TapToConnectThe best time to post
on TikTok in 2026.
TikTok keeps showing videos to new people days later. Timing counts, but the video itself counts more. And the studies fully disagree about the weekend.
In short
- Sprout Social sees the best moments on weekday afternoons, Tuesday to Thursday.
- Buffer names Saturday the best day, followed by Monday and Sunday.
- Consistency and the first seconds of your video weigh more than the exact hour.
- Video scores better on TikTok than photos and carousels.
What is the best time to post on TikTok in 2026?
It depends on which study you follow. Sprout Social sees the most engagement on weekday afternoons, with Tuesday to Thursday between 14:00 and 18:00 as the strongest block. Buffer finds the highest engagement rate on Saturday, around 15:00 to 17:00, and calls Wednesday quieter. Sprout Social advises against the weekend and calls Sunday the worst day. A contradiction like that means there is no general answer.
These are averages. They come from customers of two US tools, spread around the world. They say something about large groups, not about your followers. Use the table as a starting point, then look at your own numbers. In Socialschedulr, the best times feature shows when your own followers engaged most.
Best times per day
| Day | Sprout Social 2026: peak window | Buffer 2026: top three hours |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 15:00 to 17:00 | 8:00, 11:00, 13:00 |
| Tuesday | 14:00 to 18:00 | 6:00, 7:00, 22:00 |
| Wednesday | 13:00 to 20:00 | 6:00, 21:00, 22:00 |
| Thursday | 13:00 to 17:00 | 6:00, 13:00, 22:00 |
| Friday | 15:00 to 17:00 | 18:00, 20:00, 22:00 |
| Saturday | None, not advised | 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 |
| Sunday | None, worst day | 9:00, 12:00, 13:00 |
Your followers’ local time. Sources: Sprout Social (2026) and Buffer (2026). Averages across thousands of accounts worldwide.
An overview by day and hour with the moments that got the most engagement
Why do the studies differ?
- Sprout Social (March 2026): nearly 2 billion engagements on about 307,000 profiles of more than 30,000 customers, measured from 27 November 2025 to 27 February 2026. Sprout shows the windows in which most engagement happened.
- Buffer (September 2026): 7.1 million TikTok posts published through Buffer, ranked by median engagement rate per posting moment. Buffer does not state a measurement period.
TikTok first shows a video to a small group and watches how it responds. If that goes well, the video gets a bigger audience, sometimes days later. A video from Friday evening can get most of its views on Sunday, which makes measuring per hour harder than on Facebook or LinkedIn.
Video or carousel on TikTok?
| Post type | Median engagement rate |
|---|---|
| Video | 3.39% |
| Photo and carousel | 1.92% |
Source: Buffer, best content format (March 2026). Buffer does not split photos and carousels on TikTok.
What to focus on
- Start with the point, not an intro
- Post regularly, for example three times a week
- See which videos people watch to the end
- Test a weekday afternoon (Sprout Social) against a Saturday afternoon (Buffer)
How to find your best time
In Socialschedulr, Analytics shows per day and hour when your posts got the most engagement. In the editor, the three best moments of the past 90 days sit right next to the date: click and it is filled in.
Analytics.
Spoken and subtitled in English. You will find more videos in the help centre.
See it in action.
A few parts of Socialschedulr that fit this topic, shown with sample data.
A report with your logo
In your client's inbox every month, automatically, white label too.
Reels, TikToks and Shorts
One video, the right format and settings per platform.
Everyone their own role
Owner, admin or editor, with an activity log of who did what.
Frequently asked questions.
Does Socialschedulr suggest the best time for TikTok?
Yes. When you schedule, click the star next to the date. You see three moments when your posts got the most engagement in the past 90 days, for TikTok too. If you have not posted much yet, you see general advice.
Read next
Try it yourself.
All your socials in one calendar. Free for 14 days, no payment details. After that, pick a plan or carry on for free.