# Best Time to Post on LinkedIn (2026) > The best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026 from two named studies, with industry windows and a four-week test to find your own best times. URL: https://pilotpost.social/blog/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin Published: 2026-11-04 Publisher: PilotPost (https://pilotpost.social) The best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026 is midweek during working hours. Sprout Social's 2026 study names Tuesday from 11am to 5pm in your audience's local time as the strongest window, and Buffer's 2026 analysis of 4.8 million posts puts its single best slot at Wednesday 4pm. Both say weekends are weak. Start with a Tuesday to Thursday slot between late morning and late afternoon, then test it against your own data. ## Key takeaways - Sprout Social (March 2026) found every weekday performed well, with Tuesday 11am–5pm the best window and weekends the weakest. - Buffer (September 2026) found Wednesday at 4pm the best slot, with weekdays from 3pm to 8pm the peak window. - The studies disagree on mornings and Mondays: Buffer found mornings and Mondays weakest, while Sprout lists Monday 1–2pm as a good time. - Times are in your audience's local time. - Test two slots for four weeks and judge by engagement rate, not raw reactions. ## Where the data comes from We only use timing data from named, published studies with a stated method. **Sprout Social.** [Sprout Social's best times to post on LinkedIn](https://sproutsocial.com/insights/best-times-to-post-on-linkedin/) was published in March 2026. It is based on nearly 2 billion engagements across about 307,000 profiles on six networks, collected between November 27, 2025 and February 27, 2026. All times are in the local time of each audience. **Buffer.** [Buffer's best time to post on LinkedIn](https://www.buffer.com/resources/best-time-to-post-on-linkedin) was published in September 2026. It analyzed more than 4.8 million LinkedIn posts sent through Buffer, with times normalized to local time. Buffer does not state the number of accounts or the exact date range, and it does not define engagement precisely on the page, so treat it as a useful second view rather than a precise measure. ## Best times to post on LinkedIn in 2026 ### Sprout Social: Tuesday to Thursday, late morning to late afternoon According to Sprout Social's 2026 data (local time): | Day | Best times (local) | |---|---| | Monday | 1–2pm | | Tuesday | 11am–5pm | | Wednesday | 11am–4pm | | Thursday | 11am and 1–5pm | | Friday | 11am and 1–2pm | | Saturday and Sunday | Avoid | Sprout states that "the best time to post on LinkedIn is Tuesdays from 11 a.m.–5 p.m." and describes Tuesday through Thursday as the most consistent peak days. ### Buffer: Wednesday afternoon According to Buffer's 2026 analysis: - The single best slot was **Wednesday at 4pm**. - Weekdays between **3pm and 8pm** formed the peak window. - Friday at 3pm and 4pm were also among the top slots. - Wednesday was the best day, followed by Thursday and Friday. - Monday had the lowest engagement, with Tuesday "not far behind," and mornings from 6am to 11am did worse than afternoons and evenings. ### Where the studies agree Both studies favor the middle of the week, afternoons and weekdays over weekends. They differ on two points. Sprout ranks Tuesday highly while Buffer ranks it low, and Sprout's windows begin at 11am while Buffer found mornings weak. A practical reading: early to mid afternoon, Wednesday or Thursday, is supported by both and makes a strong first test. ### Industry windows from Sprout Social LinkedIn audiences vary a lot by sector. Sprout published windows for several industries (local time); here are four: | Industry | Best times (local) | |---|---| | Technology and software | Mon 12–1pm; Tue 10am–2pm; Wed 10am–4pm; Thu 10am–3pm; Fri 11am–1pm and 3pm | | Financial services | Mon 10am and 12–1pm; Tue 10am–3pm; Wed 8am and 10am–3pm; Thu 8am–2pm; Fri 11am | | Hospitals and healthcare | Mon 1–2pm; Tue 10am–2pm and 4pm; Wed 11am–5pm; Thu 9am–4pm; Fri 1pm | | Nonprofit organizations | Mon–Tue 10am–2pm; Wed 10am–4pm; Thu 10am–2pm; Fri 10–11am | Weekends were the worst days for every industry Sprout listed. Note that most industry windows start earlier, around 10am, than the overall table. ## Company page or personal profile? Neither study reports separate times for company pages and personal profiles in the figures above. In practice, personal profiles often get more conversation, and conversation matters on LinkedIn. Being available to reply in the first hour after posting can matter as much as the slot. Our [LinkedIn algorithm guide](/blog/linkedin-algorithm) explains how the feed ranks posts in 2026. ## How to find your own best time to post on LinkedIn ### Step 1: Look at your past posts LinkedIn's analytics show performance for each post on a page or profile. Export or note your last 20 to 30 posts with the day and time each went out, plus impressions and engagements. Look for patterns: do your Tuesday lunchtime posts beat your Friday ones? Also check where your audience is based, so you know which time zone to plan for. ### Step 2: Pick two candidate slots Choose slot A from where your history and the studies overlap, such as Wednesday at 1pm. Choose slot B as a real alternative, such as Thursday at 4pm or Tuesday at 10am. ### Step 3: Run a four-week test 1. Post in slot A in weeks 1 and 3, and slot B in weeks 2 and 4. 2. Keep the format and topic as similar as possible, for example a text post with one image. 3. Schedule each post in advance so it goes out on time, and block 30 minutes afterward to reply to comments. 4. Record impressions, engagements and engagement rate per post. ### Step 4: Judge by engagement rate LinkedIn reports engagement rate against impressions. Compare the average [engagement rate](/social-media-terms/engagement-rate) for each slot rather than counting reactions, which rise and fall with reach. | Week | Slot | Impressions | Engagements | Engagement rate | |---|---|---|---|---| | 1 | A: Wed 1pm | 2,400 | 96 | 4.0% | | 2 | B: Thu 4pm | 2,250 | 79 | 3.5% | | 3 | A: Wed 1pm | 2,520 | 106 | 4.2% | | 4 | B: Thu 4pm | 2,300 | 83 | 3.6% | *Example figures for illustration only.* If the gap is small, keep testing before you change your schedule. Repeat every quarter. ## Scheduling your LinkedIn times with PilotPost PilotPost schedules LinkedIn posts alongside Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, Threads, X, YouTube, Pinterest, Bluesky, Telegram and WhatsApp Business from one calendar. Add your test slots to a posting queue so each new post lands at the right time, use bulk scheduling to set up the whole four-week test in one go, and compare reach and engagement per post in Insights. You can [create a PilotPost account](/signup) to try it. For every network in one place, see our guide to the [best time to post on social media](/blog/best-time-to-post-on-social-media). ## Frequently asked questions ### What is the best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026? Sprout Social's 2026 study says Tuesday from 11am to 5pm local time. Buffer's 2026 analysis found Wednesday at 4pm the best single slot, with 3pm to 8pm on weekdays the peak window. A Wednesday or Thursday early-afternoon slot fits both. ### What is the best day to post on LinkedIn? Midweek. Sprout calls Tuesday through Thursday the most consistent peak days. Buffer ranks Wednesday first, then Thursday and Friday. ### Is it bad to post on LinkedIn at the weekend? Both studies found weekends weaker than weekdays, and Sprout advises avoiding Saturday and Sunday. If your audience is self-employed or reads at weekends, test it, but start with weekdays. ### Is morning a good time to post on LinkedIn? The studies disagree. Buffer found 6am to 11am weaker than afternoons, while several of Sprout's industry windows start at 8am to 10am. Test a morning slot against an afternoon one with your own audience. ### Which time zone should I use for LinkedIn? Your audience's. Both studies report local times. If your followers are split across regions, pick the region that matters most to your business or schedule a separate slot for each.