Best time to post on TikTok in 2026
There is no single best time to post on TikTok, and the four biggest studies disagree. Where they overlap most is weekday afternoons into the early evening, roughly 1 to 6 p.m. in your audience's time zone. Two windows are backed by all four: Monday 1–5 p.m. and Friday 3–8 p.m. Weekends split them most (Saturday is Buffer's best day and one of Sprout Social's weakest), so test weekends on your own account.
Today
Best time to post on TikTok today
Today is Tuesday in New York (US Eastern time).
- Sprout Social
- 2–6 p.m. Local time
- Buffer
- 6 a.m. (then 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.) Local time
- Hootsuite
- 10 a.m.–1 p.m. Local time
- RecurPost
- 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (also 12 a.m.) US Eastern
Each study gives its times in its own time-zone basis, shown next to the times. More on Tuesday
What the studies say.
| Study | Sample | Best times | Best day | Time zone | What it measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | Nearly 2 billion engagements on 307,000 profiles, 27 November 2025 to 27 February 2026 | Tuesday to Thursday, 2–6 p.m. | Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; weekends weakest, Sunday worst | Local time | Engagements |
| Buffer | 7.1 million TikTok posts (videos, carousels, photos and text) published through Buffer | Sunday 9 a.m., then Monday 1 p.m. and Sunday 1 p.m.; evenings (6–11 p.m.) strongest overall | Saturday, then Monday and Sunday | Local time (Buffer adjusts its times so no converting is needed) | Median engagement rate |
| Hootsuite | More than 1 million social posts | Thursday 6–9 a.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m. | None named; Thursday morning and Saturday midday lead | Local time (localized across 118 countries) | Engagement |
| RecurPost | More than 2 million posts scheduled through RecurPost | Monday 1 p.m., Friday 8 p.m. and Saturday 8 p.m. | None named; its three strongest slots fall on Monday, Friday and Saturday | US Eastern time | Not stated on its page |
Best time to post on TikTok on Monday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | 3–5 p.m. | Local time |
| Buffer | 1 p.m. (then 11 a.m. and 8 a.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 5 p.m. | Local time |
| RecurPost | 1 p.m. (also 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.) | US Eastern |
What to do on Monday
Monday is the closest the studies come to agreeing: all four put a Monday slot between 1 and 5 p.m. Post at 1 p.m., the top Monday slot for both Buffer and RecurPost, or in Sprout Social's 3–5 p.m. window.
Buffer also ranks Monday its second-best day of the week, so it's a good day for a video you care about.
Best time to post on TikTok on Tuesday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | 2–6 p.m. | Local time |
| Buffer | 6 a.m. (then 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. | Local time |
| RecurPost | 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. (also 12 a.m.) | US Eastern |
What to do on Tuesday
Tuesday is split. Sprout Social says 2–6 p.m., Hootsuite 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., RecurPost 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. US Eastern, and Buffer's best slot is 6 a.m. Early afternoon, around 1–2 p.m., sits at or next to three of the four.
If you post twice a day, make Buffer's 6 a.m. your second slot for a couple of weeks and compare.
Best time to post on TikTok on Wednesday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | 1–8 p.m. | Local time |
| Buffer | 10 p.m. (then 6 a.m. and 9 p.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 4–6 p.m. | Local time |
| RecurPost | 9 p.m. (also 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.) | US Eastern |
What to do on Wednesday
Wednesday has Sprout Social's widest window of the week, 1–8 p.m., and Hootsuite's 4–6 p.m. falls inside it. Buffer and RecurPost point later, to 9–10 p.m.
Start between 4 and 6 p.m., then try a 9 p.m. post later in the month to see whether your viewers are evening scrollers.
Best time to post on TikTok on Thursday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | 1–5 p.m. | Local time |
| Buffer | 1 p.m. (then 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 7–9 a.m. | Local time |
| RecurPost | 10 a.m. and 11 a.m. (also 10 p.m.) | US Eastern |
What to do on Thursday
Thursday divides into afternoon and morning camps: Buffer names 1 p.m. and Sprout Social 1–5 p.m., while Hootsuite picks 7–9 a.m. and RecurPost 10–11 a.m. US Eastern.
Start at 1 p.m. If your audience checks TikTok before work, a 7–9 a.m. post is the one to test.
Best time to post on TikTok on Friday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | 3–5 p.m. | Local time |
| Buffer | 6 p.m. (then 10 p.m. and 8 p.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 4–6 p.m. | Local time |
| RecurPost | 8 p.m. (also 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.) | US Eastern |
What to do on Friday
Friday is where the studies agree best: all four put a slot between 3 and 8 p.m. Sprout Social says 3–5 p.m., Hootsuite 4–6 p.m., Buffer 6 p.m., and RecurPost 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. US Eastern.
Post in the late afternoon, around 4–6 p.m. RecurPost counts 8 p.m. among its three strongest slots of the week, so an evening post is worth a test too.
Best time to post on TikTok on Saturday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | No recommended time (low engagement) | Local time |
| Buffer | 5 p.m. (then 4 p.m. and 3 p.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. (avoid before 7 a.m.) | Local time |
| RecurPost | 8 p.m. (also 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.) | US Eastern |
What to do on Saturday
Saturday divides the studies most. For Buffer it's the best day of the week, with 3–5 p.m. its top slots, and Hootsuite backs 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sprout Social sees low engagement and advises against posting.
Treat Saturday as a test: post between 3 and 5 p.m. for a few weekends and compare the results with your weekday posts.
Best time to post on TikTok on Sunday
| Study | Best times that day | Time zone |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | No recommended time (its worst day) | Local time |
| Buffer | 9 a.m., its best slot of the week (then 1 p.m. and 12 p.m.) | Local time |
| Hootsuite | 8 a.m.–12 p.m. (avoid before 7 a.m.) | Local time |
| RecurPost | 12 p.m., 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. | US Eastern |
What to do on Sunday
Buffer's single best slot of the whole week is Sunday at 9 a.m., and Hootsuite's Sunday window, 8 a.m. to noon, includes it. Sprout Social calls Sunday its worst day, and RecurPost's Sunday slots come later, from noon to 4 p.m. US Eastern.
If you post on Sundays, do it in the morning or around midday, between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m., and check the result against a weekday post.
Why the studies disagree
They study different accounts. Sprout Social counts nearly 2 billion engagements on 307,000 profiles belonging to its customers. Buffer looked at 7.1 million posts published through Buffer, RecurPost at the 2 million-plus posts its customers scheduled, and Hootsuite at more than 1 million social posts. Each sample is one tool's own users, so each answer describes those accounts, not TikTok as a whole.
They measure different things. Sprout Social counts engagements, Buffer takes the median engagement rate, Hootsuite looks at engagement, and RecurPost's page doesn't say which measure it uses. A video can reach many people and still have a low engagement rate, so the best time for views isn't always the best time for engagement.
They use different clocks. Sprout Social and Hootsuite give local time, Buffer adjusts its times so they apply wherever you are, and RecurPost measures in US Eastern time. RecurPost's Monday 1 p.m. is 6 p.m. in London, so the same number on two lists can mean two different moments.
They cover different periods. Sprout Social's data runs from late November 2025 to late February 2026, which includes the December holidays. Hootsuite labels its page 2025 data, and Buffer's and RecurPost's pages are dated September 2026.
How to find your own best time to post on TikTok
The studies give you a starting point; your own analytics show when your viewers are actually on TikTok. TikTok shows analytics to any account with at least one public post: a General TikTok Account (the usual personal or creator account) sees them in TikTok Studio, and a Verified Business Account in its Business Suite.
- In the TikTok app, go to your Profile, tap the menu (☰), then TikTok Studio, and under Analytics tap View all. On the web, open TikTok Studio and choose Analytics on the left; in the TikTok Studio app, tap Analytics at the bottom.
- Open Viewers and look at Most active times: when your viewers were on TikTok over the last 7 days.
- Open Followers to see when your followers watch, broken down by hour and day, along with where they are.
Pick the hours where your activity peaks and the studies' windows meet. Then test them, as below, before you settle on a schedule.
A two-week test to find your best times
Two weeks gives you a first read, not a final answer. Keep everything except the time as steady as you can: similar videos, similar length, the same number of posts a day.
- For each day you post, pick two windows: one where the studies overlap (weekday afternoons, about 1–6 p.m.) and one from your own Most active times.
- Post at those times for two weeks, swapping which window gets the day's video, so each window is tried on similar days with similar videos.
- Note each post's time. A few days later, write down its views, average watch time and how many viewers watched to the end, from the post's own analytics, comparing every post after the same number of days.
- Keep the better window for each day, replace the other with a new time, and run it again. Four weeks gives a steadier answer than two.
Posting when your audience is in another time zone
Every study's times are about your audience's clock, not yours. If most of your viewers live in one place, post for their time zone: a 1 p.m. post for New York goes out at 6 p.m. in London.
TikTok shows where your audience is: the Viewers page has your viewers' likely locations, and Followers their top locations. Post for the zone where most of them live.
If they're split between two regions, look for an hour that is afternoon or evening in both, or alternate days between them. For an audience split between the US East Coast and the UK, Buffer suggests early afternoon US Eastern time, which is early evening in Britain.
Watch daylight saving time: the US and Europe change their clocks on different weekends in spring and autumn, so for a few weeks the gap between them is an hour shorter.
How often to post on TikTok
TikTok's own business blog told brands in 2021 to aim for one to four posts a day, to test how different kinds of content are received. Read that as a ceiling for teams with plenty of video, not a target.
For most accounts a steady rhythm matters more than volume. Buffer says posting consistently matters more than posting every day, and RecurPost suggests one video a day in a fixed slot, adding a second only when your analytics show a second peak. If you do post twice, leave hours between the two so they don't compete for the same viewers.
When an app posts for you there is also a hard limit: TikTok caps how many posts can go to one account through its posting API in 24 hours, typically around 15 a day, and that cap is shared by every app you use.
Why the first hour after posting matters
TikTok doesn't publish a first-hour rule. What its help pages do say is that For You recommendations lean most on how people interact with a post (what they like, share, comment on, and watch to the end or skip), and that a viewer's time zone and the day are among the signals it uses.
Buffer and RecurPost both argue that a video's early reactions decide how far it travels, which is why posting while your viewers are awake helps. That is their reading of TikTok, not TikTok's own statement, but the advice holds either way: post when your viewers are around, and be there to answer the first comments.
One practical detail: TikTok tells the apps that post for you that a new post can take a few minutes to process before it shows on your profile. Schedule a few minutes ahead of the window you're aiming for.
Questions and answers.
What is the best time to post on TikTok today?
Find today in the box at the top of this page: it follows your own time zone and lists what each study says. As a rule of thumb, weekday afternoons from about 1 to 6 p.m. in your audience's time zone are where the studies overlap. On weekends Buffer favors Saturday 3–5 p.m. and Sunday 9 a.m., while Sprout Social advises against weekend posts.
When is the best time to post on TikTok?
No single time works for every account. Across four large studies, weekday afternoons into the early evening (about 1–6 p.m. in your audience's time zone) overlap most, and Monday 1–5 p.m. and Friday 3–8 p.m. are backed by all four. Then check Most active times in TikTok Studio for your own viewers.
What is the best day to post on TikTok?
The studies disagree. Sprout Social's best days are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday; Buffer's is Saturday, then Monday and Sunday; Hootsuite's top windows are Thursday morning and Saturday midday; and RecurPost's three strongest slots fall on Monday, Friday and Saturday.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Monday?
Between 1 and 5 p.m. Buffer and RecurPost both name 1 p.m. (RecurPost in US Eastern time), Sprout Social says 3–5 p.m. and Hootsuite 5 p.m.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Tuesday?
Sprout Social says 2–6 p.m., Hootsuite 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., RecurPost 1 p.m. or 4 p.m. US Eastern time, and Buffer 6 a.m. Around 1–2 p.m. is the safest place to start.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Wednesday?
Sprout Social gives its widest window, 1–8 p.m., and Hootsuite says 4–6 p.m. Buffer and RecurPost point to the evening: 10 p.m., and 9 p.m. US Eastern time. Start between 4 and 6 p.m.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Thursday?
Buffer names 1 p.m. and Sprout Social 1–5 p.m., while Hootsuite prefers 7–9 a.m. and RecurPost 10–11 a.m. US Eastern time. Start at 1 p.m. and test a morning post.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Friday?
Late afternoon to early evening. Sprout Social says 3–5 p.m., Hootsuite 4–6 p.m., Buffer 6 p.m., and RecurPost 8 p.m. US Eastern time.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Saturday?
Buffer's best Saturday slots are 3–5 p.m. (5 p.m. first), Hootsuite's window is 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and RecurPost's strongest is 8 p.m. US Eastern time. Sprout Social advises against Saturday posts, so treat Saturday as a test.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Sunday?
Buffer's single best slot of the week is Sunday at 9 a.m., and Hootsuite recommends 8 a.m. to noon. RecurPost suggests noon, 2 p.m. or 4 p.m. US Eastern time. Sprout Social calls Sunday its worst day, so compare a Sunday morning post with a weekday one.
Do I need to convert these times to my time zone?
Only RecurPost's. Sprout Social and Hootsuite give local time, and Buffer says its times need no converting, so read those in your audience's own time zone. RecurPost measured in US Eastern time: convert its times if your audience is in the US but you aren't.
How do I see when my TikTok followers are online?
In TikTok Studio, open Analytics. Viewers shows Most active times over the last 7 days, and Followers shows when your followers watch, by hour and day. TikTok shows analytics to any account with at least one public post.
Does the time I post on TikTok matter?
It helps, but it isn't the main factor. TikTok says its recommendations lean most on how people interact with a post, such as likes, shares, comments and watching to the end. Posting while your viewers are active gives a video its best chance of early interactions; a good time won't rescue a weak video.
How many times a day should I post on TikTok?
TikTok's business blog suggested one to four posts a day in 2021, but a pace you can keep up matters more than volume. Apps that post for you are limited by TikTok's posting API to typically around 15 posts per account a day.
Sources
- Sprout Social: Best times to post on TikTok in 2026
- Buffer: The best time to post on TikTok in 2026
- Hootsuite: The best time to post on TikTok [2025 data]
- RecurPost: Best time to post on TikTok in 2026
- TikTok Creator Academy: Understanding your analytics
- TikTok Help Center: TikTok Studio
- TikTok Help Center: Account types on TikTok
- TikTok Help Center: How TikTok recommends content
- TikTok for Business: Creative Solutions, the ultimate how-to guide (2021)
- TikTok for Developers: Content Sharing Guidelines