Best time to post on YouTube in 2026, by day and timezone
What the published studies say about the best time to post on YouTube, day by day, converted to your timezone, with every source named.
On this page
The best time to post on YouTube depends on your audience, and the published studies don't fully agree. Below is each study's answer by day, where they overlap, and a free checker that puts those times on your clock. If you'd rather not plan timing at all, Postdom makes your YouTube posts from your website and schedules the ones you approve in your time zone.
This page is compiled from published studies, not from Postdom's own data. Every source is named at the bottom with its date and sample.
Free best time to post on YouTube checker
The studies give times in your audience's local time. Tell the checker where your audience is, and it puts the times on your clock. It's free and runs in your browser.
Best time to post on YouTube by day
Each study's best times, in your audience's local time. The first column is any hour that sits inside two or more studies' windows for that day.
- Monday
Where they agree: No hour two studies share
Buffer: Long: 9am, 10pm, 7am · Shorts: 8pm, 5pm, 6pm
SocialPilot: 2–4pm
HubSpot: Not a best day
- Tuesday
Where they agree: No hour two studies share
Buffer: Long: 9am, 11am, 8am · Shorts: 8pm, 9pm, 7pm
SocialPilot: 2–4pm
HubSpot: Not a best day
- Wednesday
Where they agree: 3pm (Buffer, SocialPilot)
Buffer: Long: 7am, 3pm, 5pm · Shorts: 7pm, 8pm, 9pm
SocialPilot: 2–4pm
HubSpot: Not a best day
- Thursday
Where they agree: No hour two studies share
Buffer: Long: 5pm, 6pm, 7am · Shorts: 7pm, 8pm, 9pm
SocialPilot: 2–4pm
HubSpot: Not a best day
- Friday
Where they agree: 12pm, 2–3pm (Buffer, SocialPilot, HubSpot)
Buffer: Long: 12pm, 11am, 3pm · Shorts: 4pm, 6pm, 7pm
SocialPilot: 2–4pm
HubSpot: 12–3pm, 6–9pm
- Saturday
Where they agree: 12pm (Buffer, HubSpot)
Buffer: Long: 12pm, 10am, 3pm · Shorts: 7pm, 11am, 6pm
SocialPilot: Not in its weekday answer
HubSpot: 12–3pm, 6–9pm
- Sunday
Where they agree: 12pm (Buffer, HubSpot)
Buffer: Long: 10am, 9am, 12pm · Shorts: 7pm, 8pm, 5pm
SocialPilot: Not in its weekday answer
HubSpot: 12–3pm, 6–9pm
| Day | Where they agree | Buffer | SocialPilot | HubSpot |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | No hour two studies share | Long: 9am, 10pm, 7am · Shorts: 8pm, 5pm, 6pm | 2–4pm | Not a best day |
| Tuesday | No hour two studies share | Long: 9am, 11am, 8am · Shorts: 8pm, 9pm, 7pm | 2–4pm | Not a best day |
| Wednesday | 3pm Buffer, SocialPilot | Long: 7am, 3pm, 5pm · Shorts: 7pm, 8pm, 9pm | 2–4pm | Not a best day |
| Thursday | No hour two studies share | Long: 5pm, 6pm, 7am · Shorts: 7pm, 8pm, 9pm | 2–4pm | Not a best day |
| Friday | 12pm, 2–3pm Buffer, SocialPilot, HubSpot | Long: 12pm, 11am, 3pm · Shorts: 4pm, 6pm, 7pm | 2–4pm | 12–3pm, 6–9pm |
| Saturday | 12pm Buffer, HubSpot | Long: 12pm, 10am, 3pm · Shorts: 7pm, 11am, 6pm | Not in its weekday answer | 12–3pm, 6–9pm |
| Sunday | 12pm Buffer, HubSpot | Long: 10am, 9am, 12pm · Shorts: 7pm, 8pm, 5pm | Not in its weekday answer | 12–3pm, 6–9pm |
Best day to post on YouTube
Best: Buffer: Sunday for long videos, Friday for Shorts. SocialPilot: Wednesday to Friday. HubSpot's survey: Friday to Sunday.
Worst: Buffer: Wednesday and Thursday for long videos, Monday and Tuesday for Shorts. HubSpot's survey: Monday and Tuesday.
Where they disagree: Buffer calls Wednesday and Thursday the weakest days for long videos; SocialPilot names Wednesday to Friday the strongest. Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Later publish no YouTube study.
Best time to post on YouTube Shorts
Of the studies here, only Buffer reports YouTube Shorts separately from long videos, and its Shorts slots lean to the evening. They are in the table above, marked Shorts, day by day. The other studies answer for YouTube as a whole, so for Shorts, Buffer's times are the ones to test first.
It depends on your audience
- These are patterns across other accounts' posts. Your followers' habits can be different, and your own results are the better guide once you have a few weeks of them.
- The times are in your audience's local time. If most of your followers are in another country, use the checker above.
- A good post at an average time beats an average post at the best time. Timing moves results at the margin.
- Test it: post at two of the windows above for a few weeks each, and keep the one your own numbers favour.
Post on YouTube at the right time with Postdom
Postdom turns your website into ready-to-post videos, slideshows and single images in your brand. Videos publish to YouTube Shorts, including on the Free plan. Approved posts are scheduled for you in your time zone, with quiet hours overnight, and you can change any post's time.
Postdom's Free plan has no card: 1 post a month made for you from your website, posted to 2 connected accounts of your choice. Free posts keep the Postdom watermark. See pricing for paid plans, and how scheduling works in Postdom.
Method and sources
We read each study's own page and copied its times as stated. Where a study gives no time for a day, the table says what it says instead. We don't average, and we don't fill gaps. Postdom will switch this page to its own numbers once it has enough published posts with a week of results.
Buffer: Best time to post on YouTube
Published or updated 24 July 2026. Read 5 October 2026.
Sample: 1.8 million YouTube videos, long videos and Shorts. The page gives no date range.
Times are in: Your audience's local time.
Note: Buffer ranks three slots a day for long videos and for Shorts, best first.
The worst days to post YouTube Shorts are Tuesday and Monday.
SocialPilot: Best time to post on YouTube
The page states no publication date. Read 5 October 2026.
Sample: 301,000 YouTube videos published through SocialPilot by 27,000+ channels. The page gives no date range.
Times are in: Your audience's local time.
Note: We use its headline answer only; its own page also gives evening windows.
The best times to post on YouTube are 2–4 PM local time on weekdays, with Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday being the strongest days overall.
HubSpot: The best times to post on YouTube
Published or updated 22 November 2024. Read 5 October 2026.
Sample: A survey of 1,500+ marketers, not engagement data.
Times are in: Each marketer's own timezone.
Note: A survey of what marketers believe, from 2024.
The best times to post on YouTube are between 6-9 PM and 12-3 PM, on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
Best time to post on YouTube: questions
What is the best time to post on YouTube?
For long videos, Friday to Sunday around midday in your audience's local time is where the studies overlap. For Shorts, Buffer's data points to evenings, 7 to 8pm, with Friday the best day.
What is the best day to post on YouTube?
Buffer: Sunday for long videos, Friday for Shorts. SocialPilot: Wednesday to Friday. HubSpot's survey: Friday to Sunday. Buffer: Wednesday and Thursday for long videos, Monday and Tuesday for Shorts. HubSpot's survey: Monday and Tuesday.
What timezone are these times in?
Your audience's local time: the studies adjusted their times to the local time of the people seeing the posts. If your audience is where you are, use them as they are; if it's somewhere else, convert them with the widget on this page. One exception: HubSpot's times are in each marketer's own timezone.
Why do the studies disagree?
They measure different accounts, over different months, with different definitions of engagement. Buffer calls Wednesday and Thursday the weakest days for long videos; SocialPilot names Wednesday to Friday the strongest. Sprout Social, Hootsuite and Later publish no YouTube study.
Is this Postdom's own data?
No. It's compiled from Buffer, SocialPilot and HubSpot. Postdom will publish its own numbers once at least 10,000 posts published through Postdom have a week of results.
Best times on other platforms
More free tools for planning your posts are on the free social media tools page.