The Best Time to Post on TikTok in 2026 — New Data

While it's always a good time to watch TikToks, figuring out the best time to post on TikTok is a bit more complicated.

And yet, knowing when to post on TikTok can be super helpful for content creators and small business owners alike.

After all, creating TikToks is tough work (trust me, I know), so it makes sense to optimize when you share it for maximum impact.

That's why we analyzed Buffer's data — looking at more than 1 million videos, carousels, photos, and text posts — to pinpoint the best times to post on TikTok.

In this guide, we’ll help you find the best time to post on TikTok based on your target audience, your goals, and the latest data (and, with any luck, land your videos on For You Pages worldwide).

Is there a best time to post on TikTok?

There isn’t one “magic” best time to post on TikTok for every creator, but our study of 1 million posts shows clear standout times to try. Below are the top posting windows we uncovered, plus a quick guide on how to test for your own best times.

The analysis, conducted by Buffer's data scientist-in-residence, weighed up the median views of 1 million posts published through Buffer.

These numbers helped us pinpoint some pretty clear patterns in the times of TikTok posts that tend to perform well compared to those that don't, which are, arguably, the best time to post on TikTok in 2026.

But before we dig into our data, though, an important caveat: There is no universal best time to post on TikTok that will work for every video on the app. If only it were that easy.

The best time to post on TikTok for you depends on your target audience — your audience location, timezones, and their behaviors — which is why I'll walk you through analyzing your own TikTok data to figure out the best time to post on TikTok for your target audience later in this article.

That said, the days and times in the charts below offer a handy guide to help you maximize your content potential while growing your following. If you’re just getting started, using our data on the best time to post on TikTok is a great place to begin.

Let's dive into what the data shows about the best times to post on TikTok in 2026.

The best times to post on TikTok

According to our data, the best time to post on TikTok is Sunday at 8 p.m., followed by Tuesday at 4 p.m., and Wednesday at 5 p.m.

Videos, carousels, and text TikTok posts shared during those times tended to get the highest views of the week, though other slots weren't far behind.

🌞 Generally speaking, views tend to pick up later in the day, with peak time slots at 1 p.m. or later.

This heatmap shows patterns in the best time to post on TikTok by hour and day. The darkest blocks are the time slots with the highest views (the best time to post) — and the light to white blocks are the time slots with the lowest views (times that are probably best avoided).

TikTok is a particularly fascinating platform to look at in terms of posting times. In our other analyses of the best time to post on LinkedIn and even Instagram there are some really predictable patterns in video performance (and, we can assume, audience behavior).

But with TikTok, things are less cut and dried. This is likely because TikTok has a younger demographic — the majority of TikTok users in the US are 18 - 24 years old, the largest age group on the platform — with a less rigid schedule.

The best time to post on TikTok at a glance

In general, early mornings are best avoided, and early evening is often the best time to post.

Here's a quick look at the best time to post on TikTok every day of the week. The posting times appear in order of performance (so the first time mentioned is the best time for that day, and so on).

• The best time to post on TikTok on Monday: 7 p.m., 6 p.m., 5 p.m.
• The best time to post on TikTok on Tuesday: 4 p.m., 8 p.m., 2p.m.
• The best time to post on TikTok on Wednesday: 5 p.m. 6 p.m., 4 p.m.
• The best time to post on TikTok on Thursday: 5 p.m., 1 p.m., 3 p.m.
• The best time to post on TikTok on Friday: 4 p.m. 2 p.m., 6 p.m.
• The best time to post on TikTok on Saturday: 5 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m.
• The best time to post on TikTok on Sunday: 8 p.m., 5 p.m., 4 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Monday

The best time to post on TikTok on Monday is 7 p.m., closely followed by 6 p.m., then 5 p.m., according to Buffer data.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Monday: 7 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Tuesday

The best time to post on TikTok on Tuesday is 4 p.m. Videos posted at 8 p.m. received the second-highest median views, followed by 2 p.m, so add those into your TikTok posting schedule, too.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Tuesday: 4 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Wednesday

On Wednesdays, the best time to post on TikTok is 5 p.m., closely followed by 6 p.m., then 4 p.m. Wednesday is the best day to post on TikTok, so it's definitely worth adding to your posting schedule.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Wednesday: 5 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Thursday

The best time to post on TikTok on Thursday is 5 p.m. Videos posted at 1 p.m. received the second-highest median views, closely followed by 3 p.m.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Thursday: 5 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Friday

On Friday, the best time to post on TikTok is at 4 p.m.. There is another solid posting time at 2 p.m., then in the early evening at 6 p.m.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Friday: 4 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Saturday

Saturday is a quieter time on TikTok, though there are some optimal times worth noting. The best time to post on TikTok is 5 p.m. followed by 4 p.m., then 7 p.m.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Saturday: 5 p.m.

The best time to post on TikTok on Sunday

The best time to post on TikTok on Sunday is at 8 p.m., one of the best times to post throughout the entire week — so bookmark this slot for your TikTok posting schedule for maximum engagement. Other good times to post on TikTok on Sunday are 5 p.m. and 4 p.m. This is a great time to use scheduling tools if you prefer to keep weekends free.

⏰ When to post on TikTok on Sunday: 8 p.m.

This is where social media scheduling tools like Buffer shine. Experiment by systematically going through the times on the list above, scheduling a TikTok, and tracking its performance to see what works best for your specific audience.

The best day of the week to post on TikTok

The best day of the week to post on TikTok is Wednesday. Overall, videos, carousels, and text TikTok posts shared on Wednesday tended to perform the best.

Thursday and Friday are tied for second place in terms of the best day of the week to post on TikTok.

The worst day of the week to post on TikTok is Saturday, when there's a notable dip in views of TikTok posts shared on that day. If you do need to post on TikTok on Saturday, there is a slight peak in TikTok engagement at 5 p.m.

The best content type to post on TikTok

As an added bonus in these analyses, we look at not only the best time to post, but also the best type of content to post on the platform. On TikTok, the answer probably won't surprise you at all — it's video.

That said, pictures (or carousels) and text posts put in a pretty good showing on a platform that was once exclusively for video.

Our data found that videos only see 18% more views than text posts and 7% more than photos or carousels. In turn, photos or carousels perform 11% better than text posts.

How to find your best time to post on TikTok

As always, these times work as a starting point, but your specific TikTok users might show different user behavior.

These time slots are a great starting point to experiment with. I highly suggest you do if you're unsure of your best posting time.

But, TikTok is one of the more helpful social media platforms, thanks to some handy audience insights. In fact, you can see exactly when your followers (not just TikTok users in general) have been online in the past week, to help you make more informed decisions about when to post your next videos.

Here's how:

1. See when your TikTok followers are active for maximum engagement

Head over to your TikTok account. Then:

1. Open your TikTok profile and tap TikTok Studio (just under your bio). Pro tip: You can also grab the standalone TikTok Studio app if you prefer.
2. Inside Studio, look for the Analytics card and tap View all.
3. Choose the Followers tab, then scroll to Most active times.

In this TikTok analytics section, you'll find a retrospective overview of when your TikTok account followers were most active on the app over the past week (you can't see further back than 7 days).

Why does this matter? When you post your TikTok, the algorithm will serve your video to a select group of your followers, and non-followers gauge how they react. Do they watch the whole video? Tap through the carousel? Like, it, comment on it, or share it with a friend?

Actions like these are strong indicators that your TikTok content is valuable (while all TikTok engagement helps, watch time is particularly important). It signals to TikTok's algorithm that it should serve your video to more people like the ones who watched and engaged. A larger group will find your videos on their FYP, and so the pattern continues.

While TikTok only shares follower activity, it stands to reason that your TikTok users who don't already follow you — people you're hoping to reach and convert — will behave similarly to the people already following you. In turn, they might be scrolling through the app at similar times.

Posting when your target audience is most active — or just before that period — gives your content the best possible chance of success.

2. Pinpoint some good times and peak hours to post on TikTok to maximize reach

It's worthwhile spending some time noting down your audience's most active times over the past few days. Look for patterns.

Is there a similar spike in activity on weekdays? Or on weekends? Is there one day of the week that stands out when it comes to the best time to post on TikTok?

These slots will give you a good indication of the best time to post on TikTok for your target audience.

I suggest posting slightly before your followers' most active times, particularly if it lines up with one of our best times to post on TikTok, above.

3. Consider your own schedule for posting consistently

Burnout can be very real for content creators or social media managers. While posting consistently is a great idea, you don't want to do too much at once and exhaust yourself.

When deciding on the best time to post on TikTok and, in particular, how often you'll post, consider whether the workload feels reasonable.

To create engaging, informative, and thoughtful content, you need to feel inspired when you post on TikTok. So take care of your physical and mental health and take breaks whenever needed.

Creating a posting schedule or social media calendar can reduce the stress of posting consistently. A calendar will provide an organized way to post regularly, lay out all of your TikTok videos, and help you be more consistent.

Once you have a solid overview of your content and when to schedule your posts on TikTok, you can start planning and filming TikTok content in advance and even batch-create content.

3. Experiment with different times

Now you've studied your followers' most active times and nailed down a few options for the best time to post on TikTok, it's time to take those times for a spin.

Experimentation is a pillar of successful social media marketing — play around with scheduling your TikTok posts at various periods during the day to see which video performs the best.

If you're not able to actively post on TikTok during those hours (perhaps your target audience location is not in the same time zone as yours), no sweat: A social media management tool like Buffer can help schedule TikTok posts at the exact moments your audience is most likely to engage.

While we're on the subject: Want to add your TikTok trending audio natively in the TikTok app? You can still schedule your video to post at a specific time, with Buffer's TikTok notification post feature!

You'll get a notification when the time comes to post your video, and Buffer will automatically open the video up in TikTok for you. From there, you can copy your caption over from Buffer, and add any elements you want in TikTok, saving you precious time. Plus, you'll never forget a posting time again.

4. Analyze your content performance

Stick to your planned posting schedule when you post on TikTok for a few weeks, to give each posting time a fair trial. Use these numbers to help you find the best time to post on TikTok:

• Views — total number of times your video was watched
• Likes — total likes received
• Shares — number of times your video was shared
• Comments — total comments on your video
• Followers — new followers gained from the post

5. Post regularly, rinse, and repeat

Can't find any patterns that point to a best time to post on TikTok? That's OK. You could stick to your current schedule when you post on TikTok a little longer if your posts are generally performing well, to gather more data. If not, I'd suggest adjusting your schedule (and checking out these tips for creating great TikTok content, too. ).

If you've found some times that seem to be working? Great! Be sure to share or schedule your posts during those times for the next few weeks.

But don't forget to add some new times to experiment with into the mix when you post on TikTok. TikTok trends (and TikTok's algorithm) shift constantly, so testing new posting times every few weeks can help you stay ahead.

Finding your optimal times to post on TikTok

Hopefully, this guide will help you nail down the best time to post on TikTok for you! Ensuring your videos, photos, and text posts, get seen by as many people as possible when you post on TikTok is the next step in attracting more followers or customers to your brand and building a stronger online community.

What is your best time to post on TikTok? Let us know in the comments below.

More TikTok resources

• 15 Trending Songs on TikTok (+ How to Use Them)
• Top 250 TikTok Hashtags + How to Use Them for Growth
• TikTok Bulletin Boards: What They Are, How They Work, and Why They Matter
• 14 Ways to Get More Followers on TikTok

FAQ on the best time to post on TikTok

Is there really a “best” time to post on TikTok?

Kind of. Our data shows clear patterns in when posts tend to perform best. But remember, your ideal time depends on your audience. Use the recommended times as a starting point, then experiment.

Do the best posting times change by time zone?

To make things easier, our data is standardized so you can use the times as-is, no matter where you live or what timezone you’re in.

Do I need to post every day at the best time?

Posting consistently matters more than posting every single day. Choose times that work for your audience and feel sustainable for you.

How do I know when my audience is most active?

Check TikTok Analytics → Followers tab → Most active times. This shows when your followers were online in the past week — a great clue for when to post next.

Does posting time matter if my content isn’t getting views?

It helps, but it’s not the whole story. Keep an eye on watch time, engagement, and follower growth. If those are trending upward, you're on the right track — even if one video flops.

How long should I test a posting time before deciding if it works?

TikTok performance can be unpredictable day-to-day. Give each time slot at least a few weeks so you can spot patterns instead of one-off spikes.

What if my followers live in different time zones?

Look for overlap in activity patterns. If most of your audience is active in the afternoon or evening (regardless of country), try posting during shared “awake hours.”

Can I schedule TikTok posts?

Yes, Buffer lets you schedule or set up notification-based posting. It’s a great way to show up at the right time without having to be glued to your phone.