Best time to post on Instagram on Thursday
Every large study’s Thursday answer for Instagram, the hours they share, and those slots on your own clock.
Darker = more of the 3 studies name that hour. Times are your audience’s local time.
- Monday 7 p.m. · named by Buffer, Hootsuite
- Tuesday 7 p.m. · named by Sprout Social, Buffer, Hootsuite
- Wednesday 12 p.m. · named by Sprout Social, Buffer
The file adds 3 repeating 15-minute events with a 10-minute alert, in your audience’s time zone, to Google Calendar, Apple Calendar or Outlook. It is built in your browser; nothing is uploaded.
The studies do not share an hour for Instagram on Thursday; each one’s answer is below, in your audience’s local time. Sprout Social: 12-2 p.m. Buffer: 9 a.m., then 8 a.m. and 7 a.m. Hootsuite: 4-5 p.m.
Checked by Koldflux · updated 2026-09-24
Instagram on Thursday, study by study
| Study | Thursday best times | How it ranks the days | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sprout Social | 12-2 p.m. | Best: Tuesday and Wednesday. Weakest: Saturday and Sunday | nearly 2 billion engagements on about 307,000 profiles (30,000+ Sprout customers) |
| Buffer | 9 a.m., then 8 a.m. and 7 a.m. | Best: Wednesday, then Thursday and Tuesday. Weakest: Friday and Saturday | 9.6 million Instagram posts |
| Hootsuite | 4-5 p.m. | - | over 1 million social posts, analysed with Critical Truth |
Make Thursday count
- Post in the shared hour firstUse the Thursday slot most studies agree on, in your audience’s local time.
- Watch the first hoursCompare this Thursday post with your other posts after the same number of hours.
- Check Instagram InsightsSwitch to a professional (creator or business) account, open Insights, then Total followers: the “Most active times” chart shows the hours and days your followers are on Instagram.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on Instagram on Thursday?
The studies do not share an hour for Instagram on Thursday; each one’s answer is below, in your audience’s local time. Sprout Social: 12-2 p.m. Buffer: 9 a.m., then 8 a.m. and 7 a.m. Hootsuite: 4-5 p.m.
Is Thursday a good day to post on Instagram, according to Sprout Social?
Sprout Social’s 2026 study (nearly 2 billion engagements on about 307,000 profiles (30,000+ Sprout customers)) ranks Tuesday and Wednesday as the best days and Saturday and Sunday as the weakest.
Is Thursday a good day to post on Instagram, according to Buffer?
Buffer’s 2026 study (9.6 million Instagram posts) ranks Wednesday, then Thursday and Tuesday as the best days and Friday and Saturday as the weakest.
Do I need to convert these Thursday times to my time zone?
Only if your audience lives in another time zone. The studies report the audience’s local time. Set both time zones in the planner on this page to see Thursday’s slots on your own clock.
Other days on Instagram
Turn one idea into a week of posts
The hard part of posting at the right time is having something ready. Koldflux Studio turns one recording, idea or script into Shorts and carousel posts you approve and export, so the slots in your calendar are filled. It does not publish or schedule posts for you.
- 1 · Recording, idea or script
- 2 · Pick the angles
- 3 · Review and approve
- 4 · Export Shorts and carousels
