YouTube · Data study
The Best Time to Post on YouTube (24,918 Uploads Say It Barely Matters)
between the best and worst day to post
By Elijah Westbrook · 2026-10-20 · 2 min read
It barely matters. Across 24,918 uploads, each compared with its own channel’s typical video, Monday, Saturday and Sunday did a few percent better than Tuesday through Thursday. The hour you post made almost no difference.
1.00 = an average day · US Eastern time
The best day beats the worst by a few percent
Monday was about 4% above an average day, and Tuesday through Thursday were 2 to 3% below. That’s a real pattern across thousands of uploads, but it’s small next to what the idea and the title do.
If you have to pick, Monday or the weekend. But don’t delay a finished video for days to hit one.
The hour is noise
Morning posts (6 to 9 AM Eastern) did a little better and the middle of the night a little worse, all within a few percent.
Post when the video is ready and you can be around to answer comments in the first hour. That matters more than the clock.
1.00 = an average time
From my channel
How I did it
Every long-form upload at least 14 days old from the public feeds of our channel set, with its exact publish time. Each video’s views were divided by its own channel’s median, then averaged by day and 3-hour block (US Eastern).
The limits
Channels pick their own posting times, so this shows what happened, not a controlled test. Your own audience’s time zone can still matter for comments in the first hour.
Questions
What is the best day to post on YouTube?
Monday did best in this data, about 4% above an average day, with Saturday and Sunday close behind. Tuesday to Thursday were 2 to 3% below.
What is the best time to post on YouTube?
The hour made little difference. 6 to 9 AM Eastern was slightly ahead, but every time slot was within a few percent of the others.
Does upload time affect the algorithm?
Not in a way that showed up here. YouTube keeps recommending videos for weeks, so the first few hours matter less than people think.