Best Time to Post Analyzer: Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn

Answer first: this actor finds the best time to post on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and LinkedIn from an account's own recent posts, not industry averages. Give it public profiles (yours or competitors') or paste your analytics CSV export (Meta Business Suite, TikTok Studio, YouTube Studio, LinkedIn, Facebook, X, any sheet). For every account you get a weekday × 3-hour heatmap in your time zone, the top 3 posting slots and the slot to avoid, engagement rate, the winning format (Reels, carousels, Shorts, long-form, documents), caption length and hashtag fit, posting cadence, top and weakest posts, and a 7-day posting schedule. $0.03 per account report. The first account in a run is free when you analyze 12 posts or fewer.

Quick facts
Best for	Best time to post on Instagram / TikTok / YouTube / LinkedIn, posting schedule, engagement rate, competitor posting-time benchmark, monthly client reports
Input	Instagram usernames, TikTok usernames, YouTube handles/URLs, or your own data: pasted CSV/TSV/JSON, CSV or Google Sheets links, Apify dataset IDs
Output	One row per account: bestSlots, worstSlot, heatmap, bestDays, formatPerformance, medianEngagementRateByFollowersPct, medianEngagementRateByViewsPct, postsPerWeek, topPosts, recommendations, sevenDayPlan, summary
Our price	$0.03 per completed account report. No start fee. Accounts that can't be analyzed are never charged
Data cost	Your own CSV/dataset: $0. YouTube: $0 (public feed). Instagram: about $0.003 per account for a 12-post quick check, about $0.054 at 30 posts. TikTok: about $0.09 at 30 posts. Scrapers run on your account under a hard cap you set
Needs	No logins, cookies or API keys

How it works

1. Your own data (cheapest, most accurate for your account). Paste a CSV export or link one. Columns are matched automatically: publish time / post time / created date / date + time, likes / reactions, comments, shares / reposts, saves, views / plays, impressions, reach, engagements, post type, caption/title, link. Title rows above the header, Total rows, 1.2K numbers, 1.234,5 decimals, semicolon or tab delimiters, BOMs, quoted multi-line captions, Unix timestamps and Excel serial dates are handled. US (MM/DD) vs European (DD/MM) dates are detected from the column; times without a zone are read in dataTimezone (defaults to your time zone).
2. Public accounts. Instagram: the profile scraper returns followers + the 12 latest posts for ~$0.0026, so a 12-post quick check costs almost nothing; for more posts the cheaper apify/instagram-post-scraper (basic data, $0.0017/post) is used. TikTok uses clockworks/tiktok-profile-scraper. All of them run on your account with maxTotalChargeUsd set from Max scraper spend, and every run and its cost is listed in SUMMARY. YouTube is read from the public channel feed (15 latest uploads, exact publish time, views, likes), with Shorts vs long-form detected.
3. Each post gets a performance index = its interactions (likes + comments + shares + saves) ÷ the account's median post. 1.0 = typical, 2.0 = twice as good, so a 20M brand and a 2k café compare fairly. If a file only has views or impressions, those are used. Posts younger than 48 h and pinned posts are left out of timing.
4. Slots are ranked on the median index with shrinkage toward 1.0, so one lucky post can't crown a slot. Best slots must beat your typical post; slots resting on a single post are flagged lowSample. Each report has confidence high (30+ posts), medium (15+) or low.

Input examples

Public accounts (competitor benchmark in one run):

{
  "instagramProfiles": ["starbucks", "dunkin"],
  "tiktokProfiles": ["duolingo"],
  "youtubeChannels": ["@mkbhd"],
  "postsPerAccount": 30,
  "timezone": "America/New_York",
  "maxScraperSpendUsd": 1
}

Your own export (no scraping, no scraper cost):

{
  "csvText": "Publish time,Post type,Likes,Comments,Shares,Saves,Views,Permalink\n10/14/2026 09:01,IG reel,1203,45,30,88,15400,https://www.instagram.com/reel/...\n...",
  "dataTimezone": "America/Los_Angeles",
  "timezone": "Asia/Riyadh"
}

Or "fileUrls": ["https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/<id>/edit#gid=0"] (share as Anyone with the link), or "datasetIds": ["<dataset from an Instagram/TikTok/YouTube scraper run>"]. Time zones accept IANA names (Europe/London), offsets (UTC+3, +05:30), abbreviations (EST, PST, IST) and city names (Riyadh).

Where to get your export

Platform	Export	Notes
Instagram / Facebook	Meta Business Suite → Insights → Content → Export (CSV)	Has Publish time, Post type, likes, comments, shares, saves, views, reach
TikTok	TikTok Studio → Analytics → Content → Download data	Use CSV; Post time + likes/comments/shares/views
YouTube	YouTube Studio → Analytics → Advanced mode → Export (CSV)	Studio exports often have the publish date only, so you get best days; add youtubeChannels for hour-level timing from the public feed
LinkedIn	Page → Analytics → Content → Export	Comes as .xls: open and save as CSV (Excel files are detected and you get a clear message)
Anything else	Any sheet with a date/time column + at least one engagement column	Set dataPlatform and dataAccount if the file has no links/usernames

Sample output (real run, 19 Oct 2026, times in America/New_York)

Public sample dataset from run OpQ9wfdP5ZJ6H7wNj: JSON · CSV · Excel

Account	Posts	Best slots (New York time)	Avoid	Best format	Engagement	Confidence
Instagram @starbucks	30	Mon 09-12 (3.38x, 5 posts), Thu 09-12 (3.12x, 2 posts), Tue 12-15 (1.89x, 2 posts)	Wed 09-12 (0.61x)	reel	3.9% of views	high
TikTok @duolingo	29	Fri 09-12 (5.18x, 3 posts), Thu 12-15 (2.49x, 4 posts), Wed 09-12 (2.84x, 2 posts)	Wed 12-15 (0.31x)	video <=60s	0.56% of followers	medium
YouTube @mkbhd	15	Thu 03-06 (2.36x, 2 posts), Fri 21-24 (1.39x, 1 post), Wed 06-09 (1.32x, 1 post)	–	short	0.58% of followers	medium

Instagram and TikTok rows were analyzed from existing scraper datasets (18 Oct 2026 scrapes), so this run spent $0 on scrapers; the Instagram dataset came from a posts-only scrape, so its engagement is shown per view.

{
  "platform": "tiktok",
  "account": "duolingo",
  "status": "ANALYZED",
  "dataSource": "your data",
  "followers": 18300000,
  "postsAnalyzed": 29,
  "periodDays": 27.04,
  "postsPerWeek": 7.51,
  "medianEngagementRateByFollowersPct": 0.56,
  "medianEngagementRateByViewsPct": 14.8,
  "engagementRateBase": "views",
  "confidence": "medium",
  "timeOfDayAvailable": true,
  "bestSlots": [
    {
      "day": "Fri",
      "timeBlock": "09-12",
      "posts": 3,
      "medianIndex": 5.18,
      "score": 3.51
    },
    {
      "day": "Thu",
      "timeBlock": "12-15",
      "posts": 4,
      "medianIndex": 2.49,
      "score": 1.99
    },
    {
      "day": "Wed",
      "timeBlock": "09-12",
      "posts": 2,
      "medianIndex": 2.84,
      "score": 1.92
    }
  ],
  "worstSlot": {
    "day": "Wed",
    "timeBlock": "12-15",
    "posts": 3,
    "medianIndex": 0.31,
    "score": 0.59
  },
  "formatPerformance": [
    {
      "format": "video <=60s",
      "posts": 24,
      "medianIndex": 1.04,
      "score": 1.04
    },
    {
      "format": "slideshow",
      "posts": 4,
      "medianIndex": 0.81,
      "score": 0.87
    },
    {
      "format": "video >60s",
      "posts": 1,
      "medianIndex": 0.05,
      "score": 0.68
    }
  ],
  "recommendations": [
    "Post on Fri 09-12, Thu 12-15, Wed 09-12 (America/New_York): these slots beat your typical post by 5.18x / 2.49x / 2.84x.",
    "Avoid Wed 12-15: 0.31x of median.",
    "video <=60s performs best (1.04x median over 24 posts) vs slideshow (0.81x). Shift the mix toward video <=60s.",
    "short (<70 chars) captions work best (1.03x).",
    "Posts with 0 hashtags perform best (1.03x).",
    "Cadence 7.51x/week. Keep it and move posts into the best slots."
  ],
  "sevenDayPlan": [
    {
      "day": "Mon",
      "timeBlock": "15-18",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    },
    {
      "day": "Tue",
      "timeBlock": "12-15",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    },
    {
      "day": "Wed",
      "timeBlock": "09-12",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    },
    {
      "day": "Thu",
      "timeBlock": "12-15",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    },
    {
      "day": "Fri",
      "timeBlock": "09-12",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    },
    {
      "day": "Sat",
      "timeBlock": "15-18",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    },
    {
      "day": "Sun",
      "timeBlock": "15-18",
      "format": "video <=60s"
    }
  ],
  "summary": "tiktok @duolingo: 29 posts over 27 days, 7.51/week. Best slots (America/New_York): Fri 09-12 (5.18x, 3 posts), Thu 12-15 (2.49x, 4 posts), Wed 09-12 (2.84x, 2 posts). Best format: video <=60s. Median engagement 0.56% of followers. Confidence: medium.",
  "charged": true
}

Each row also has heatmap (7 days × 8 three-hour blocks), bestDays, bestTimeBlocks, captionLengthPerformance, hashtagCountPerformance, topPosts/weakestPosts with URLs, timeOfDayAvailable, dataSource, notes and method. The key-value store has SUMMARY (charges, every scraper run and its cost, how each file's columns were read) and a Markdown REPORT.

Pricing and total cost

What	Price	Billed by
Account report (this actor)	$0.03 each; first account free when postsPerAccount ≤ 12	This actor
Your CSV / file / dataset	$0	None
YouTube channel	$0 (public feed)	None
Instagram, ≤ 12 posts	$0.0026 per account (profile scraper; followers + posts)	apify/instagram-profile-scraper
Instagram, more posts	$0.0017 per post + $0.0026 per account for followers	apify/instagram-post-scraper (basic data)
TikTok	$0.003 per video	clockworks/tiktok-profile-scraper

Scraper prices are Apify FREE-plan list prices on 19 Oct 2026 (lower on paid plans).

Typical job	Scraper cost	Our fee	Total
Your own CSV export, 1 account	$0	$0.03	$0.03
YouTube channel	$0	$0.03	$0.03
Instagram quick check (12 posts), first account	~$0.003	free	~$0.003
Instagram, 30 posts	~$0.054 (estimate from list prices)	$0.03	~$0.084
TikTok, 30 videos (measured 18 Oct: $0.09)	~$0.09	$0.03	~$0.12
You + 4 competitors on Instagram, 30 posts each	~$0.27	$0.15	~$0.42

Two hard caps: Max scraper spend (maxScraperSpendUsd) for scraper runs, and Apify's Max cost per run for our fee. If your max cost per run covers fewer reports than the accounts you list, the extra accounts are not scraped at all (no scraper money spent) and come back as NOT_ANALYZED with the reason. If Instagram blocks the scrapers (it happens), the account comes back NOT_ANALYZED, our fee is $0 and only the small scraper attempt (~$0.002–0.005) is billed by the scraper.

How it compares (Apify Store, verified 19 Oct 2026)

Actor	Price (FREE plan)	Platforms	Your own CSV?
cygnix_labs/social-best-time-to-post (this)	$0.03 / report + scraper cost ($0 for CSV/YouTube)	Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn/Facebook/X via CSV	Yes
seemuapps/instagram-active-hours-analyzer	$0.10 / report	Instagram	No
seemuapps/youtube-channel-growth-analyzer	$0.02 / channel	YouTube (growth metrics + posting time)	No
apricot_blackberry/tiktok-content-optimizer	$0.05 start + $0.01 / result	TikTok	No
apt_marble/reddit-subreddit-analytics-best-time-to-post	$0.05 / subreddit + $0.001 / item	Reddit	No
seemuapps/tiktok-engagement-rate-calculator	$0.035 / creator	TikTok (engagement rate only)	No
zaver.api/instagram-engagement-rate-calculator	$0.0479 / creator	Instagram (engagement rate only)	No

Honest take. For Instagram at 30 posts our all-in cost ($0.084) is below the $0.10 dedicated Instagram best-time report, and a 12-post quick check is nearly free. For YouTube a pure growth analyzer is $0.01 cheaper per channel. TikTok at 30 videos ($0.12) is close to rivals because the TikTok scraper is the main cost; use postsPerAccount: 12 (~$0.036) or your TikTok Studio export ($0.03) to cut it. Off Apify, scheduling suites (Later, Buffer, Sprout and others) show best times only for accounts you connect, on a monthly plan; this actor works on competitors and on any export, pay per use.

For AI agents / MCP

When to call it: the user asks when should I post on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube or LinkedIn, wants a posting schedule, an engagement rate, a content performance report, or a competitor's posting pattern; or the user has an analytics export file and asks what it says about timing.

Connect the Apify MCP server with only this actor (Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, VS Code, Codex, any MCP client):

https://mcp.apify.com?tools=cygnix_labs/social-best-time-to-post

Or with the default server, search-actors for best time to post, instagram best time to post, tiktok posting schedule.

Example call-actor input when the user pasted or attached an export: put the file text in csvText (or a link in fileUrls), set timezone to the user's zone and dataTimezone to the export's zone if known. For public accounts:

{ "instagramProfiles": ["ourcafe", "bluebottle"], "timezone": "America/New_York", "postsPerAccount": 12 }

Read the result: keep rows with status == "ANALYZED". summary is a quotable one-liner, bestSlots[] has day, timeBlock (null when the data had dates only), posts, medianIndex, lowSample; sevenDayPlan[] is ready for a calendar. NOT_ANALYZED rows have a plain-English reason and charged: false. Cost control: tell the user the estimate first (table above), pass maxTotalChargeUsd in call options to cap our fee and maxScraperSpendUsd to cap scraping. Pay-per-event with limited permissions, so it suits autonomous agents and Apify agentic payments.

Example prompt: "Here is my TikTok Studio export. When should I post next week in Riyadh time, and which format should I make more of?"

FAQ

What is the best time to post on Instagram / TikTok / LinkedIn? It depends on your audience, which is why this actor measures it per account. Generic charts average millions of accounts; your own posts (and your competitors') show when your audience responds. Run it on your account and 2–4 competitors to see both.

Can I analyze my own analytics export instead of scraping? Yes, and it's the cheapest and most accurate route for your own account (your export has saves, shares, reach and impressions that public scrapers can't see). Paste it in csvText or link it in fileUrls.

My file has dates but no times. You get the best weekdays (timeOfDayAvailable: false, timeBlock: null), never invented hours. Add a time column, or for YouTube add the channel in youtubeChannels for exact upload times.

Which time zone are my file's times in? Times with Z/+03:00 and Unix timestamps are exact. Times without a zone are read in dataTimezone (default: your timezone). Exports differ by platform and settings, so if you're unsure, set dataTimezone to the zone your analytics dashboard shows.

How many posts do I need? 30+ for high confidence, 15–29 medium. At least 3 usable posts are required; fewer is NOT_ANALYZED and free.

Do I need to log in? No. Public profiles only, no cookies or keys. Private or missing accounts return NOT_ANALYZED and aren't charged.

Why are Instagram and TikTok fetched by other actors? They block logged-out scraping from datacenter IPs; the official and leading scrapers maintain proxies full-time. Calling them with a hard cap keeps this actor reliable and transparent: each run and its cost is in your Console and in SUMMARY.

What counts as engagement? Likes + comments + shares + saves (reposts count as shares). Engagement rate is shown per follower (when followers are known) and per view/impression/reach (engagementRateBase).

I left the example "natgeo" in the form and added my CSV. When you supply your own data, the pre-filled example is ignored, so you're not billed for it.

Changelog

• 0.1.6–0.1.9 (2026-10-19): CSV/TSV/JSON export input (csvText, fileUrls incl. Google Sheets/Drive/Dropbox links) for Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, X and any sheet; date-only exports give weekday results instead of fake hours; time zones accept offsets, abbreviations and city names (unknown zones are reported); Instagram quick checks use only the profile scraper (~$0.003 instead of ~$0.035) and longer pulls use the cheaper post scraper; max-cost-per-run is checked before scraping; accounts with all-zero engagement or under 3 posts are free; best slots must beat your typical post (lowSample flag); scheme-less URLs (instagram.com/x, youtube.com/@x) and @handles work; the free quick check now analyzes at most 12 posts for every source.
• 0.1 (2026-10-18): First release.

More tools by Cygnix Labs

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Questions or a feature request? Open an issue on this actor's Issues tab. We answer within 24 hours.