There is no single best time that works for every account. The large 2026 studies don’t agree with each other, and Instagram’s own advice is to post “when your audience is awake and most active” and to check your insights to find out when that is (Instagram for Creators).
If you want a starting point before you have your own data, the studies below lean toward weekday afternoons and evenings in your audience’s local time. Then let your insights decide.
What the 2026 studies found
Each study uses different accounts and a different method, so read them side by side, not as one answer. All times are the audience’s local time.
| Study | Data | What it found |
|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social (March 2026) | About 307,000 profiles, November 2025 to February 2026 | Monday to Thursday, mostly between noon and 9 p.m.; Tuesday and Wednesday strongest, weekends weakest. Reels follow the same windows as other posts. |
| Buffer (September 2026) | 9.6 million posts, 2024 and 2025 | For Reels: evenings, 6 to 11 p.m., with Wednesday and Thursday strongest. The analysis mixed all post types. |
| Hootsuite (July 2026) | Over 1 million posts | Best days Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with afternoon peaks; no separate times for Reels. |
| Later (updated April 2026) | 6 million posts including 975,000 Reels, 2024 | Reels posted at 12 a.m., with Monday as the best day, and high engagement between midnight and 6 a.m. |
Three studies point to weekdays in the afternoon or evening. Later’s midnight result is the exception, and its data is from 2024. Sprout Social, Buffer and Later measure engagement, not how many people a Reel reached.
Find your own best time in Instagram
With a professional account (creator or business), Instagram shows when your followers are active:
- Go to your profile and tap Professional dashboard (or Insights).
- Open your follower insights, listed as total or new followers.
- Scroll to Most active times. You can switch between hours and days.
Insights only cover the time since you switched to a professional account, so a new one starts with little data. Label names vary slightly between app versions.
Test it on your own account
- Pick two or three windows from your most active times.
- Post similar Reels in each window over two or three weeks.
- Compare the reach, plays and shares of each Reel in insights after a few days.
Keep the content similar so the time is the main difference. One Reel in each slot tells you little; a pattern across several is more useful.
If your audience is in another time zone
All the studies above use the viewer’s local time. If most of your followers live in another country, plan by their clock, not yours. Your follower insights show their top cities and countries.
Post regularly
Instagram’s creators site says top growing creators post 10 or more Reels a month. A steady schedule gives your insights more data to work with, too. For format ideas, see Reels ideas that get people watching, and for length limits, how long an Instagram Reel can be.
If you want a new Reel to start with more views in its first hours, our Instagram Reels views service adds views to the Reels you choose.
FAQ
What is the best day to post Reels?
The studies disagree. Sprout Social found Tuesday and Wednesday strongest, Buffer found Wednesday and Thursday for Reels, and Later found Monday.
Is it better to post Reels in the morning or the evening?
Buffer’s data favors evenings from 6 to 11 p.m. and Sprout Social’s favors noon to evening. Your own most active times are the better guide.
How often should I post Reels?
Instagram says top growing creators post 10 or more Reels a month.
Does the posting time decide how many views a Reel gets?
Posting when your followers are online helps, which is why Instagram points you to your insights. The studies above measure engagement, not views, so they can’t tell you how much the time alone changes the numbers.