Data shared in this blog post is reviewed and verified by Later's Lead Data Analyst, Narendran Poyyamozhi, based on a proprietary study analyzing 6M+ images, videos, carousel posts, and Reels published on Instagram via Later between Jan 1-October 1, 2024.
The key to high Instagram engagement that most people miss: posting at the right time.
Your posting time can make or break your posts’ and Reels’ engagement and visibility.
Later’s Data Team analyzed over 6M posts and found the best time to post on Instagram in 2025.
Read on to learn what the overall best time to post is, when to post each day of the week, and the optimal post times for Instagram Reels and Carousels.
P.S. With Later's Instagram management tools, you can post content at your personal best time to post. Get started and create an account today.
Table of Contents
- When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2025?
- The Best Time to Post Instagram Reels
- The Best Time to Post Instagram Carousels
- The Best Day to Post on Instagram
- The Best Times to Post on Instagram by Day
- The Best Time to Post on Instagram by Follower Count
- How to Find Your Unique Best Time to Post on Instagram
- The Worst Time to Post on Instagram
- How to Post at the Best Time, Every Time on Instagram
When is the Best Time to Post on Instagram in 2025?
In 2025, the overall best time to post on Instagram is at 5 AM.
To find this data, Later’s data team analyzed over 6M Instagram feed posts (images, videos, carousels, and Reels) across time zones from January to October 2025. This means that no matter your time zone, you can use the data in this article!
The best time to post was determined by looking at engagement rates over time.
High engagement is rewarded by Instagram’s algorithm. For creators, this is a major green flag for brands who want to collaborate with you.
From Monday to Sunday, we found that content posted between 3 AM to 6 AM every day led to higher-than-average engagement.
In other words: the early bird gets the worm.
Our takeaway?
Accounts can have a mix of followers from different locations.
By posting earlier, accounts could benefit from less competition, while also tapping into traffic from users during their first scroll — even if that’s a few hours after the post was shared.
Take these times with a grain of salt. They're worth experimenting with but finding your unique posting time matters most.
TIP: For early posting, try scheduling your Instagram content in advance. Create a Later account to get started.
Does Posting Time on Instagram Really Matter?
The short answer: Yes — but there are other factors at play too.
Posting at your personalized best time to post on Instagram (more on that, later) increases the likelihood of followers seeing and engaging with your posts.
Why? Because your community is online, scrolling their feeds — and thus, more likely to comment, save, like, or share.
Plus, engagement is a major indicator of Instagram's algorithm. The more engagement your post receives, the more likely it will be served to other users.
That said, being consistent and creating engaging content is important too — if your posts don't resonate, your posting time won't make much of a difference.
The Best Time to Post Reels on Instagram in 2025
It’s no secret that people love short-form video, making Reels an essential part of any Instagram strategy.
After analyzing over 975K Instagram Reels from across the globe, we found that the best time to post Reels is 12 AM.
The overall best day to post Instagram Reels is Monday; you’ll see high engagement between 12 AM and 6 AM.
Start scheduling your Instagram Reels with Later — create an account today.
The Best Time to Post Carousels on Instagram in 2025
The photo dump trend is here to stay, especially with Instagram increasing the number of photos you can add to a Carousel post from ten to twenty.
If you want to ensure your photos get the highest engagement, the best time to post Instagram Carousels is at 5 AM.
When it comes to the days of the week, the best day to post a Carousel is Tuesday.
So if you want to make sure your vacation photos or UGC roundup gets seen, pre-schedule that post for Tuesday at 5 AM.
The Best Day to Post on Instagram
The overall best day to post on Instagram is Monday — with the highest average engagement occurring for posts published between 12 AM and 6 AM.
This further proves the theory that an “early to rise, early to post” engagement strategy yields the most interactive results.
By being one of the first to post each week, you’re giving your content the best chance of being seen by your audience.
The Best Times to Post on Instagram by Day
We’ve identified that posting earlier in the day yields the best overall engagement.
Now it's time to get even more specific.
Here are the best times to post on Instagram every day of the week:
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Monday
Rise and grind! The best time to post on Monday is 5 AM.
Don’t fret - if you forget to post your Monday morning content, Monday at 11 PM is also a strong time for engagement.
Tip: Make sure you’re auto publishing your Instagram content so you can get those extra few ZZZs on Monday morning.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Tuesday
The best time to post on Tuesday is 5 AM, which is consistent with what you’ll see most days of the week.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Wednesday
The best time to post on Wednesday is 3 AM, but engagement rates remain pretty strong until 5 AM.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Thursday
The best time to post on Thursday is 4 AM to 5 AM.
You shouldn’t be shocked at this point - it’s another early one!
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Friday
The best time to post on Friday is 3 AM to 6 AM.
It’s almost the weekend, but we’re still seeing the early morning trend going strong.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Saturday
The best time to post on Saturday is 5 AM.
While people might be sleeping in on the weekend, engagement remains high for posts scheduled earlier in the day.
The Best Time to Post on Instagram on Sunday
The best times to post on Sunday are 12 AM, 5 AM, and 11 PM.
While that early-morning trend still stands, you’ll also get some engagement from late-night weekend scrollers.
Whether you're hitting snooze on the alarm or out late catching up with friends, you can schedule all your content to automatically publish in advance with the Later Instagram Scheduler & Management Platform. So you can rest assured that you're optimizing when your followers are online without having to be online yourself. Sign up today!
The Best Time to Post on Instagram by Follower Count
Knowing the best time to post on Instagram is especially important for creators.
After all, brands look for deals with creators who know how to drive high engagement.
Plus, the creator economy means that more people are relying on social selling to make their living.
Here are the best times to post throughout the week depending on how many followers you have:
Nano Influencers (1K-5K followers): Monday to Friday at 5 PM
Micro Influencers (5K-25K followers): Monday at 11 PM and Friday at 12 AM
Mid Tier Influencers (25K-100K followers): Sunday at 12 AM and Monday at 11 PM
Macro Influencers (100K-500K followers): Sunday and Monday at 12 AM
Mega Influencers (500K+ followers): Monday at 10 AM
One way you can really get ahead is by knowing your personal best time to post. Read on to see how to make sure you’re always scheduling at your optimal times.
How to Find Your Unique Best Time to Post on Instagram
While posting when your audience is most active is still valuable, focus on creating engaging content first, and then optimize by posting at the best time.
Using Later’s Best Time to Post tool is the most accurate way to discover your unique optimal posting times based on actual performance data.
The tool automatically calculates your top posting times based on your best-performing posts from the recent month:
Your best times will then be highlighted in your weekly content calendar, making it easy for you to schedule Instagram posts for when your audience is most likely to engage.
That way, you can capitalize on audience engagement without thinking twice.
Numbers? Math? No, thank you. Later does the hard work, so you don’t have to!
Later’s Best Time to Post tool is available on all paid plans. Sign up today to find your unique best days and times to post on Instagram.
The Worst Times to Post on Instagram
We've covered the best time to post. Now, let's talk about some of the worst times to publish content on Instagram.
When Is the Worst Time to Post on Instagram?
According to our data, the worst times to post on Instagram are Thursday at 3 AM and Saturday at 11 PM.
When Is the Worst Time to Post Reels on Instagram?
After analyzing over 975K Reels, the worst time to post Instagram Reels is Wednesday at 2 AM.
Is It Better to Post on Instagram in the Morning or at Night?
As we mentioned earlier, posting in the morning is by far the best time to post on Instagram — garnering the most comments and likes.
As a reminder, here are the best times to post on Instagram every day of the week:
Monday: 5 AM, 11 PM
Tuesday: 5 AM
Wednesday: 3 AM
Thursday: 4 AM to 5 AM
Friday: 3 AM to 5 AM
Saturday: 5 AM
Sunday: 12 AM, 5 AM, 11 PM
When Should You Not Post on Instagram?
Based on our research, Saturday is the worst day of the week to post on Instagram, seeing the overall least amount of engagement throughout the week.
How to Post on Instagram at the Best Time, Every Time
Instagram is an incredible channel for businesses and creators to achieve their marketing goals, but in 2025, it isn’t enough to just post content whenever you feel like it.
By leveraging your best time to post on Instagram and scheduling in advance, you can boost engagement, gain new followers, and even drive traffic!
