Best Time To Post on Instagram in 2025 (2 Million Posts Analyzed)

When is the best time to post on Instagram in 2025? It’s the question every social media manager, creator and brand continues asking because timing still matters. While Instagram’s algorithm has evolved, posting when your audience is most active can mean the difference between getting lost in the shuffle and going viral.

In this post, we’re breaking down the latest data-backed insights for when you should hit ‘publish’ in 2025. If you're after more likes, saves, shares or comments, this guide will help you find your sweet spot and stay ahead of the competition.

NOTE: The data featured in this article was collected and analyzed by Dash Social’s Senior Data Analyst and Quinn Yung, Senior Customer Insights Manager. Our analysis includes performance insights from over 1,855,000 unique Instagram posts, Stories and Reels published globally through the Dash Social platform. The dataset spans from January 1 to December 31, 2024, offering a comprehensive look at brand engagement performance across the full calendar year. The suggested best time represents a one-hour time frame, meaning any content posted within that 60-minute range contributed to the engagement data.

Finding the best time to post on Instagram really comes down to your specific audience. Make sure to always test and tweak your strategy to find what works best for your brand. But if you're looking for a general starting point, our data shows that the global sweet spot for posting is anytime after 10 p.m. right up until 12 a.m. local time.

Surprised? You’re not alone. But there are some good reasons behind this late-night window. For one, there’s far less competition. Based on our data, most brands are still sticking to daytime posting, which means your content has a better chance of standing out when the feed isn’t as crowded. A post shared after 10 p.m. to before 12 a.m. has a higher chance of landing at the top of someone's feed, whether they’re scrolling before bed or first thing in the morning.

Posting during off-peak hours can also help your content gain early traction from night owls, early risers or even international followers in different time zones. Then, when your broader audience checks their social the next morning, the Instagram algorithm sees an already-performing post and may boost its reach. 

Of course, timing is just one piece of the puzzle. Your content still needs to earn attention. Entertaining, relevant and well-crafted posts will always come out on top, no matter the posting time.

Now that we’ve covered the best time to post on Instagram overall, let's break it down by day of the week.

If you only post once a week and want to make it count, consider Sunday or Monday at 11 p.m. or try scheduling a post for early Tuesday morning around 3 a.m. These time slots showed the highest engagement rates in our data.

But if you're posting more regularly to maintain a consistent presence or fuel faster growth, we've broken down the best time of day to post on Instagram through the week to help guide your schedule.

• Monday: 11 p.m.
• Tuesday: 3 a.m.
• Wednesday: 2 a.m., 1 p.m.
• Thursday: 10 p.m.
• Friday: 10 p.m.
• Saturday: 10 p.m., 11 p.m.
• Sunday: 11 p.m.

Worst time to post on Instagram:

• Sunday: 4 p.m.

NOTE: The insights are based on global engagement rates by hour and day across carousels, static images and Reels. Our analysis looked at over 684,000 unique Instagram posts from 1,312 brand accounts using the Dash Social platform. Each recommended posting time reflects engagement from all posts shared within that hour’s 60-minute window.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Monday

The best time to post on Monday is between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. Not only is this the top-performing hour overall, but posts shared during this window on Monday also see the highest engagement of any day, second only to Sunday during the same time slot. 

For planners, night owls and anxious overthinkers, late Monday is when they’re organizing their week, checking messages, looking for inspo and mentally prepping for the week ahead. That makes it a prime moment for inspirational, helpful or just plain entertaining content to really land.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Tuesday

It might seem like an outlier, but the best time to post on Instagram on Tuesday is between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. Surprisingly, posts shared during this early-morning window earn the second-highest engagement rate of the entire week, trailing only behind the late-night posts made on Sunday and Monday.

Keep in mind that the time a post is published isn’t always when it gets the most engagement. That’s why this super-early window actually makes sense, and it’s consistent with trends we’ve seen across other days of the week. Posts published late at night often gain traction in the morning, when people wake up and instinctively start scrolling through their feeds.

But why does Tuesday outperform most other days? One theory is that some users stay off social media on Monday to get back into work mode or reset for the week ahead. By early Tuesday, they’re ready to dive back in and catch up on missed content, scrolling, liking and re-engaging with their feeds.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Wednesday

For brands, the best times to post on Wednesday are either early morning at 2 a.m. or right in the middle of the afternoon at 1 p.m.

The 2 a.m. slot likely follows the same pattern we’ve seen earlier in the week. It has low competition, overnight visibility and early traction from morning scrollers. But 1 p.m.? That’s where things get interesting.

Midday on Wednesday often marks a natural pause in the week. People are taking lunch breaks, stepping away from meetings or hitting that midweek productivity slump. That makes them more likely to turn to Instagram for a mental break and more open to engaging with content that’s timely, fun or informative. Posting at this time means you're catching people when they're actively browsing, not just passively scrolling.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Thursday

The best time to post on Thursday is between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. That said, Wednesday and Thursday typically see the lowest engagement rates of the week. During the midweek hustle, people are often deep in work mode and juggling packed schedules. This leaves less time and mental space for scrolling and engaging during their usual morning or evening routines.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Friday

As we head into the weekend, the best time to post on Friday is also between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. The main difference? Engagement for posts made during this window is slightly higher than on Thursday and stays relatively strong into the next hour. That means you’re catching more people in their prime scroll time while they're unwinding and relaxing. Your audience is more likely to engage with content as the weekend kicks off.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Saturday

The best time to post on Saturday is between 10 p.m. and 12 a.m. This late-night window captures users who are winding down from their day or have more time on a Sunday morning to peruse through their social feed. Whether they’re out, in or scrolling in bed, people tend to be more relaxed, making them more likely to engage with content and scroll longer during this time.

Best Time To Post on Instagram on Sunday

Like Saturday, the best time to post on Sunday is between 11 p.m. and 12 a.m. The difference here is that engagement during this hour is even higher. One theory could be that by this time, people are either winding down from the weekend or waking up early on Monday to jumpstart their week. As they ease back into their routines, they’re more likely to scroll, catch up on content and re-engage with their Instagram feeds.

When we isolate only the Reels data, we see that the best time to post Instagram Reels is 11 p.m. On average, Reels posted at this hour consistently perform best, thanks to a unique combination of low feed competition, high scroll energy and ideal conditions for gaining momentum in the algorithm.

As for the best days to post, Monday at 11 p.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m. top the list for driving strong Reel engagement.

If your content is eye-catching and engaging, sharing it at 11 p.m., especially on Monday, gives it a strong chance of picking up early traction and riding that momentum well into the next day.

We spend a lot of time discussing the best times to post on Instagram, but what about the worst? Knowing when not to hit publish is just as important if you want your content to land in front of the right eyes at the right moment.

Instagram’s algorithm rewards posts that pick up quick engagement. So, if you’re posting when your audience is too busy to scroll or the space is crowded with everyone else posting, your content could get buried no matter how good it is.

Here’s what we’ve learned from the data: The worst times to post on Instagram are 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. On average, posts made during this window experienced less engagement than posts made at other times of the day.  

According to the data, Sunday is the worst day to post on Instagram. More specifically, Sunday at 4 p.m. ranks as the lowest-performing time and day for average engagement rate on the platform.

Sunday at 4 p.m. is a classic case of ‘right day, wrong time.’ While Sunday at 11 p.m. actually has one of the highest engagement rates of the week, the late afternoon slump tells a different story. By 4 p.m., many users are shifting out of weekend mode. People are prepping for the week ahead, powering through chores or giving in to the Sunday scaries. That means they’re more likely to be offline, distracted or intentionally unplugging from social media to recharge before Monday.

Finding the best time to post Instagram Stories to maximize your reach can be challenging for many brands. Since Stories disappear after 24 hours, you have to know when the best time to post is to get the most eyes on your content.

We analyzed over 1.2 million Stories shared by 1,319 unique brands, and the data is clear: the weekend is your moment. Saturday and Sunday at 8 a.m. deliver the highest reach of the entire week. Instagram Stories are designed for quick, casual consumption. On weekends, people tend to spend time catching up on everything they might have missed during the busy week, making them more likely to browse through Stories from friends, creators and brands.

As mentioned, our best time to post data is collected from global brands, so those recommendations will work no matter where you are located or what time zone you are in. But just for fun, we isolated over 43,000 Instagram posts made by Australian brands over the course of 2024 to find out what the best time to post in Australia is. 

If you're posting for an Australian audience, 3 p.m. AEST is your golden hour. This time aligns with a late-afternoon scroll window, when users are wrapping up their day, taking a break or looking for a quick dopamine hit before heading into the evening. Engagement rates are consistently higher during this time compared to other hours and could be an interesting test versus our overall best time to post.

For UK-based audiences, we analyzed 4,381 unique Instagram posts made by UK brands throughout 2024. The data points to 7 p.m. UTC as the best time to post.

Because this dataset is relatively small, we recommend using our global best time recommendations as a starting point. From there, experiment with posting at 7 p.m. and track what performs best for your specific audience and content style.

When it comes to Instagram engagement, not all industries are equal. Whether you're in fashion, retail, beauty, publishing or media, your audience’s habits and their most active times can vary widely.

That means your brand’s ideal posting time might not always match the global averages. To help you get closer to your audience, we’ve broken down the best times to post on Instagram by industry. Use these as a starting point to test, learn and fine-tune what works best for your brand.

Best Time To Post on Instagram for the Beauty Industry

Analyzing over 107,000 unique posts made by brands in the beauty industry, our data shows that the best time to post is 4 a.m.

Best Time To Post on Instagram for the Fashion Industry

From a review of over 107,000 posts by brands in the fashion industry, the best time to post also lands at 4 a.m. 

Best Time To Post on Instagram for the Retail Industry

Looking at over 77,000 posts from retail brands, we found that the best time to post is 1 a.m. 

Best Time To Post on Instagram for the Publishing Industry

With data pulled from over 228,000 posts in the publishing industry, the best times to post are 3 a.m. and 11 p.m.

Best Time To Post on Instagram for the Media Industry

Analyzing over 130,000 posts from media brands, the data shows that the best time to post is 10 p.m.

The data in this report is sourced from brands across a wide range of industries and locations unless otherwise noted. All post times are recorded globally and then localized, meaning the recommended times can be applied to your local time zone for similar results.

To identify the overall best times to post, Dash Social’s BI team, with the help of our Senior Insights Manager, analyzed over 684,000 Instagram posts from 1,312 brands and calculated the average engagement rate. For Reels, we looked at more than 270,000 posts from 1,293 brands, and for Stories, we examined over 117,000 Stories from 1,319 brands, using average reach to pinpoint peak performance windows.

In total, that’s just shy of 2 million pieces of content published to Instagram, giving us a robust and reliable view of what timing really drives results. 

While these findings offer a strong starting point, we always recommend testing with your own accounts to identify the most optimal posting times for your specific audience and content marketing strategy.

While we’re bringing you in-depth data and expert insights on sharing content, there are still a few important factors you’ll need to consider to truly find your brand’s perfect posting time. Timing isn’t one-size-fits-all. Your audience, goals and content each play a role in the equation. To optimize your Instagram marketing strategy, you’ll need to test and adjust based on what works for you. Here are a few important things to keep in mind as you experiment and refine your posting schedule:

1. Your Audience's Time Zone

Location is everything when it comes to posting on Instagram. While the data above was collected globally and adjusted to local time zones, what feels like prime time for you might actually be the middle of the night or the start of a busy workday for your audience. Understanding where your followers are based is the first step for finding the real best time to post and making sure you’re showing up when they’re most likely to engage.

2. Your Audience Demographics

Who your audience is can impact when they’re most active, and when they’re most likely to engage with your content. Factors like age, gender and lifestyle all play a role in shaping your audience’s behavior on Instagram. Younger audiences like Gen Z and Gen Alpha might be more active late at night, while older demographics might engage in the middle of the day. Different regions also have different scrolling habits depending on work hours, culture and even holidays. It’s important to take these differences in social media demographics into account.

3. Your Industry or Niche

Your industry or niche plays a major role in determining when your audience is most active and when your posts are most likely to succeed. Different industries have different rhythms. A media outlet’s audience might be most active later in the evening, while a beauty brand’s followers could be scrolling early in the morning. Understanding the unique behaviors, habits and content expectations within your niche can help you fine-tune your posting schedule for maximum engagement and reach. Use industry benchmarks as a starting point, but don’t be afraid to experiment and tailor your timing based on your own audience's patterns.

4. Your Historical Data 

One of the most valuable tools for finding your best time to post is your own historical data. Looking at past performance gives you real-world insight into when your audience is most active and responsive. Dive into your Instagram Insights to spot patterns like which days and times your posts have earned the highest engagement, reach or saves.

Your brand’s historical data is a powerful roadmap for making smarter posting decisions. But we get it: Not everyone has hours to spend analyzing performance metrics to figure out the best time. That’s why our Scheduler includes a built-in feature that recommends the best time to post based on the success of your previous posts. It takes the guesswork out of timing so you can focus on creating content your audience will love.

5. Algorithm Timing

Timing isn’t just about when your audience is online; it’s also about how Instagram’s algorithm works behind the scenes. The Instagram algorithm prioritizes content that gets quick engagement. That means if your post starts receiving likes, comments and shares shortly after it’s published, it’s more likely to be shown to a wider audience.

Posting when your followers are most active gives your content the best chance to gain early traction, signaling to the algorithm that it’s worth pushing out even further. Perfecting your timing can help you reach more people and stay visible longer.

6. Type of Content

Not all content behaves the same on Instagram. When you plan to post can depend heavily on what you're posting. Quick, snackable content like memes or casual Reels might perform best during high-scroll times, while more thoughtful, in-depth posts like carousels, educational videos or product launches might benefit from times when your audience is more focused and engaged.

Understanding how different types of content fit into your audience’s daily habits can help you time your posts more strategically and get better results.

How To Find Your Best Time To Post on Instagram

Now that you have some starting points for the best times to post and factored in your audience and content needs, it’s time to put that knowledge into action.

Start by building your strategy around the data you already have. Tailor your messaging to match your audience’s habits based on the time of day they’re most active. Test different content types across your Instagram feed, Stories and Reels to discover what drives the most engagement and when.

Finally, bring it all together with a scheduling tool. A good scheduler lets you see your entire content strategy at a glance, plan ahead and make quick adjustments based on performance. Plus, with auto-publish, you’re saved from staying up late, waking up early or clocking in on weekends just to make sure your post goes live exactly when it should.

Best Time To Post FAQs

What is a good time to post on Instagram?

While general data suggests that late evenings, especially between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m. local time, often deliver strong results, the best posting time can vary. It depends on your audience’s habits, location and the type of content you share. Testing and adjusting based on your own insights is the best way to find your perfect posting window.

Does posting time matter on Instagram?

Yes, posting time absolutely matters on Instagram. While great content is always the most important factor, smart timing helps your posts perform even better. The Instagram algorithm favors posts that get early engagement shortly after they go live. Posting when your audience is most active gives your content a better chance to pick up quick interactions, which can help boost its visibility across more feeds. 

How do I check my peak time on Instagram?

You can find your peak posting times by using Instagram’s built-in Insights. Here’s how:

1. Go to your Instagram profile and tap the menu (three lines) in the top right corner.
2. Tap Insights.
3. Under the Audience section, scroll down to ‘Most Active Times.’
4. You'll see the days and hours when your followers are most active.