Best Time to Post on YouTube
Paste any channel. The finder reads the exact publish time of its latest 15 long-form uploads. You see when the channel posts most often, and which day and time slot beat its own average.
Paste any channel. We read the exact publish time of its latest 15 long-form uploads. You see when the channel posts, and which days and hours beat its own average. Use it on your channel, a client's or a competitor's.
Short answer
No single best time to post on YouTube holds for every channel. The right slot depends on who watches the channel and where they live. This finder reads a channel's latest 15 long-form uploads and takes the exact publish time and view count of each one. It shows which weekday and 3-hour slot the channel uses most. It also shows which day and slot did best against the 3 uploads before and after each video. The result is a pattern in past uploads. Use it to pick a slot to test.
Is there one best time to post on YouTube?
No. Many articles name an hour, and we won't. A cooking channel with viewers in India and a finance channel with viewers in New York have different audiences. Their viewers open YouTube at different hours. A time that suits one channel tells you little about the other.
So the finder answers a smaller question that it can check. It asks what one channel's own uploads show. It splits that into two answers and keeps them apart:
- When the channel posts most often. This is a count of uploads per slot. The finder can always answer it.
- Which day and slot did best. This is a comparison. It needs enough uploads in a slot, and the finder says so when a slot has too few.
Timing is also a small part of how a video does. The topic, the title and the thumbnail decide whether people click. Our guide to YouTube algorithm updates covers how YouTube recommends videos. For what happens right after you publish, read does YouTube test videos on subscribers first.
How the finder works out the best day to post on YouTube
Our server reads the channel's public feed of long-form uploads, which holds the latest 15. For each upload the feed gives two facts: the exact publish time and the view count. Your browser then places each upload in a weekday and a 3-hour slot, in the time zone you choose.
The finder does not rank slots by raw views. Old videos have had longer to collect views. A growing channel's newer videos also start higher. With raw views, "Tuesdays get more views" might only mean the channel posted on Tuesdays last year.
So the finder compares each video with its neighbours. It takes the 3 uploads before the video and the 3 after it. It finds their median views, which is the middle value. Then it divides the video's views by that number. A result of 1.4x means the video got 1.4 times the views of the uploads around it. Those neighbours are about the same age and come from the same stage of the channel.
| Rule | Value | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Uploads read per channel | The latest 15 long-form uploads | Recent uploads reflect the channel as it is today |
| Width of a time slot | 3 hours | Hourly columns stay mostly empty with 15 uploads |
| Baseline for each video | Median views of the 3 uploads before and the 3 after | Neighbours are the same age and from the same stage of the channel |
| Videos left out of the comparison | Uploads under 7 days old | A new video is still collecting its first views |
| Minimum for a best day | 3 compared uploads on that weekday | One strong video should not crown a day |
| Minimum for a best slot | 3 compared uploads in that slot | Below that, the finder says not enough uploads |
| Live streams | Left out | A stream's time is when it started, which says nothing about uploads |
A day or slot's figure is the median result of its compared uploads. The finder prints the upload count beside every figure. It also lists the five uploads that beat their neighbours by the most, with the day and slot each went out. Read that list first. If the top five share a topic, the topic explains more than the clock.
When to post on YouTube: this finder vs YouTube Studio
The finder cannot see when your viewers are online. YouTube shows that to channel owners only. Open YouTube Studio and go to Analytics, then Audience. The report is called "When your viewers are on YouTube". If you own the channel, start there.
| Question | This finder | YouTube Studio |
|---|---|---|
| Who can use it | Anyone, on any public channel | The channel owner and people the owner invites |
| What it reads | Public publish times and public view counts | The channel's private viewer data |
| When the channel has posted | Yes, as a grid of weekday by 3-hour slot | You can read it from the video list, one video at a time |
| When viewers are online | No | Yes, in the When your viewers are on YouTube report |
| Whether past timing lined up with results | Yes, against each video's neighbours | Not in one view |
| Login | None | A Google account with access to the channel |
So the two tools do different jobs. Studio tells an owner when the audience is around. This finder is for channels you cannot open Studio for, such as a competitor's or a prospect's. It also checks something Studio does not lay out: whether past timing lined up with results.
Own the channel? Use both
How to find the best time to upload on YouTube for one channel
Use the finder in five steps. Step four matters most, because a figure from three uploads is a hint.
- 01
Paste the channel
Paste a channel URL, an @handle, a UC channel ID or a link to one of its videos. The finder reads the channel's latest 15 long-form uploads. A run takes a second or two. - 02
Pick the time zone you plan in
The grid opens in your own time zone. Switch it to UTC or one of 9 other listed zones if the audience lives somewhere else. The grid redraws in your browser, so the switch does not use up a run. - 03
Read where the channel posts most often
The grid has one row per weekday and one column per 3-hour slot. Each cell shows how many uploads went out in that slot. The darkest cell is the channel's usual slot. - 04
Check the count behind the best day and best slot
Each figure names the number of uploads it comes from. A day needs 3 compared uploads and a slot needs 3. Below that, the finder says not enough uploads and gives no figure. - 05
Pick one slot to test, then keep it steady
Choose one day and slot from the result. Post there for your next several uploads and change nothing else about the schedule. Run the finder again afterwards and compare.
The time zone picker offers your own zone and these: UTC, New York (ET), Chicago (CT), Los Angeles (PT), London, Berlin (CET), India (IST), Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney. Pick the zone where most of the audience lives. A slot that reads as Friday evening in London is Friday afternoon in New York.
Turn the result into a YouTube upload schedule you can test
The result is a correlation in 15 uploads. A correlation means two things moved together. It does not show that one caused the other. A big topic can make a Tuesday look good. So can a collab, a news event or a strong thumbnail.
Treat the best slot as a guess to test. Pick one day and slot. Post there for your next several uploads and keep the rest of your schedule the same. Then run the finder again. If the slot still beats its neighbours across different topics, keep it.
A steady slot also helps your regular viewers know when to expect you. For a newer channel, a slot you can hold every week beats a perfect hour you miss. Our growth strategy for small channels covers where to spend effort first. The YouTube channel health checker scores upload consistency, so you can see how steady the schedule has been.
Timing is a small lever. For the bigger ones, read how YouTube recommendations work and does a slow first hour hurt a YouTube video. If the channel is new, read how YouTube recommends a new channel. Put the slot you pick into a YouTube content strategy template. If you post both formats, read how to get Shorts viewers to watch your long-form videos.
Best time to post on YouTube by channel, for agencies and competitor research
Each run covers one channel, and you get 8 runs an hour. That is enough to check a client and a handful of competitors in one sitting. The finder needs no login, so you can run it before a client gives you Studio access.
For a competitor, read the grid as a record of their habits. You see the slot they hold and how often they post each week. The top five list shows when their strongest uploads went out. Our competitor content strategy guide shows how to use what you learn from a rival channel.
For a roster, run each channel once and note its usual slot beside the best slot. A shared sheet of those slots shows which channels have no fixed slot yet. Read how to manage multiple YouTube channels for the wider workflow.
What about the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
We don't have a tested best time for Shorts, so we don't state one. The finder reads long-form uploads first. When a channel has any, it leaves the Shorts out. Shorts and long videos follow different timing, and mixing them would blur both answers.
A channel that only posts Shorts has no long-form list. For that channel, the finder reads all its uploads, so the grid shows the Shorts. The same method applies. Pick one slot, keep it steady for several Shorts, and compare each one with its neighbours.
What this best time to post on YouTube finder handles
Any public channel
Paste a channel URL, an @handle, a UC ID or a video link
Latest 15 uploads
Exact publish time and view count from the channel's public upload feed
Weekday and time slot grid
Upload counts for each weekday and 3-hour slot
Best day and best slot
Each video scored against the 3 uploads before and after it
Honest minimums
No figure until a day has 3 compared uploads and a slot has 3
Time zone picker
Your own zone, UTC or 9 named zones, with no new run
Top five uploads
The videos that beat their neighbours by the most, with when they went out
No login or API key
Run it on your channel, a client's or a competitor's
Where this best time to post finder stops
Frequently asked questions
What is the best time to post on YouTube?
No single time works for every channel. The answer depends on who watches you and where they live. This finder shows what a channel's own latest 15 uploads say. Use that to pick a slot to test. If you own the channel, also open the When your viewers are on YouTube report in YouTube Studio.
What is the best day to post on YouTube?
It differs by channel, so we don't name one. The finder names a best day for the channel you paste. It compares each upload with the uploads around it and takes the middle figure for each weekday. A weekday needs 3 compared uploads before it gets a figure.
Is there a best time to upload on YouTube for small channels?
There is no proven one. A small channel has few uploads, so one popular video can make any slot look good. Treat the best slot as a hint. Pick a time you can keep every week and test it. Topic and packaging usually move views more than the hour does.
How does this tool work out when to post on YouTube?
It reads the exact publish time and view count of each upload from the channel's public upload feed. It places every upload in a weekday and a 3-hour slot. Then it compares each video's views with the median of the 3 uploads before and after it. The median is the middle value. A slot's figure is the middle result of its uploads.
What does 1.4x typical mean?
It means uploads in that slot got 1.4 times the views of the uploads around them. A figure of 1x means a slot matched its neighbours. A figure under 1x means the slot did worse than its neighbours.
Why doesn't the tool compare raw view counts?
Raw views favour old videos, because they have had longer to collect views. A growing channel's newer videos also start higher. So a raw count can reward a slot the channel used last year. The finder compares each video with the 3 uploads on each side of it. Those are the same age and from the same stage of the channel.
Why does the tool say not enough uploads?
A day needs 3 compared uploads and a slot needs 3 before the finder gives a figure. Videos under 7 days old don't count, because they are still collecting their first views. A channel that spreads uploads across many slots often has no slot with enough.
Can I check the best time to post on YouTube by channel for a competitor?
Yes. The finder reads public data only, so it works on any public channel. You don't need a login or an API key. Paste a competitor's handle and you see their usual slot and how each slot did against their own uploads.
What is the best time to post YouTube Shorts?
We don't have a tested answer, and we won't invent one. The finder leaves Shorts out when a channel has long-form uploads. On a channel that only posts Shorts, it reads the Shorts. The same method applies: pick one slot, keep it steady, and compare the results.
Does the time I post on YouTube affect views?
This tool can't prove it either way. It shows whether uploads in a slot beat the uploads around them. That is a pattern in past videos. A strong topic on a Tuesday makes Tuesday look good. Run a steady test before you trust a slot.
Can this tool see when my viewers are online?
No. Only the channel owner can see that. Open YouTube Studio, go to Analytics, then Audience, and find the When your viewers are on YouTube report. This finder reads publish times and public view counts.
Which time zone does the grid use?
It starts in your browser's time zone. You can switch it to UTC, New York (ET), Chicago (CT), Los Angeles (PT), London, Berlin (CET), India (IST), Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney. The switch happens in your browser and does not use up a run.
How should I set a YouTube upload schedule from the result?
Pick one day and one slot from the result. Post there for your next several uploads and keep everything else the same. Then run the finder again. If the slot still beats its neighbours, keep it. If not, test the next one.
Is this best time to post on YouTube finder free?
Yes. You don't need an account, a login or an API key. Each visitor gets 8 runs an hour. A run takes a second or two, because the finder reads one public feed for the channel.
Find the videos that beat a channel's average in OutlierKit
Timing is one small lever. OutlierKit finds outliers, the videos that beat their own channel's average, so you can see which topics and titles did the work. New accounts start with 30 free credits, with no card.