Best Time to Post on LinkedIn: What Four Studies Found
Four studies of up to 4.8 million LinkedIn posts disagree on the hour, from early morning to 8 p.m., and agree weekends are weakest. How to pick yours.
There's no single best time to post on LinkedIn, because the big studies don't agree on the hour. Buffer's 4.8 million posts put weekdays from 3 to 8 p.m. first, with Wednesday at 4 p.m. on top. Sprout Social points to Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., SocialPilot to Tuesday through Thursday around late morning and early afternoon, and Hootsuite to early mornings. They do agree on one thing. Weekends are the weakest days.
We read each study through our server on October 24, 2026. Every time below is in your audience's local time.
About 14,800 people search "best time to post on linkedin" each month, and 1,600 search for the best day.
What do the four studies say?
| Study | Sample | Best time |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | 4.8M+ posts | Weekdays, 3 to 8 p.m. Top slot: Wednesday, 4 p.m. |
| Sprout Social | 307K profiles | Tuesday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. |
| SocialPilot | 683K+ posts | Tue to Thu, 10 a.m. to noon and 1 to 4 p.m. |
| Hootsuite | 1M+ posts | Tuesday and Wednesday, early morning |
Each study's own page, read October 24, 2026: Buffer's 2026 analysis; Sprout Social, March 31, 2026; SocialPilot, updated March 17, 2026; Hootsuite, November 19, 2025 (2025 data).
They didn't all measure the same thing. Buffer analyzed "more than 4.8 million LinkedIn posts sent through Buffer." Sprout Social counted "nearly 2 billion engagements across 307,000 social profiles" on six networks, between November 27, 2025 and February 27, 2026. SocialPilot says it looked at "over 683,000 posts" from 47,672 accounts. Hootsuite worked with Critical Truth on "over 1 million social posts," localized "across 118 countries."
Hootsuite's page doesn't agree with itself, either. Its summary names 8 to 9 a.m. on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and a later section says "early morning (4 AM-6 AM)."
Which days are best and worst?
| Study | Strongest days | Weakest |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer | Wednesday, then Thursday and Friday | Monday and Tuesday, plus weekends |
| Sprout Social | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | Weekends |
| SocialPilot | Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday | Weekends |
| Hootsuite | Tuesday, Wednesday | Weekends |
Buffer, Sprout Social, SocialPilot and Hootsuite pages, read October 24, 2026.
Midweek wins, and weekends lose everywhere. Sprout Social calls weekends the worst days "because LinkedIn is a professional network." Buffer's Saturday and Sunday slots still trail its weekdays.
What time of day works best?
That's where they split. Buffer's 2026 data moved later in the day. "In 2025, peak engagement was almost entirely confined to working hours," Buffer says. Now the late afternoon and evening, from 3 to 8 p.m., "drive the highest engagement." Its best slot per weekday:
- Monday: 10 p.m.
- Tuesday: 4 p.m.
- Wednesday: 4 p.m.
- Thursday: 5 p.m.
- Friday: 3 p.m.
Sprout Social sees a lunchtime rise. "Consistent engagement spikes starting at 11 a.m. map to the pre-lunch mental pivot," it says. SocialPilot calls mid-mornings and early afternoons "LinkedIn's golden hours."
So if you'd like one rule, post midweek, between late morning and late afternoon. Every study but Hootsuite's lands somewhere in that window.
How do you find your own best time?
You'll learn more by testing it on your audience. Buffer says to treat its times "as a starting point" and to "dig into your social media analytics."
- Post the same kind of content at two or three of the times above, a few weeks each.
- Compare the results in LinkedIn's analytics, which show your top-performing posts over a set period.
- Schedule the winners. LinkedIn lets you schedule a post up to 3 months ahead, and our guide on how to post on LinkedIn covers how.
LinkedIn's own timestamps won't help much. As Buffer notes, they only show "3h" or "2d."
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on LinkedIn?
It depends on the study. Buffer says weekdays from 3 to 8 p.m., Sprout Social says Tuesdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., and SocialPilot says Tuesday through Thursday, late morning and early afternoon.
What is the best day to post on LinkedIn?
Wednesday in Buffer's data, and Tuesday through Thursday in Sprout Social's and SocialPilot's.
What is the worst time to post on LinkedIn?
The weekend. All four studies rank Saturday and Sunday lowest.
Do these times apply to my time zone?
Yes. Buffer, Sprout Social and Hootsuite all give local times, so there's nothing to convert. Use your audience's time zone.
Is it worth posting on LinkedIn on weekends?
It's rarely worth it. If you do post, Buffer's data points to 9 a.m. on Saturday and 10 p.m. on Sunday.
Want more reach from the posts themselves? See LinkedIn Open to Work and the LinkedIn banner size. Hclout sells LinkedIn followers. Our guide on buying LinkedIn followers covers prices and LinkedIn's rules. For other networks, see the best time to post on Facebook and Instagram.
Sources
- Buffer, "The Best Time to Post on LinkedIn in 2026: 4.8 Million Posts Analyzed," read October 24, 2026
- Sprout Social, "Best Times to Post on LinkedIn in 2026," March 31, 2026, read October 24, 2026
- SocialPilot, "Best Times to Post on LinkedIn in 2026," updated March 17, 2026, read October 24, 2026
- Hootsuite, "The best time to post on LinkedIn [2025 data]," November 19, 2025, read October 24, 2026
- A web search for "best time to post on LinkedIn 2026," October 24, 2026
- Google Ads Keyword Planner, worldwide, read October 24, 2026
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