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Best Time to Post on Instagram

Choose where your followers live and the kind of account you run. Get a weekly map of hours to try, shown in your own time zone.

Best time planner Live
Your time zone: detected from this device
Account type
Posts a week
Days you can postTap to switch a day off

Runs in your browser. Nothing you choose is sent anywhere, and there is no limit.

Suggested hours, in your time

General guidance

Hour of the day in your time (24-hour clock). Each square is two hours.
Less likelyMore likelyIn your plan

    Start here, then measure. These hours follow common daily routines, not your followers. Keep the windows where your own posts do best.

    • Runs in your browser
    • Shown in your time zone
    • Weekday and weekend hours
    • Free, no sign-up
    How it works

    From a map to a posting plan.

    Choose your audience and your week. The planner picks one window on each posting day.

    1

    Choose your followers' time zone

    Pick the place where most of your followers live. The map converts it to your own time.

    2

    Pick your account and your days

    Choose an account type, how many posts a week, and the days you can post.

    3

    Post, then compare

    Use the plan for a few weeks. Keep the windows where your own posts do best.

    Where the hours come from

    Three moments in a day.

    The planner shades each two-hour window by how well it fits three daily moments in your followers' own time, then shifts it for weekends and for your type of account. It does not read any account.

    3daily moments: before work, lunch and the evening
    2 hoursin each square of the map, shown in your time zone
    4account types, each with its own shift
    0accounts read: the map is general guidance

    Your own best hours come from your own followers. The free check maps them from your account.

    The rules the map usesGeneral guidance
    Before workAbout 7 to 9 am on weekdays, when many people check their phone at breakfast or on the way to work.
    LunchAbout 12 to 2 pm, the midday break.
    EveningAbout 6 to 9 pm, after work and school. The map shades this window most on weekdays.
    WeekendsMornings start later. The map moves the first window to about 9 am to noon and keeps the evening.
    By account typeB2B and services lean on weekday work hours and drop at weekends. Shops, brands and creators keep later evenings, to about 10 pm. Local businesses use the three daily moments as they are.
    General guidance

    Turning a plan into your own hours.

    Six habits for testing posting times. They are general guidance, and your own results decide.

    01

    Test one new window at a time

    Move one post a week into a window you have not tried, for four weeks, before you judge it.

    ClinicWeeks 1 to 4: the Tuesday post goes out at 7:30 am instead of 7 pm.
    02

    Compare like with like

    Compare Reels with Reels and photos with photos. A change of format can look like a change of hour.

    CaféTwo Friday Reels, one at noon and one at 6 pm, same length and style.
    03

    Post when you can reply

    Comments in the first hour need answers. Pick windows when someone on your team can respond.

    SalonPost at 12:15 pm, when the front desk has a quiet half hour.
    04

    Pick a rhythm you can keep

    Choose a number of posts you can make every week. Followers learn when to expect you.

    StudioThree posts: Monday, Wednesday and Saturday, every week.
    05

    Think in your followers' time

    If most followers live in another country, their evening may be your night. Schedule the post ahead.

    ShopA shop in Lisbon with buyers in New York posts at 11 pm Lisbon time, 6 pm in New York.
    06

    Check again each season

    School terms, holidays and clock changes move daily routines. Run the planner again when they change.

    GymRe-run the plan the week the clocks change and in January.
    Free account check

    See the hours your own followers are online.

    The free check reads your account through Instagram's official login and maps the hours your followers are active. It opens soon.

    Opening soonSee how it works
    • Your best posts, and why they workedRead from your own account through Instagram's official login.
    • Your best hours, as a heatmapThe hours your own followers are most active.
    • Three next stepsWhat to post next, in a few lines.
    Questions

    Questions about posting times.

    What the map is based on, and how to use it.

    What is the best time to post on Instagram?
    There is no single hour that suits every account. This planner starts from general guidance on daily routines, shifted to your followers' time zone and your type of account. Your own best hours come from your own posts and followers.
    Is the map based on my account?
    No. The planner reads no account and sends nothing anywhere; it applies the rules on this page in your browser. The free check, which opens soon, maps the hours your own followers are active.
    Which time zone should I choose?
    Where most of your followers live. Instagram shows your followers' top locations in Insights, under your audience. If they are spread out, choose the largest group.
    Why are weekends different?
    Many people start the day later on Saturday and Sunday, so the guidance moves the morning window to about 9 am to noon and keeps the evening.
    How many times a week should I post?
    A number you can keep every week. The plan spreads 3, 5 or 7 posts across the days you choose, each in the strongest window that day.
    Does the planner handle clock changes?
    Yes. It converts with your device's time zone rules for the coming week, so a clock change in either place is included. Run it again after the clocks change.

    Hours planned. Next, grow the account.

    ProfileScan is the Instagram growth tool: an assistant that knows your account, tells you what to post and why, and drafts your replies. It opens soon.

    Opening soonSee how it works