The best time to post on Instagram on Monday: studies say evening, my account says noon

Looking for the best time to post on Instagram Monday? It depends on who you ask: 2 to 4 p.m. for Sprout Social, 7 p.m. for Buffer, 5 a.m. for Later, 3 to 9 p.m. for Hootsuite. On my Occirank posts, though, Monday at noon is my best slot over 30 days. Here are the numbers side by side, and how to settle it on your account.

By Jérémy Santos Updated on October 24, 2026 Tested on his own PlugKit account since September 2026.

This page is part of the guide: Best time to post on Instagram

What the studies say about Monday

All times are local: your followers’ time. Read on 24 October 2026.

Source	Monday	Monday within the week
Sprout Social (2026)	2 to 4 p.m.	among the best days, Monday to Thursday
Buffer (2026)	7 p.m., then 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.	“moderate” engagement, behind Wednesday, Thursday and Tuesday
Later (2024 data)	5 a.m., and 11 p.m.	best day of the week
Hootsuite (2026)	3 to 9 p.m.	among the best days, with Tuesday and Thursday
Hootsuite, UTC	2 to 7 p.m.	one of three slots listed for UTC
Hootsuite, Central European time	7 to 8 p.m.	one of two slots listed for CET
My Occirank posts (30 days, Paris time)	12 p.m.: 8 posts, average engagement 12	my best slot

On Monday, every study tells a different story

Sprout Social says skip the early morning and aim for the afternoon: after lunch, people scroll their feeds and your post builds momentum for the week.

Buffer sees Monday evening win, 6 to 8 p.m., as people settle back into Instagram after work. But it ranks Monday behind Wednesday, Thursday and Tuesday, with “moderate” engagement.

Later makes Monday the best day of the week, but very early: 5 a.m., with 11 p.m. as a second slot. Its data is from 2024. Monday also comes back in its account-size breakdown: 11 p.m. for accounts with 5,000 to 100,000 followers.

One clear overlap: Monday evening around 7 p.m., in Buffer and in Hootsuite’s Central European breakdown. If you’re starting from zero, that’s the best-backed slot.

Monday by industry

Sprout Social and Hootsuite also break results down by industry. On Monday, the spread is wide:

Industry (study)	Monday
Computer Software & Tech (Sprout Social)	11 a.m. to 1 p.m., then 3 p.m.
Retail (Sprout Social)	12 to 3 p.m.
Consumer goods and retail (Hootsuite)	7 to 11 a.m.
Food & Beverage (Sprout Social)	11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Hospitals & Healthcare (Sprout Social)	12 to 9 p.m.
Healthcare, pharma and biotech (Hootsuite)	1 to 3 p.m.
Marketing agencies (Hootsuite)	9 to 11 a.m.

For an agency or a consultant, Hootsuite targets Monday morning, when marketers plan their campaigns. For a store, Sprout Social says noon to 3 p.m., Hootsuite the morning: again, something to test.

What my account says: Monday noon, and why I don’t fully trust it

On my Occirank posts, PlugKit’s best-times grid puts Monday 12 p.m. first over 30 days: 8 posts, average engagement of 12. Thursday 12 p.m. follows, with 11 posts and an average engagement of 9. None of the four studies highlights Monday noon.

I don’t stop there, and video 4 shows why. Over 90 days, 25 of my 31 posts went out between 12 and 1 p.m. My Monday noon beats my Thursday noon, fine. But it has almost never faced my Monday evening, because I don’t post in the evening.

What that tells me: Monday seems to be a good day for my audience. The hour still has to be proven.

Test Monday on your account

Pick two Monday slots: your usual hour, and 7 p.m., where the studies overlap.
Alternate from one Monday to the next for several weeks, with the same kind of post, so both slots get a fair chance.
Ask your AI for the grid in your local time: “Show me only the Monday cells, with the number of posts in each.”
Never conclude on a single-post cell. PlugKit’s documentation says it: that’s a coincidence, not a slot.

Key takeaway

On Monday, the studies range from 5 a.m. (Later) to 9 p.m. (Hootsuite). Start with Monday 7 p.m. if you have nothing, then let your numbers decide. And compare with the best time to post on Instagram Thursday, the other slot that stands out on my account.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best time to post on Instagram on a Monday?

By study: 2 to 4 p.m. (Sprout Social), 7 p.m. then 6 and 8 p.m. (Buffer), 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. (Later, 2024 data), 3 to 9 p.m. (Hootsuite). These are local times, your followers' time (read on 24 October 2026).

When should you post on Instagram on Mondays?

If you have no data yet, start in the evening: Buffer says 7 p.m., and Hootsuite's Central European breakdown says 7 to 8 p.m. Then compare with a midday or early-afternoon slot, which Sprout Social puts at 2 to 4 p.m. Keep whichever your own posts confirm.

When should you post a Reel on Instagram?

Monday stands out in Later's data: across 975,000 Reels, it's the best day for Reels, between midnight and 6 a.m. Buffer prefers evenings (6 to 11 p.m.), especially Wednesday and Thursday. Sprout Social finds its usual windows for Reels, including Monday 2 to 4 p.m.

When should you post on Facebook on Monday?

Sprout Social says 12 to 1 p.m., at lunch. Buffer says 9 p.m., then 10 and 7 p.m.: Monday is the only day its best Facebook slots fall in the evening. Hootsuite says 5 p.m.

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