Guide
Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2026, by Day and Hour
On Instagram, the best time to post differs from study to study: three 2026 studies give three different times. Here is what each found, and how to pick yours.
Best time to post on Instagram: what the studies found
About 10 million posts: Thursday at 9 a.m. was the best single time, and Wednesday the best day, measured by median likes, comments and shares.
Nearly 2 billion engagements: Tuesday from 1 to 7 p.m. and Wednesday from noon to 9 p.m.; Monday to Thursday were the best days and weekends the weakest.
A third 2026 study: 8 p.m. on Tuesday and Sunday, with 2 p.m. as a second peak, and Saturday the weakest day.
A sensible starting point
Midweek, either mid-morning or from lunchtime into the evening. Try Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning for a few weeks and compare.
Finding your own Instagram time
Professional Instagram accounts can see when their followers are most active in Instagram’s own insights. That is a better guide than any average, because it is your audience.
Dripost reads likes and comments on the Instagram posts it publishes. After five measured posts, its Insights page suggests a day and hour for you, shown on your clock, and you can schedule the next post straight into that slot.
Instagram on a Monday, a Friday or a Sunday
The studies put midweek at or near the top, so Monday is not the usual winner. Friday depends on your audience, and so does Sunday. Check when your followers are on the app in Instagram’s Insights, under Total followers, then Most active times.
Instagram posting times in India
None of the three studies we cite reports India separately, so we do not quote an Indian best time. Use the same method with your own Insights, which show your followers’ active hours in your time zone.
Reels: do they need a different hour?
Reels also reach people who do not follow you. Our guide to the best time to post Reels covers how to test your own hours.
Best time in India to post on Instagram
Almost all followers in India share one time zone, IST, so the hours Instagram Insights shows hold for the whole country. Open Insights, look at Most active times for your followers, and post in the busiest hour you can keep every week. If many of your followers live abroad, the chart blends their hours with India's.
The best time to post Reels on Instagram comes from the same chart, and our Reels guide covers the difference between Reels and feed posts.
Monday, Friday and Sunday on Instagram
Instagram gives no official hour for any day. Your best Monday time to post on Instagram is the busiest Monday hour in your own Insights; the same goes for your best Friday time to post on Instagram and your best Sunday time to post on Instagram. Weekend patterns often differ from weekdays, so check each day rather than using one time for all seven.
Sources
Questions
Is the best time different for Reels?
The studies above mix every kind of post. Reels are shown to people who don’t follow you, so your own numbers matter even more than the averages.
Post it with Dripost
- Instagram post previewSee your post or Reel as Instagram will show it, then send it to a client to approve with no login.
- Post a video on InstagramUpload once and Dripost posts it as a Reel, then shows you the live link.
- Instagram from Claude or ChatGPTLet your AI assistant draft and schedule Instagram posts. You approve before anything goes out.