Best Time to Post on LinkedIn in 2026 (Day by Day)
September 29, 2026 · 7 min read · By Wavnil
Key takeaways
- Sprout Social's 2026 data puts LinkedIn's longest peaks on Tuesday (11 a.m.–5 p.m.) and Wednesday (11 a.m.–4 p.m.), and calls weekends the worst days.
- Buffer's 4.8 million posts point later in the day: 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays, with Wednesday at 4 p.m. as the top slot.
- Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m. are the two slots both studies support.
- Both studies use your audience's local time. Test two slots for a month and keep the one with the better engagement rate.
The best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026 is midweek, in the afternoon: Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. according to Sprout Social, and 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. on weekdays according to Buffer, whose top slot is Wednesday at 4 p.m. The two slots both studies support are Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m., in your audience's local time.
Two large datasets back this up: Sprout Social's analysis of nearly 2 billion engagements across 307,000 social profiles (November 2025 to February 2026), and Buffer's analysis of more than 4.8 million LinkedIn posts, published in September 2026. They agree on the days and disagree on the hours, which turns out to be useful, as you'll see.
Best times to post on LinkedIn by day (2026)
Sprout Social reports windows of peak engagement; Buffer ranks the three best hours for each day. All times are in your audience's local time.
| Day | Sprout Social: engagement peaks | Buffer: top 3 slots |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 1–2 p.m. | 10 p.m., 5 p.m., 9 p.m. |
| Tuesday | 11 a.m.–5 p.m. | 4 p.m., 5 p.m., 10 p.m. |
| Wednesday | 11 a.m.–4 p.m. | 4 p.m., 3 p.m., 5 p.m. |
| Thursday | 11 a.m. and 1–5 p.m. | 5 p.m., 7 p.m., 9 p.m. |
| Friday | 11 a.m. and 1–2 p.m. | 3 p.m., 4 p.m., 5 p.m. |
| Saturday | Avoid posting | 9 a.m., 6 p.m., 10 p.m. |
| Sunday | Avoid posting | 10 p.m., 9 p.m., 6 a.m. |
Sources: Sprout Social, nearly 2 billion engagements across 307,000 profiles between November 27, 2025 and February 27, 2026; Buffer, 4.8 million LinkedIn posts, September 2026. Checked on September 29, 2026.
The two slots both studies support: Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m. Each is one of Buffer's top hours for its day and falls inside Sprout Social's peak window. Wednesday at 4 p.m. and Thursday at 5 p.m. sit right at the end of Sprout Social's windows, so they're good candidates too.
What is the best day to post on LinkedIn?
Wednesday. Buffer ranks it first, closely followed by Thursday and Friday. Sprout Social says Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday offer "the most consistent and prolonged periods" of peak engagement, and every weekday has at least one peak window in its data.
The worst days: weekends or Mondays?
Here the studies part ways:
- Sprout Social: weekends are the worst days. Because LinkedIn is a professional network, it advises avoiding Saturday and Sunday altogether.
- Buffer: Monday and Tuesday see the lowest engagement. In its sample, weekend posts even do better than early-week ones, with Saturday at 9 a.m. as the strongest weekend slot.
If you post two or three times a week, both studies point to the same plan: skip Monday, and put your most important posts on Wednesday and Thursday afternoons.
Why Sprout Social and Buffer disagree on the hours
Sprout Social's peaks sit inside the working day, from late morning to mid-afternoon. Buffer's best hours start mid-afternoon and run into the evening. Three differences explain the gap:
- What they measure. Sprout Social looks at when engagement happens on its customers' profiles. Buffer compares the median engagement of posts by the hour they were published.
- Whose posts they measure. Sprout Social's data covers more than 30,000 customers, mostly brands and organizations. Buffer's comes from the posts sent through its tool by creators, small businesses and marketers.
- A real shift in behavior. Buffer notes that in its 2025 data, engagement dropped sharply after 5 p.m.; in 2026, the peaks moved later, as more professionals read LinkedIn after work.
The practical conclusion: a post published at 3 or 4 p.m. midweek sits where the two patterns meet, late in Sprout Social's window and early in Buffer's.
How to find your own best time to post on LinkedIn
LinkedIn doesn't show a "most active times" chart like Instagram does. You can still find your best slots in about a month:
- Pick two slots that fit the studies, for example Tuesday at 11 a.m. and Wednesday at 4 p.m.
- Publish comparable posts in each slot for four weeks: same format, similar topics.
- Compare the engagement rate of each post (reactions, comments and reposts divided by impressions), not just the raw number of likes.
- Keep the winner and test a new challenger the following month.
Each post's analytics show its impressions and engagement, whether you publish from a profile or a Page, and Page admins also get follower and visitor analytics.
Schedule your LinkedIn posts at the right time
A good slot only helps if you actually post then. LinkedIn's built-in scheduler lets you plan posts up to three months ahead from your profile or Page; our guide on how to schedule LinkedIn posts covers it, along with its limits. In Wavnil, set your LinkedIn posting time slots once, for example Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m., and each new post drops into the next free slot.
For images, videos and PDF carousels, check our LinkedIn post size guide, and compare every network in our overview of the best time to post on social media.
Where to start this week
Post your most important update on Wednesday at 3 p.m., a second post on Tuesday at 4 p.m., and skip Monday. After four weeks, check which slot earned the better engagement rate and adjust. Try Wavnil free for 7 days to schedule a month of LinkedIn posts in one sitting.
Sources
- Sprout Social, Best times to post on LinkedIn in 2026, March 31, 2026.
- Buffer, The best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026: 4.8 million posts analyzed, September 9, 2026.
- LinkedIn Help, Schedule posts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on LinkedIn in 2026?
Midweek, in the afternoon. Sprout Social's 2026 data shows the longest engagement peaks on Tuesday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Buffer's analysis of 4.8 million posts ranks Wednesday at 4 p.m. first. Tuesday at 4 p.m. and Wednesday at 3 p.m. fit both studies.
What is the best day to post on LinkedIn?
Wednesday. Buffer names it the best day, closely followed by Thursday and Friday, and Sprout Social's data gives Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday the most consistent and longest peaks. Both studies see weaker results early in the week or at the weekend.
Should I post on LinkedIn on weekends?
Only if your own results say so. Sprout Social calls Saturday and Sunday the worst days to post on LinkedIn. Buffer, on the other hand, finds that weekend posts do better than Monday and Tuesday ones in its sample, with Saturday at 9 a.m. as the best weekend slot. Test before moving important posts there.
Is the best time the same for a LinkedIn profile and a company Page?
The studies don't separate them. Buffer's data covers posts from profiles and Pages sent through its tool, and Sprout Social's covers profiles managed by its customers, mostly organizations. Use the studies to choose your first slots, then compare impressions and engagement in each post's analytics.