so it makes a strong first test.
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Saturday?
The best time to post on Instagram on Saturday is the evening, around 8-10 p.m., based on Buffer's 2026 data. Saturday is still one of the weakest days overall in both Buffer and Sprout Social studies. If your Most active times chart shows strong Saturday activity, your own data should come first, because study averages cannot see your followers' habits.
Which day gets the most engagement on Instagram?
Wednesday gets the most engagement in Buffer's 2026 study of 9.6 million posts, closely followed by Thursday. Sprout Social's March 2026 report found the highest peaks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Later, using 2024 data, ranked Monday first. Midweek is the safest bet, but your own Insights decide which day is best for your followers.
Do these times use my time zone or the study's time zone?
The times use your audience's local time zone. Buffer, Sprout Social and Later all normalised their results so the hours apply wherever followers live. Check the top locations in your Instagram Insights, and if most followers live in another time zone, convert the times to theirs before you schedule posts.
How many days a week should I post on Instagram?
The studies in this guide do not set a number of days, and Instagram does not publish one either. Post as often as you can keep quality steady. Three well-made posts on your best midweek days usually tell you more in a test than seven rushed ones, because each post gets a fair chance to earn likes, shares and saves.