At a glance
- No agreed answer. Sprout Social says Tuesday to Thursday, 2 to 6 p.m., and skip weekends. Buffer’s top slot is Sunday at 9 a.m. Metricool points to 7 to 8 p.m. every night.
- Why they differ. Samples range from 700,000 posts to about 2 billion engagements, and the studies measure different things: engagement, median engagement rate or views.
- Your own data wins. TikTok shows follower activity in your local time zone, and its analytics only cover videos posted after you turn the feature on.
- Last checked: October 27, 2026. The five studies were published between November 2025 and September 2026.
What is the best time to post on TikTok?
There is no single best time. Five studies published between November 2025 and September 2026 each name a different window, and the TikTok help pages we read do not recommend one. Sprout Social finds weekday afternoons strongest and calls Saturday and Sunday its weakest days. Buffer finds almost the reverse: Saturday is its strongest day and Sunday at 9 a.m. is its best single slot.
This page puts the published numbers side by side so you can see where they overlap. We have no first-party posting data and ran no test of our own. Every figure below is attributed to its publisher and was read on October 27, 2026.
Which studies did we compare?
All five publishers sell social media scheduling or analytics software. Four of them (Sprout Social, Buffer, SocialPilot and Metricool) say the data comes from accounts that use their own products.
| Study | Published | Data window | Sample | Measures | Time zone |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | March 31, 2026 | Nov 27, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026 | About 2 billion engagements, 307,000 profiles, 30,000 customers | Engagement | Local time of the audience |
| Buffer | Sept 14, 2026 | Not stated | 7.1 million posts (videos, carousels, photos, text) published through Buffer | Median engagement rate | Adjusted by Buffer, “no need to convert” |
| Hootsuite | Nov 19, 2025 | Not stated | Over 1 million social posts from 118 countries (share on TikTok not stated) | Engagement | Localized (118 countries) |
| SocialPilot | Jan 6, 2026 | January to Dec 10, 2025 | 700,000 posts from 50,000+ accounts | Engagement | “Timezone-agnostic” |
| Metricool | June 11, 2026 | Not stated | 2,314,756 posts from 92,000+ accounts | Views | Not stated |
Method note. Sprout’s and Buffer’s live pages refuse automated requests, so we read Internet Archive snapshots dated October 2 and October 11, 2026. Later’s March 7, 2025 post names 10 a.m. Pacific time on weekdays, with Thursdays and Fridays strongest, but it reports Later’s own social team’s results and gives no sample size, so we left it out of the five.
What time does each study recommend each day?
Times are copied as each publisher wrote them. For Buffer, the first time is its best slot for that day and the times in brackets are its runners-up.
| Day | Sprout Social | Buffer | Hootsuite | SocialPilot | Metricool |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 3 to 5 p.m. | 1 p.m. (11 a.m., 8 a.m.) | 5 p.m. | 5 to 7 p.m., 10 to 11 p.m. | 8 p.m. (7 p.m. second) |
| Tuesday | 2 to 6 p.m. | 6 a.m. (10 p.m., 7 a.m.) | 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. | 8 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m., 8 p.m. | 8 p.m. (7 p.m. second) |
| Wednesday | 1 to 8 p.m. | 10 p.m. (6 a.m., 9 p.m.) | 4 to 6 p.m. | 8 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m., 8 p.m. | 7 to 8 p.m. |
| Thursday | 1 to 5 p.m. | 1 p.m. (10 p.m., 6 a.m.) | 7 to 9 a.m. | 9 a.m., 2 to 4 p.m., 8 p.m. | 8 p.m. (7 p.m. second) |
| Friday | 3 to 5 p.m. | 6 p.m. (10 p.m., 8 p.m.) | 4 to 6 p.m. | 8 a.m., 1 to 3 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
| Saturday | Avoid posting | 5 p.m. (4 p.m., 3 p.m.) | 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. | 11 a.m., 3 p.m., 8 p.m. | 7 p.m. |
| Sunday | Avoid posting | 9 a.m. (1 p.m., 12 p.m.) | 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. | 9 a.m., 10 a.m., 4 p.m. | 8 p.m. |
Hootsuite’s own summary says Thursday 6 to 9 a.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., while its day-by-day list says 7 to 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The table uses the day-by-day list.
Where do the studies agree and disagree?
- Weekends. Sprout names Saturday and Sunday its worst days. Buffer names Saturday its strongest day. Metricool calls Saturday the quietest day but Sunday at 8 p.m. the peak of the whole week.
- Afternoons. Sprout’s best windows are weekday afternoons, from 1 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday at the widest. Buffer says 12 to 5 p.m. shows the lowest engagement on most days.
- Evenings. Buffer sees engagement peak from 6 to 11 p.m. Metricool finds the most views from 6 to 8 p.m. SocialPilot lists 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.
- Nights. No study recommends posting overnight. Metricool calls 2 to 4 a.m. a “dead zone”, and Hootsuite says engagement is lowest before 7 a.m. on weekends.
- Closest overlap. No hour on the same day appears in all five studies. The nearest thing to a shared window is weekday mid-to-late afternoon, which Sprout, Hootsuite and SocialPilot list on at least some days.
Why do the studies disagree?
The pages themselves point to four reasons, and a fifth is our inference.
- Different metrics. Metricool ranks hours by views. Buffer uses median engagement rate. Sprout and SocialPilot report engagement. A slot with many views can have a low engagement rate, and the reverse.
- Different accounts. Sprout’s data comes from 30,000 customers, and its page splits results by industry, which points to brand accounts. Buffer’s covers posts published through Buffer, and Metricool’s covers accounts connected to its tool. A creator audience can behave differently.
- Different dates. Sprout’s window runs from November 27, 2025 to February 27, 2026, which includes the holiday season. SocialPilot’s runs from January to December 10, 2025.
- Different time-zone handling. Sprout and Hootsuite say local time. Buffer and SocialPilot adjust their data. Metricool does not say. A “6 p.m.” in one study may not be 6 p.m. where your viewers live.
- Scheduling effects (our inference). Several of these tools suggest posting slots, and people tend to follow them. None of the pages says whether that shapes its numbers.
What other guides get wrong. DataSauce’s undated guide, which cites April 2022 figures, says the main TikTok timing study is Influencer Marketing Hub’s roughly 100,000 posts. Five studies published since November 2025 are each far larger, from 700,000 posts to about 2 billion engagements. Also treat any guide that names one hour for every TikTok account as a guess: the five studies above give five different answers.
Does posting time matter on TikTok?
TikTok’s “How TikTok recommends content” help article lists three main factors: user interactions, content information and user information. It says interactions, which can include the time spent watching a video, are generally weighted more heavily for most users. The “user information” factor includes the viewer’s “time zone and day”. The article does not mention the hour you publish.
Buffer and Sprout both say early engagement pushes a video to a wider audience. That is the vendors’ explanation, not a statement from TikTok. Read the studies as patterns in aggregate data, not as proof that the hour itself caused the result.
Which slots are worth testing first?
These three windows each have support from more than one study. They are starting points for a test, not recommendations from any publisher.
| Window to test | Support in the studies |
|---|---|
| Weekday 3 to 5 p.m. | Inside Sprout’s window on every weekday. Overlaps Hootsuite’s Wednesday and Friday windows (4 to 6 p.m.). |
| Weekday 8 p.m. | Metricool’s pick on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. SocialPilot lists it on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. |
| Sunday 9 a.m. | Buffer’s best slot of the week. SocialPilot also lists 9 a.m., and Hootsuite lists 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Sprout advises against Sundays. |
How do you find your best time in TikTok Analytics?
Your own account data shows when your audience is online. These steps follow TikTok’s help articles on analytics, with the testing method (steps 5 and 6) added by us.
- Open Analytics. In the TikTok app, tap Profile, tap the Menu button, choose TikTok Studio, then tap Analytics. On a computer, go to tiktok.com/analytics. Business accounts can use tiktok.com/business-suite/analytics.
- Turn Analytics on. TikTok says analytics are only generated for videos posted after you enable the feature, and data can take one to two days to update. If you have no public videos yet, publish one first.
- Find the activity chart. TikTok’s TikTok Studio article lists “activity times” under the Viewers tab of account analytics. Several guides point to Most active times in the Followers tab. Menu names change between app versions, so check both tabs.
- Check the time zone. TikTok says follower activity is shown in your local time zone and all other analytics data in UTC. Convert before you compare a video’s posting time with the chart.
- Test two or three windows. Take your chart’s peak plus one or two windows from the testing table above. Post similar videos in each slot for three to four weeks.
- Compare results. In the Content view, compare views, watch time and shares by slot, and keep the format and length of the videos consistent.
TikTok says you get more insights about your viewers once you have 100 followers. Below that, use the studies as a starting point and expect thin data. If you schedule from a computer, TikTok’s Schedule video help page says you can set a time from 15 minutes to 10 days ahead, using your computer’s time zone. The same page limits scheduling to Business accounts or accounts with 10,000 or more followers, so check your upload screen for the current rule.
Need videos to test those time slots with? Compare the AI generators that turn a script into a vertical video.
See the best AI shorts generatorsWhat should you read next?
After choosing a slot, make sure the file fits TikTok’s video size and aspect ratio rules. Posting for income? See how to make money on TikTok. For other platforms, we compare the timing studies for Instagram Reels and YouTube. More TikTok guides are on our TikTok hub.
FAQ
What is the best time to post on TikTok?
No single time wins across studies. Sprout Social (March 2026) says Tuesday to Thursday, 2 to 6 p.m. Buffer (September 2026) puts Sunday at 9 a.m. first. Metricool (June 2026) points to 7 to 8 p.m. every night. Use them as test windows, then check TikTok Analytics.
What is the best day to post on TikTok?
It depends on the study. Sprout Social says Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and calls weekends the worst days. Buffer names Saturday the strongest day, with Monday and Sunday close behind. SocialPilot also lists Tuesday to Thursday as its strongest days.
What time should I not post on TikTok?
The studies disagree on afternoons and weekends but agree on nights. Metricool calls 2 to 4 a.m. a dead zone, and Hootsuite says engagement is lowest before 7 a.m. on weekends. Buffer says 12 to 5 p.m. is the weakest stretch on most days, while Sprout rates weekday afternoons highest.
What is the peak hour for TikTok?
Metricool finds the most views from 6 to 8 p.m. in its 2026 study of 2,314,756 posts. Buffer says engagement peaks from 6 to 11 p.m. in its study of 7.1 million posts. Sprout Social’s strongest window is earlier, 2 to 6 p.m. on weekdays. The TikTok help pages we read name no peak hour.
Which time zone should I use when I post?
Use the time zone where most of your viewers live. Sprout Social and Hootsuite say their times are local to the audience. TikTok says follower activity in Analytics appears in your local time zone, while all other analytics data is shown in UTC.
Does posting time matter on TikTok?
The studies say it can, but TikTok does not confirm it. TikTok’s help article on recommendations lists user interactions, content information and user information as the main factors and does not name the hour you publish. The studies show patterns in aggregate data, not proof of cause.
How do I find my best time to post in TikTok Analytics?
Open Profile, then the Menu, then TikTok Studio, then Analytics, and turn Analytics on. Look for the activity chart for your viewers or followers, which is shown in your local time zone. TikTok says analytics only cover videos posted after you enable the feature and that viewer insights improve once you have 100 followers.
Sources
- Sprout Social: Best times to post on TikTok in 2026 (published March 31, 2026; read from an Internet Archive snapshot of October 2, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
- Buffer: The Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026 (published September 14, 2026; read from an Internet Archive snapshot of October 11, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
- Hootsuite: The best time to post on TikTok [2025 data] (November 19, 2025), checked October 27, 2026
- SocialPilot: Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026 (January 6, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
- Metricool: When Is the Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026? (June 11, 2026), checked October 27, 2026
- Later: The Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2025 (March 7, 2025; own-account results, no sample size), checked October 27, 2026
- DataSauce: When is the best time to post on TikTok? (undated), checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: How TikTok recommends content, checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: How to use TikTok Analytics, checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: How to view Analytics, checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: My posts aren’t getting views, checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: Analytics about my followers are not displayed, checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: TikTok Studio, checked October 27, 2026
- TikTok Support: Schedule video, checked October 27, 2026
Method: how we research.