RepostitBest Time to Post on TikTok (2026 Data)
· 3 min read
The best time to post on TikTok is weekday afternoons, Tuesday to Thursday, about 2 to 6 p.m. local time (Sprout Social). But TikTok is less predictable than Instagram: Buffer’s 2026 data found Saturday and Sunday mornings performing best, and Hootsuite highlights Thursday mornings. The honest answer: start with these windows, then let your own TikTok analytics decide.
Best times to post on TikTok (2025–2026 studies)
Times are your audience’s local time.
| Day | Sprout Social | Buffer (top slot) | Hootsuite |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3–5 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 5 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 2–6 p.m. | 6 a.m. | 10 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 1–8 p.m. | 10 p.m. | 4–6 p.m. |
| Thursday | 1–5 p.m. | 1 p.m. | 7–9 a.m. |
| Friday | 3–5 p.m. | 6 p.m. | 4–6 p.m. |
| Saturday | avoid | 5 p.m. | 10 a.m.–7 p.m. |
| Sunday | avoid | 9 a.m. | 8 a.m.–12 p.m. |
Where they agree: weekday afternoons (1–6 p.m.) work in all three. Where they disagree: weekends. Sprout Social says avoid them; Buffer ranks Saturday as the best day and Sunday 9 a.m. as its top slot; Hootsuite finds Saturday daytime strong.
About the data
- Buffer (published September 2026): 7.1 million TikTok posts, ranked by median engagement rate. Top slots: Sunday 9 a.m., Monday 1 p.m., Sunday 1 p.m.
- Sprout Social (updated May 2026): nearly 2 billion engagements across about 307,000 profiles on six networks combined (not TikTok alone).
- Hootsuite (updated October 2026): over 1 million social posts, localised across 118 countries. Best overall: Thursday 6–9 a.m. and Saturday 10 a.m.–6 p.m.
Sources: Buffer, Sprout Social, Hootsuite.
Why TikTok timing varies so much
TikTok shows videos to people who don’t follow you, through the For You feed, and keeps testing a video for hours or days. So posting time matters less than on Instagram, and the “best” hour depends heavily on who your audience is: students, office workers and night-shift workers all scroll at different times.
How to find your best time on TikTok
- Open TikTok Studio → Analytics → Followers to see when your followers are most active by hour and day.
- Post 1–2 hours before that peak.
- Test a weekday afternoon slot against a weekend morning slot for 2–3 weeks, and compare views in the first 24 hours.
- Track results with the free engagement rate calculator (use the by-views rate for TikTok).
Post at the best time automatically
Schedule TikToks up to 10 days ahead in TikTok Studio on desktop, or from any device with a tool. See the TikTok scheduler guide. With Repostit, every TikTok you post can also go to Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts and Facebook automatically. Also see the best time to post on Instagram and how many videos to post per day.
FAQ
What is the best time to post on TikTok?
Weekday afternoons, roughly 1–6 p.m. local time, are the safest overall. Buffer’s data also shows strong Saturday and Sunday mornings.
What is the best day to post on TikTok?
It depends on the study: Tuesday to Thursday (Sprout Social) or Saturday (Buffer). Test both for your audience.
Does posting time matter on TikTok?
Less than on Instagram, because TikTok shows videos to non-followers and keeps distributing them over time. It still helps to post when your followers are awake.
How often should I post on TikTok?
Consistency matters more than volume. Many creators post once a day; see how many videos you can post per day.
