Send on Tuesday between 9 and 11 AM if you want opens and clicks — Tuesday leads the week at a 31.27% open rate. If you want sales, send Friday at 7 AM, the single best-converting hour in Omnisend’s 26-billion-email dataset at 0.138%. Saturday is the weakest day on every measure.
Best day of the week to send email
Omnisend analysed approximately 26 billion emails for its 2026 send-time research. The headline is that opens and revenue peak on different days — and that the open-rate spread between the best and worst day is only about 1.6 percentage points.
| Day | Open rate | Click-to-sent | Conversion rate | Emails sent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 29.67% | 0.75% | 0.074% | 3.54B |
| Tuesday | 31.27% | 0.81% | 0.078% | 3.80B |
| Wednesday | 30.27% | 0.79% | 0.072% | 3.87B |
| Thursday | 30.42% | 0.78% | 0.075% | 3.96B |
| Friday | 30.18% | 0.77% | 0.081% | 4.51B |
| Saturday | 29.99% | 0.68% | 0.058% | 3.14B |
| Sunday | 30.60% | 0.69% | 0.066% | 3.27B |
Source: Omnisend, The best time to send an email (2026 research), ~26 billion emails. The dataset skews ecommerce, so conversion rates are transaction-based and read low in absolute terms.
Best time of day to send email
Omnisend’s hourly breakdown shows three distinct windows, each tied to a different goal:
| Goal | Best window | Peak result |
|---|---|---|
| Opens | 9–11 AM | Sunday 11 AM — 33.69% open rate |
| Clicks | 7–8 AM and 4 PM | Wednesday 4 PM — 1.08% click-to-sent |
| Conversions | 7–8 AM | Friday 7 AM — 0.138% conversion rate |
Source: Omnisend (2026). Evening sends underperform mornings for both clicks and conversions in this dataset.
Why the clock matters less than you think
GetResponse’s engagement-over-time data explains the mechanism. The first hour after a send captures 21.2% of all opens and 44.14% of all clicks. Roughly 70% of opens and 85% of clicks land within 24 hours. So send time does not create engagement; it decides whether your email is near the top of the inbox during the hour that most of it happens.
It also explains why the day-of-week gaps are so small. Omnisend’s best and worst open days differ by 1.6 points. A better subject line, a cleaner list, or one fewer send per week will each move your numbers further than shifting from Wednesday to Tuesday.
Frequency outranks timing
GetResponse: senders mailing once a week average a 5.71% CTR; at four sends a week, 2.99%. Cutting frequency beats optimising the hour.
Test on your own list
Hold the email and audience constant, vary only send time, and repeat across 3–5 campaigns before you conclude anything.
Mind the time zone
Global benchmarks are reported in the recipient’s local hour. A single UTC send blurs every window above.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best day to send an email?
Tuesday for opens and clicks (31.27% open rate, 0.81% click-to-sent) and Friday for conversions (0.081%), according to Omnisend’s analysis of ~26 billion emails. Saturday is weakest on clicks, conversions and volume.
What is the best time to send an email?
9–11 AM for opens, 7–8 AM or 4 PM for clicks, and 7–8 AM for conversions. The single best-performing slot in Omnisend’s data is Friday at 7 AM, with a 0.138% conversion rate. GetResponse, using a different dataset, favours 4–6 AM and 5–7 PM.
Is it better to send emails in the morning or evening?
Mornings, in Omnisend’s data: the strongest click and conversion activity falls between 7 and 11 AM, and evening sends generate opens without matching purchase activity. GetResponse disagrees and finds a second peak at 5–7 PM. Test both on your own list.
Does send time actually matter?
Somewhat. It matters because 44% of all clicks arrive in the first hour after a send, so being in the inbox at the right moment compounds. It does not matter enough to rescue a weak offer — the spread between the best and worst send day is under two percentage points on opens.
How many emails should I send per week?
One to two. GetResponse found one newsletter a week averages 48.31% opens and 5.71% CTR; by four a week, CTR halves to 2.99%. Higher frequencies show lower unsubscribe rates, but that reflects surviving, highly engaged lists rather than a licence to send more.
Related reading
- Email open rates by industry
- Email click-through rates by industry
- All email marketing benchmarks
- A/B test significance calculator — check whether your send-time win is real
- Free subject line tester
Run the send-time test without a pricing penalty
Split-testing send times means more sends to smaller segments. Because Bluey Email prices per send rather than per contact, testing costs you exactly the emails you send — no plan upgrade for holding the same list. All features included, GDPR and Google CASA compliant. See Bluey’s pricing.