Compiled by the Zolyp team · Studies checked
Your own audience beats any average
Paste the times and results of your last posts and the free tool shows which days and hours work for your followers, in your time zone.
Find your best time to post on FacebookWhat the published studies found
These are other companies' studies, summarised in our words with a link to each. They measure different accounts in different ways, so read them as a starting point to test, not a rule.
Sprout Social
Monday to Thursday did best, with Tuesday and Wednesday from around midday into the evening the strongest windows. Weekends had the lowest engagement. All times are in the audience's local time.
Sample: Nearly 2 billion engagements across about 307,000 social profiles on six networks, from over 30,000 Sprout Social customers, collected 27 November 2025 to 27 February 2026.. Published 31 March 2026. Best times to post on Facebook in 2026, checked 14 October 2026.
Buffer
Weekday mornings led. Thursday at 9am was the top single slot, Wednesday was the best day overall, followed by Thursday and Tuesday, and Saturday was the weakest. Buffer normalised the times so they read as local time.
Sample: More than 14 million Facebook posts sent through Buffer by businesses, creators and influencers. The number of accounts and the date range are not stated.. Published 26 February 2026. Best Time to Post on Facebook: New Data from 14M Posts, checked 14 October 2026.
Hootsuite
Early morning did best. Hootsuite names Tuesday at 5am as the top time and says activity peaks between 5am and 8am across the week. Times were localised across 118 countries.
Sample: Over 1 million social posts from businesses of all sizes, analysed with the data science agency Critical Truth. The number of accounts and the date range are not stated.. Published 19 November 2025. The best time to post on Facebook [2025 data], checked 14 October 2026.
Where they agree: All three put weekdays ahead of weekends, and Tuesday to Thursday appears in every study. They disagree on the hour: Hootsuite and Buffer found mornings strongest, while Sprout Social found the longest peaks from midday into the evening.
What Facebook itself says
Facebook's Feed is ranked by predicted relevance. Meta says the system scores about 500 candidate posts for each person and shows the ones it predicts will be most valuable higher up. People can switch to a Following view to see posts in reverse time order.
Source: Meta Transparency Center: Facebook Feed AI system, checked 14 October 2026
When you schedule a post in Meta Business Suite, the Active times option recommends times based on when your followers were most active on Facebook and Instagram over the past 7 days.
Source: Meta Business Help Center: Create and manage posts in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 14 October 2026
How to see when your Facebook audience is online
Meta Business Suite suggests posting times based on when your own followers were active. It shows them while you schedule a post.
- Go to Meta Business Suite and click Create post, from the home page or the Content tab.
- Under Post to, choose your Facebook Page (and Instagram, if it's connected).
- Under Scheduling options, open the date and time picker and click Active times.
- Note the recommended times. Meta bases them on when your followers were most active on Facebook and Instagram over the past 7 days, so check again over a few weeks to see if they hold.
- Schedule a few posts at those times, then compare their reach and engagement with your usual slot.
Source: Meta Business Help Center: Create and manage posts in Meta Business Suite on desktop, checked 14 October 2026
Tips that work whatever the study says
- Post 30 to 60 minutes before your followers' busiest time, so the post has a chance to gather early reactions.
- Test one new slot for two to three weeks before deciding. A single post at a new time tells you very little.
- Use your audience's time zone. If you serve a local area, the local business day is usually your best guide.
- Since Active times only looks back 7 days, a holiday week or a busy news week can skew it. Look at it more than once.
- Keep a steady rhythm. Regular posting at similar times makes it easier to see what timing actually changes.
- Our free tool at /tools/best-time-to-post works out your best times from your own post results.
Common questions
What is the best day to post on Facebook?
Studies point to midweek. Buffer found Wednesday best, then Thursday and Tuesday. Sprout Social found Monday to Thursday strongest, with Tuesday and Wednesday leading. Weekends were weakest in all three studies we looked at.
Does posting time still matter on Facebook?
Yes, but less than the content itself. The feed is ranked by predicted relevance, not time order, so timing mainly affects how quickly a post gets early reactions from people who are online.
Where do I find the best time to post in Meta Business Suite?
Create a post, open Scheduling options, and click Active times. Meta recommends times based on when your followers were most active on Facebook and Instagram over the past 7 days.
What time zone should I use for Facebook?
Your audience's. The major studies all give times in the audience's local time. If your customers are in one city or country, use that time zone even if you are somewhere else.