# Best time to post on TikTok in 2026

Sunday at 9 AM, says Buffer. Tuesday to Thursday from 2 to 6 PM, says Sprout Social. The two 2026 studies disagree, so
each is here on its own. Times are local time, as both report them: post at the hours where your audience is.

Page: https://flaghand.com/best-time-to-post-on-tiktok. Updated 2026-10-26.

## Best time to post on TikTok, by Buffer

- Best: Sunday at 9 AM. Then Monday and Sunday at 1 PM. Saturday is the best day.
- Source: [Buffer, The Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026: New Data from 7M Posts](https://buffer.com/resources/best-time-to-post-on-tiktok/) (7.1 million TikTok posts, published 2026-09-14).

Every hour of the week, read from the shades of Buffer's chart, 100 for its darkest; - where the chart has no hour (it covers 6 AM to 10 PM):

| Hour | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 12 AM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 AM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 2 AM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 3 AM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 4 AM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 5 AM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 6 AM | 55 | 50 | 45 | 46 | 49 | 56 | 56 |
| 7 AM | 62 | 44 | 32 | 34 | 39 | 51 | 66 |
| 8 AM | 84 | 32 | 23 | 21 | 25 | 54 | 83 |
| 9 AM | 60 | 31 | 10 | 11 | 24 | 58 | 100 |
| 10 AM | 84 | 32 | 12 | 30 | 25 | 58 | 90 |
| 11 AM | 87 | 35 | 12 | 23 | 43 | 49 | 76 |
| 12 PM | 61 | 19 | 7 | 40 | 29 | 45 | 98 |
| 1 PM | 94 | 41 | 24 | 51 | 47 | 58 | 94 |
| 2 PM | 59 | 27 | 27 | 37 | 31 | 55 | 79 |
| 3 PM | 57 | 24 | 20 | 27 | 29 | 71 | 76 |
| 4 PM | 48 | 25 | 16 | 29 | 42 | 71 | 67 |
| 5 PM | 55 | 26 | 19 | 23 | 54 | 74 | 66 |
| 6 PM | 54 | 24 | 17 | 24 | 55 | 71 | 62 |
| 7 PM | 46 | 23 | 22 | 27 | 50 | 65 | 61 |
| 8 PM | 40 | 28 | 28 | 35 | 53 | 66 | 59 |
| 9 PM | 52 | 32 | 37 | 44 | 51 | 63 | 60 |
| 10 PM | 50 | 49 | 51 | 49 | 53 | 57 | 57 |
| 11 PM | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |

## Best time to post on TikTok, by Sprout Social

- Best: Tuesday to Thursday, 2 to 6 PM. Weekends are quietest. Sunday is the worst day.
- Source: [Sprout Social, Best times to post on TikTok in 2026](https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-tiktok/) (nearly 2 billion engagements, published 2026-03-31).

Every hour of the week, read from Sprout Social's chart, which shades it in seven steps (14, 29, 43, 57, 71, 86, 100 here):

| Hour | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| 12 AM | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| 1 AM | 14 | 14 | 29 | 29 | 14 | 29 | 29 |
| 2 AM | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 3 AM | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 4 AM | 14 | 14 | 14 | 29 | 14 | 14 | 14 |
| 5 AM | 14 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 | 29 |
| 6 AM | 29 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 29 | 29 |
| 7 AM | 29 | 43 | 57 | 57 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
| 8 AM | 43 | 43 | 57 | 57 | 43 | 57 | 43 |
| 9 AM | 43 | 57 | 71 | 71 | 57 | 71 | 57 |
| 10 AM | 57 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 71 | 57 |
| 11 AM | 57 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 71 | 86 | 57 |
| 12 PM | 71 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 86 | 57 |
| 1 PM | 71 | 86 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 86 | 71 |
| 2 PM | 86 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 86 | 71 |
| 3 PM | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 71 |
| 4 PM | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 71 |
| 5 PM | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 86 |
| 6 PM | 71 | 100 | 100 | 86 | 86 | 57 | 57 |
| 7 PM | 71 | 86 | 100 | 71 | 71 | 57 | 57 |
| 8 PM | 71 | 86 | 100 | 71 | 71 | 57 | 57 |
| 9 PM | 57 | 71 | 86 | 71 | 57 | 43 | 57 |
| 10 PM | 43 | 57 | 57 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 |
| 11 PM | 29 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 43 | 29 |

## Your own best times

Your own results beat any study. In TikTok Studio, Analytics, then Followers shows when an account's followers were most
active. Post at those hours for a few weeks, compare each post with the account's usual, and keep what works.

The best times to post on X and LinkedIn: https://flaghand.com/best-time-to-post. Flaghand for agents:
https://flaghand.com/llms.txt and https://app.flaghand.com/llms.txt.

## Questions

### What is the best time to post on TikTok?

It depends on the study. Buffer's 2026 study of 7.1 million TikTok posts finds Sunday at 9 AM best, then Monday at 1 PM and Sunday at 1 PM. Sprout Social's 2026 study of nearly 2 billion engagements finds Tuesday to Thursday from 2 to 6 PM best. Both are in your local time.

### What is the best day to post on TikTok?

Buffer finds Saturday best, then Monday and Sunday, and Wednesday weakest. Sprout Social finds Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday best, and Sunday worst.

### Why do the studies disagree?

They measure different things on different accounts. Buffer ranks each hour by the median engagement rate of the posts sent then through Buffer. Sprout Social shades the week by engagement on its own customers' profiles. Neither audience is yours.

### Which time zone are these times in?

Your own. Buffer's chart is in local time, adjusted so its times work anywhere without converting. Sprout Social lists local time too: post at its hours in your audience's time zone.

### How is the heatmap made?

Neither study publishes its numbers, only a shaded week, so each hour here is read from the shade of the study's own chart: 100 is its darkest hour. Buffer's chart covers 6 AM to 10 PM, so its night hours are empty. Sprout Social shades its week in seven steps.

### How do I find my own best time to post on TikTok?

In TikTok Studio, open Analytics, then Followers: it shows when your followers were most active. Post at those hours for a few weeks, compare each post with your usual, and keep what works. Your own results beat any study.