Best time to post on YouTube
Videos: Sunday at 10 AM.Shorts: Friday at 4 PM.
Buffer’s answers, then SocialPilot’s, in your local time.
Best time to post YouTube videos, by Buffer
Sunday at 10 AM.
Then Sunday at 9 AM and Friday at noon. Sunday is the best day, Thursday the weakest.
Source: Buffer, 1.8 million videos and Shorts, July 2026.
Best time to post YouTube Shorts, by Buffer
Friday at 4 PM.
Then Friday at 6 and 7 PM. Friday is the best day, Tuesday the weakest.
Source: Buffer, 1.8 million videos and Shorts, July 2026.
Best time to post on YouTube, by SocialPilot
Weekdays, 2 to 4 PM.
Weekends peak later, at 8 and 9 PM. Saturday and Sunday are the worst days.
Source: SocialPilot, 301,000 videos from 27,000 channels, May 2026.
How thin the data is.
- Only two 2026 studies publish an hour-by-hour YouTube week, and each counts only its own customers’ channels.
- Neither publishes numbers. Each hour here is read from the shade of the study’s own chart.
- Buffer’s charts stop at 6 AM and 10 PM. They are labeled UTC, while its article says the times work in your local time.
- SocialPilot’s chart repeats one shape: Monday matches Tuesday, Wednesday matches Thursday, and Saturday matches Sunday. Its article also names Sunday at 8 to 10 AM for long videos, which its chart shades among its quietest hours.
- The studies disagree on nearly every day. Take them as times to test, not answers.
Your own results beat both.
YouTube Studio shows when your viewers are on: Analytics, then Audience. Publish an hour or two before that peak.
Once you have a time, read how to schedule YouTube Shorts, or plan the month with the social media calendar template.
Check a YouTube titleQuestions.
What is the best time to post on YouTube?
It depends on the study and the format. Buffer’s 2026 study of 1.8 million videos and Shorts finds Sunday at 10 AM best for videos, and Friday at 4 PM best for Shorts. SocialPilot’s 2026 study of 301,000 videos finds weekdays from 2 to 4 PM best, for both formats together. All are in your local time.
What is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
Buffer finds Friday at 4 PM best, then Friday at 6 and 7 PM, and evenings from about 6 to 11 PM best on most days. Its best days for Shorts are Friday, Saturday and Thursday. SocialPilot’s chart does not separate Shorts from videos.
What is the best day to post on YouTube?
For videos, Buffer finds Sunday best, then Tuesday and Monday, with Thursday weakest. For Shorts, Friday, then Saturday and Thursday, with Tuesday and Monday weakest. SocialPilot finds Monday to Friday best, with Saturday and Sunday worst.
Why do the studies disagree?
They count different channels in different ways. Buffer ranks each hour by the median engagement of the videos sent through Buffer, with videos and Shorts apart. SocialPilot shades one week for videos published through SocialPilot, both formats together. Neither audience is yours.
How reliable is this data?
Thin. Only two 2026 studies publish an hour-by-hour YouTube week, neither publishes its numbers, and SocialPilot’s chart repeats one shape across pairs of days while its article names a slot its chart shades as quiet. Use the times as a first schedule to test.
Which time zone are these times in?
Your own. Buffer’s article says its times are adjusted to work in your local time, though its charts are labeled UTC. SocialPilot’s chart says to use its times as they are, anywhere.
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 charts cover 6 AM to 10 PM, so their night hours are empty.
How do I find my own best time to post on YouTube?
In YouTube Studio, open Analytics, then Audience: the card When your viewers are on YouTube shows the hours your viewers watched over the last 28 days. Both studies suggest publishing an hour or two before that peak, so the video is ready when viewers arrive. Compare each upload with your usual, and keep what works.