The best time to post on TikTok on Monday is between 1pm and 5pm in your audience's local time. Buffer's 2026 study of 7.1 million posts found Monday at 1pm the second-best slot of the entire week, and Sprout Social's brand data puts Monday's peak at 3pm to 5pm. Monday mornings are busy and weaker for most accounts.
Here's the detail behind that window, checked on 10 November 2026.
What the studies say about Mondays
| Study | Best Monday times | How Monday ranks |
|---|---|---|
| Buffer (2026, 7.1 million posts) | 1pm, then 11am and 8am | Monday 1pm is the second-best slot of the week |
| Sprout Social (2026, nearly 2 billion engagements) | 3pm to 5pm | High engagement, just behind Tuesday to Thursday |
| Hootsuite (2025, over 1 million posts) | 5pm | An afternoon day |
The studies line up on Monday afternoon. Creator-heavy data (Buffer) peaks at lunchtime; brand data (Sprout) a little later, as the working day winds down; Hootsuite at 5pm.
Best Monday times by industry
From Sprout Social's industry breakdown:
| Industry | Best Monday time |
|---|---|
| Software and tech | 11am to 12pm |
| Food and drink | 3pm to 6pm |
| Healthcare | 3pm to 6pm |
| Retail | 3pm to 5pm |
| Travel and hospitality | 4pm to 6pm |
| Financial services | 4pm to 6pm, and 8pm |
| Education | 5pm to 6pm |
| Government | 6pm |
Nonprofits are the one industry where Monday isn't among the best days; their data favours Tuesday to Saturday.
Why Monday afternoons work
Monday mornings are for inboxes, meetings and catching up. Few people have time to scroll, and the ones who do are thinking about work. By lunchtime the week has settled, and Buffer's 1pm peak suggests that's when many people take their first proper break on their phone. Through the afternoon engagement holds up, and for brand accounts it peaks between 3pm and 5pm.
If you post at the start of the week, Monday afternoon also gives the video the rest of the week to keep picking up views, rather than starting into a quiet weekend.
Monday times in EST, CST and PST
All three studies use your viewers' local time. For an audience across the US, aim at Eastern time and check the West Coast:
| Eastern (ET) | Central (CT) | Mountain (MT) | Pacific (PT) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1pm | 12pm | 11am | 10am |
| 3pm | 2pm | 1pm | 12pm |
| 5pm | 4pm | 3pm | 2pm |
4pm Eastern is a good choice for a national US audience: inside Sprout's window in the East, and 1pm, Buffer's peak, on the West Coast.
Is Monday a good day to start a TikTok series?
It's a natural one. Monday-afternoon engagement is solid, and a series that starts on Monday can run through Thursday, the strongest stretch of the week for brand accounts. Post part one on Monday at 1pm to 3pm and the follow-ups on Tuesday to Thursday afternoons.
Find your own best Monday time
In TikTok Studio, go to Analytics, then Followers, and check Follower activity for Monday. Check the time zone label on the chart, since it can show UTC. Then test a lunchtime and a late-afternoon slot over a few Mondays with similar videos, and keep whichever gets more views in the first 24 hours.
Schedule Monday's video before the week starts
The easiest way to hit Monday at 1pm is to not be thinking about TikTok on Monday at all. Batch your videos at the end of the week and schedule them: TikTok Studio on a desktop lets you schedule up to 10 days ahead (here's how), and a tool like Postbase keeps TikTok on one calendar with YouTube and your other networks. (TikToks scheduled from Postbase go out as private until TikTok approves it for public posting.)
For every day of the week side by side, read the main guide to the best time to post on TikTok, or use our best time to post tool for times in your time zone.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Monday?
Between 1pm and 5pm in your audience's local time. Buffer's data puts Monday at 1pm as the second-best slot of the week, and Sprout Social's brand data peaks between 3pm and 5pm.
Is Monday a good day to post on TikTok?
Yes, in the afternoon. Monday is rated high engagement by Sprout Social, and Buffer's Monday 1pm slot is among the best of the week. Monday mornings are weaker.
Is it bad to post on TikTok on Monday morning?
Not bad, but weaker for most accounts. Tech and business audiences are the exception: Sprout's data shows 11am to 12pm working well for software and tech brands.
What is the best time to post on TikTok on Monday in EST?
1pm to 5pm Eastern. For a national US audience, 4pm Eastern lands at 1pm on the West Coast, inside both studies' windows.
What's the best time to post on TikTok on Monday night?
Evenings aren't Monday's strongest time in the studies, except for some financial services (8pm) and government (6pm) accounts. If your own follower activity peaks on Monday evening, follow that instead.
Postbase