Guide · LinkedInBest time to post on LinkedIn in 2026.Four studies on one grid.
Tuesday to Thursday, between 9 AM and 5 PM in your audience's time zone: that is where four recent studies overlap. Inside that window they split, with AuthoredUp and Hootsuite leaning to the morning, Sprout Social to midday and Buffer to 3 to 8 PM.
Updated September 2026 · Sources: Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite, AuthoredUp
Most named: Tuesday, 4–5 PM, by 2 of 4 studies. Hover a cell to see which ones.
Best time to post on LinkedIn by dayWhat each study recommends.
| Day | Sprout Social | Buffer | Hootsuite | AuthoredUp |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1–2 PM | 10 PM | 11 AM | 8–11 AM |
| Tuesday | 11 AM–5 PM | 4 PM | 6–8 AM | 8–11 AM |
| Wednesday | 11 AM–4 PM | 4 PM | 9 AM | 8–11 AM |
| Thursday | 11 AM, 1–5 PM | 5 PM | 2 PM | 8–11 AM |
| Friday | 11 AM, 1–2 PM | 3 PM | 8 PM | 8–11 AM |
| Saturday | Avoid | 9 AM | 4–5 AM | Not stated |
| Sunday | Avoid | 10 PM | 6 AM | Not stated |
Why the studies disagreeMornings, midday or evenings.
All four agree on the middle of the week. On the hour, they land in three places: the morning for AuthoredUp (8 to 11 AM) and Hootsuite, midday into the afternoon for Sprout Social (11 AM to 5 PM), and late afternoon into the evening for Buffer (3 to 8 PM on weekdays). Buffer says this is new: in its 2025 data, peaks stayed within working hours.
- Sprout SocialEngagements across six networks, November 2025 to February 2026. The LinkedIn share isn't stated.
- Buffer4.8M+ LinkedIn posts. Period and number of accounts not stated.
- Hootsuite1M+ posts across networks, Q4 2024 data. Its page gives two different headline times, 4 to 6 AM and 8 to 9 AM.
- AuthoredUp3M+ LinkedIn posts, personal profiles and Company Pages, in the audience's local time.
We left Metricool out of the grid: its public page describes how often accounts post, not how posts perform. Its study still has a useful finding, below.
Posting scheduleStart from the overlap, then let your numbers decide. Save these times as your posting schedule, and every new post opens on the next free slot, whether you schedule it from the calendar, ChatGPT or Claude.
Set up your schedule4 queue slotsWhy we cut our menu to 64:00 PMRoastery11:00 AM
Pour-over10:00 AMPersonal profile or Company Page?The day matters more for Pages.
AuthoredUp is the only study that splits the two. For personal profiles, the best and worst days differ by less than 10%, and weekends come within about 7% of weekdays. For Company Pages, weekdays beat weekends by about 48%, and a US Page's Wednesday does about 1.7 times its Sunday.
Metricool's 2026 LinkedIn study adds that personal profiles get 63% more engagement than Company Pages. If you run both, post from the profile first and let the Page share it.
What matters more than the hourThe format of the post.
AuthoredUp concludes that format matters more than timing, and Buffer puts a number on it: document posts (carousels) get up to 596% more engagement than text-only posts in its data. Change the format before you fine-tune the minute.
How to find your own best time on LinkedInA two-week test.
- Pick three slots from different campsFor example Tuesday 9 AM, Wednesday 12 PM and Thursday 4 PM: a morning, a midday and a late-afternoon slot.
- Post comparable content in each for two weeksSame format, so the slot is the only big difference.
- Compare impressions per post against your medianNot raw reactions: one post that takes off hides everything else. Twice your median is a strong slot, your median is ordinary.
- Keep the winner and replace the weakest slotThen run the test again next month.
Best times by industryWhere the pattern changes.
- Technology, education, healthcareMornings (Hootsuite).
- Finance, construction, hospitalityAfternoons and evenings (Hootsuite). Sprout Social sees 8 AM spikes on Wednesday and Thursday for financial services.
- RetailThursday 8 AM to 3 PM (Sprout Social).
- GovernmentThursday 10 AM to 5 PM (Sprout Social).
Timing, answered.
Short answers about posting times on LinkedIn.
Tuesday to Thursday between 9 AM and 5 PM in your audience's local time, where four recent studies overlap. Inside that window, test a morning slot against a late-afternoon one: the studies split on which wins.
The middle of the week. Sprout Social favors Tuesday to Thursday, Hootsuite Tuesday and Wednesday, and Buffer ranks Wednesday first, then Thursday and Friday.
Rarely for a Company Page: Sprout Social and Hootsuite rank the weekend last, and AuthoredUp finds Page posts do about 48% better on weekdays. For a personal profile, AuthoredUp finds weekends within about 7% of weekdays.
Your audience's. Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite and AuthoredUp all report times in the audience's local time.
No, you choose the slots. Save them once as your posting schedule, and every new post opens on the next free one, from the calendar, ChatGPT or Claude.
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