Best time to post on Instagram in Australia
The big studies report times in the audience's local time, so they hold in Sydney, Adelaide and Perth alike. The catch for Australian businesses is posting to a different state: the converter below does the sums, daylight saving included.
By the Desk editorLast checked 3 October 20267 min read
The short answer
Post midweek. Buffer's study of 9.6 million posts puts the top three slots at Thursday 9 am, Wednesday 12 pm and Wednesday 6 pm, your audience's local time. Evenings (6 to 11 pm) win on most other days; Friday and Saturday are the weakest. Then test against your own Instagram Insights.
The chart, by day and hour
| 6am | 7am | 8am | 9am | 10am | 11am | 12pm | 1pm | 2pm | 3pm | 4pm | 5pm | 6pm | 7pm | 8pm | 9pm | 10pm | 11pm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Moderate | Monday 6 am: not in the top three | Monday 7 am: not in the top three | Monday 8 am: not in the top three | Monday 9 am: not in the top three | Monday 10 am: not in the top three | Monday 11 am: not in the top three | Monday 12 pm: not in the top three | Monday 1 pm: not in the top three | Monday 2 pm: not in the top three | Monday 3 pm: not in the top three | Monday 4 pm: not in the top three | Monday 5 pm: not in the top three | Monday 6 pm: second best that day | Monday 7 pm: best that day | Monday 8 pm: third best that day | Monday 9 pm: not in the top three | Monday 10 pm: not in the top three | Monday 11 pm: not in the top three |
| Tue High | Tuesday 6 am: not in the top three | Tuesday 7 am: not in the top three | Tuesday 8 am: not in the top three | Tuesday 9 am: not in the top three | Tuesday 10 am: not in the top three | Tuesday 11 am: not in the top three | Tuesday 12 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 1 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 2 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 3 pm: second best that day | Tuesday 4 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 5 pm: third best that day | Tuesday 6 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 7 pm: best that day | Tuesday 8 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 9 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 10 pm: not in the top three | Tuesday 11 pm: not in the top three |
| Wed Highest | Wednesday 6 am: not in the top three | Wednesday 7 am: not in the top three | Wednesday 8 am: third best that day | Wednesday 9 am: not in the top three | Wednesday 10 am: not in the top three | Wednesday 11 am: not in the top three | Wednesday 12 pm: best that day | Wednesday 1 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 2 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 3 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 4 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 5 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 6 pm: second best that day | Wednesday 7 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 8 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 9 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 10 pm: not in the top three | Wednesday 11 pm: not in the top three |
| Thu Highest | Thursday 6 am: not in the top three | Thursday 7 am: third best that day | Thursday 8 am: second best that day | Thursday 9 am: best that day | Thursday 10 am: not in the top three | Thursday 11 am: not in the top three | Thursday 12 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 1 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 2 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 3 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 4 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 5 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 6 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 7 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 8 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 9 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 10 pm: not in the top three | Thursday 11 pm: not in the top three |
| Fri Low | Friday 6 am: third best that day | Friday 7 am: not in the top three | Friday 8 am: not in the top three | Friday 9 am: not in the top three | Friday 10 am: not in the top three | Friday 11 am: not in the top three | Friday 12 pm: not in the top three | Friday 1 pm: not in the top three | Friday 2 pm: not in the top three | Friday 3 pm: not in the top three | Friday 4 pm: not in the top three | Friday 5 pm: not in the top three | Friday 6 pm: not in the top three | Friday 7 pm: not in the top three | Friday 8 pm: not in the top three | Friday 9 pm: second best that day | Friday 10 pm: best that day | Friday 11 pm: not in the top three |
| Sat Low | Saturday 6 am: not in the top three | Saturday 7 am: not in the top three | Saturday 8 am: not in the top three | Saturday 9 am: not in the top three | Saturday 10 am: not in the top three | Saturday 11 am: not in the top three | Saturday 12 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 1 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 2 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 3 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 4 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 5 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 6 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 7 pm: not in the top three | Saturday 8 pm: third best that day | Saturday 9 pm: best that day | Saturday 10 pm: second best that day | Saturday 11 pm: not in the top three |
| Sun Moderate | Sunday 6 am: not in the top three | Sunday 7 am: not in the top three | Sunday 8 am: not in the top three | Sunday 9 am: not in the top three | Sunday 10 am: not in the top three | Sunday 11 am: not in the top three | Sunday 12 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 1 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 2 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 3 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 4 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 5 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 6 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 7 pm: not in the top three | Sunday 8 pm: third best that day | Sunday 9 pm: best that day | Sunday 10 pm: second best that day | Sunday 11 pm: not in the top three |
Posting to another state?
- Thursday 9 am
- Wednesday 12 pm
- Wednesday 6 pm
Converted with today's time zones, including daylight saving, in your browser.
What the three big studies agree on
| Study | Sample | Best days | Best windows (local time) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Buffer, July 2026 | 9.6 million Instagram posts | Wednesday, Thursday, Tuesday | Thu 9 am; Wed 12 pm and 6 pm; evenings 6 to 11 pm |
| Sprout Social, March 2026 | About 2 billion engagements, six networks | Tuesday, Wednesday | Tue 1 to 7 pm; Wed 12 to 9 pm |
| Hootsuite, July 2026 | More than 1 million posts | Monday, Tuesday, Thursday | Mon 3 to 9 pm; Tue 3 to 7 pm; Wed 5 pm |
All three agree on midweek and against weekends. They disagree on the hour, because they measured different accounts in different ways. Buffer's figure is median engagement rate; Sprout's sample spans six networks, not Instagram alone.
The worst times
Buffer found overnight (1 am to 5 am) the weakest on every day, Friday and Saturday the weakest days, and weekday mornings weak except Thursday 7 to 9 am.
Posting to another state
The studies' times are your audience's local time. If you are in Perth and your customers are in Sydney, a Wednesday 12 pm Sydney post goes up at 9 am in Perth during daylight saving and 10 am the rest of the year. Use the converter under the chart: it reads today's time zones in your browser, including daylight saving, which runs from the first Sunday in October to the first Sunday in April in NSW, Victoria, Tasmania, the ACT and South Australia, but not in Queensland, the NT or WA.
What is the 5-3-1 rule?
It is a content mix rule of thumb, not an Instagram policy: of every nine posts, five that help or entertain your audience, three about your business, and one personal or behind-the-scenes. Use it as a check that your feed is not all selling.
Find your own best time
Instagram Insights (in a professional account) shows when your followers are online by day and hour. Post the same kind of content at two times for two weeks and compare reach and saves before you settle on a schedule.
Common questions
What is the best time to post on Instagram in Australia?
Midweek. Buffer's top slots are Thursday 9 am, Wednesday 12 pm and Wednesday 6 pm, in your audience's local time.
What is the best day to post on Instagram?
Wednesday in Buffer's study, followed by Thursday and Tuesday. Sprout Social also rates Tuesday and Wednesday highest.
When should I post Reels?
Buffer suggests evenings, 6 to 11 pm, on Wednesday and Thursday. Its Reels advice comes from all post types together, so test it.
Sources
- Buffer, Best time to post on Instagram in 2026 (9.6 million posts, January 2024 to December 2025), 14 July 2026
- Sprout Social, Best times to post on Instagram in 2026 (about 2 billion engagements, 27 November 2025 to 27 February 2026), 31 March 2026
- Hootsuite, The best time to post on Instagram (more than 1 million posts across 118 countries), 14 July 2026