Best time to post on YouTube
The best time to post on YouTube is Sunday at 9 AM or Wednesday at 3 PM in your viewers' time zone, the only two slots named by all three studies we compared. For Shorts, it is Friday at 4 or 6 PM or Thursday at 7 to 9 PM.
Your upload schedule
| Day | Viewers' time | Your time |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 3 PM 2 of 3 studies | |
| Tue | 3 PM 2 of 3 studies | |
| Wed | 3 PM 3 of 3 studies | |
| Thu | 3 PM to 6 PM 2 of 3 studies | |
| Fri | 1 PM to 3 PM 2 of 3 studies | |
| Sat | 9 AM to 11 AM 2 of 3 studies | |
| Sun | 9 AM 3 of 3 studies |
Where the studies overlap
Tap any hour to see it in your time and which studies name it.
Times are treated as your viewers' local time. Your time uses this week's dates, including daylight saving. If a slot lands in the middle of your night, schedule the upload in YouTube Studio.
Three studies, three different answers
Most guides repeat one study's numbers. We put three side by side and found they disagree about the best day. Buffer rates Sunday highest and ranks Wednesday and Thursday as its weakest days. SocialPilot and IQFluence both rate Wednesday highest. Their weekday afternoon slots are close to identical, while Buffer leans toward mornings on Monday and Tuesday.
Only two slots appear in all three: Sunday at 9 AM and Wednesday at 3 PM. Buffer favours Sunday, since Wednesday is one of its weakest days and 3 PM is simply among that day's better hours. IQFluence is the reverse, with Wednesday as its top day and Sunday its lowest-energy one. SocialPilot backs both: Wednesday is its highest engagement day and Sunday morning its highest single long-form slot.
Best time to post long-form YouTube videos, by day
| Day | Buffer | SocialPilot | IQFluence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 7 AM, 9 AM, 10 PM | 2 PM to 4 PM | 3 PM |
| Tue | 8 AM to 10 AM, 11 AM | 2 PM to 4 PM | 3 PM |
| Wed | 7 AM, 3 PM, 5 PM | 3 PM to 5 PM | 3 PM to 5 PM |
| Thu | 7 AM, 5 PM to 7 PM | 3 PM to 5 PM | 3 PM to 6 PM |
| Fri | 11 AM to 1 PM, 3 PM | 1 PM to 3 PM | 1 PM to 3 PM |
| Sat | 10 AM, 12 PM, 3 PM | 8 AM to 10 AM | 9 AM to 11 AM |
| Sun | 9 AM to 11 AM, 12 PM | 8 AM to 10 AM | 9 AM to 11 AM |
Buffer lists its top three hours per day. SocialPilot and IQFluence list windows. IQFluence's table does not separate long-form from Shorts.
Best time to post YouTube Shorts, by day
| Day | Buffer | SocialPilot |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 5 PM to 7 PM, 8 PM | 7 AM, 12 PM |
| Tue | 7 PM to 10 PM | 7 AM to 11 AM, 5 PM to 7 PM |
| Wed | 7 PM to 10 PM | 12 PM, 3 PM to 6 PM |
| Thu | 7 PM to 10 PM | 7 PM to 11 PM |
| Fri | 4 PM, 6 PM to 8 PM | 7 AM to 9 AM, 11 AM to 1 PM, 4 PM to 7 PM |
| Sat | 11 AM, 6 PM to 8 PM | 9 AM, 3 PM to 6 PM |
| Sun | 5 PM, 7 PM to 9 PM | 10 AM, 3 PM to 5 PM |
Both studies rate Friday as the best day for Shorts. Buffer's top Friday slots are 4, 6 and 7 PM, and SocialPilot calls Friday 4 to 7 PM its strongest Shorts window, although the upload table on its page lists earlier Friday times. We show both. IQFluence publishes no Shorts times for each weekday; its headline slot is Tuesday or Thursday at 12:30 PM Eastern, based on click-through rate.
How the three studies compare
| Study | Sample | What it measured | Time zone | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer | 1.8 million videos, long-form and Shorts | Median engagement | "Your local time" | Published 24 July 2026 |
| SocialPilot | 301,000 videos from 27,000+ channels using its scheduler | Engagement rate per view | Your audience's local time | No date given |
| IQFluence | 325 sponsored campaigns, Q4 2025 to Q1 2026 | Median views and engagement, not fully defined | Audience time zone, labelled on Monday only | Updated 5 June 2026 |
Read on 2 November 2026. Buffer and SocialPilot do not state the date range of their videos, and none of the three publishes results for every time slot, so we cannot test their figures ourselves. Agreement between them is a useful signal, not proof.
How to find the best time for your own channel
- In YouTube Studio, open Analytics, select Audience and find When your viewers are on YouTube. It shows when your viewers were online across YouTube in the last 28 days.
- Pick a starting slot ahead of your busiest period. The tool above gives you a good first choice for each day.
- Publish several similar videos in that slot, then the same number in a different one.
- Compare views in the first few days, using videos on similar topics so the topic does not skew the result.
Upload time is one small choice next to the video itself. A steady schedule is easier to keep and to test: our guide to YouTube posting frequency helps you set one, and our YouTube video editing service keeps it running. Curious what those views could earn? Try the YouTube money calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on YouTube?
Sunday at 9 AM and Wednesday at 3 PM, in your viewers' time zone. They are the only two slots named by all three studies we compared: Buffer, SocialPilot and IQFluence. Treat them as a starting point, then test against your own channel.
What is the best day to post on YouTube?
The studies disagree. Buffer rates Sunday highest and ranks Wednesday and Thursday as its weakest days. SocialPilot and IQFluence both rate Wednesday highest, although SocialPilot also calls Sunday morning its highest single long-form slot.
What is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
Friday at 4 PM or 6 PM, or Thursday at 7, 8 or 9 PM, in your viewers' time zone. Those are the slots named by both studies that publish Shorts times by weekday, Buffer and SocialPilot. Both also rate Friday as the best day for Shorts.
Should I use my time zone or my viewers' time zone?
Your viewers'. SocialPilot says its times are your audience's local time. Buffer says its times apply in your local time, which only works if your audience lives where you do. If you are in India with mostly US viewers, for example, use the tool above to convert the slots to your time.
Does the time you post on YouTube affect views?
We found no YouTube statement saying that upload time affects how videos are recommended. The studies show patterns in their own data, and they do not agree with each other. Publishing when your viewers are around is a sensible default, not a proven ranking factor.
How do I find the best time for my own channel?
In YouTube Studio, open Analytics, select Audience and find the report called When your viewers are on YouTube. It shows when your viewers were online across YouTube in the last 28 days. Publish a little ahead of the busiest period and compare results over several uploads.
What is the best time to post on YouTube on weekends?
Mornings. All three studies name morning slots on Sunday, and on Saturday most of their slots fall between 8 AM and noon. Buffer also lists 12 PM on both days, and 3 PM on Saturday.