Alchemist vs Twenty Twelve
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Twenty Twelve leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #60, ahead of Alchemist at #6,459. Over the last 7 days Twenty Twelve slipped 2 places and Alchemist slipped 3 places. Twenty Twelve has the largest install base, roughly 500× the next: 50K+ active installs against 100+ for Alchemist. Downloads this week: Twenty Twelve 12,149 and Alchemist 7. Ratings: Alchemist 5★ from 2 and Twenty Twelve 4.6★ from 159 reviews.
| Metric | Alchemist | Twenty Twelve |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #6,459 ▼ 3 | #60 ▼ 2 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 50K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 7 | 12,149 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 4.6★ (159) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | May 25, 2026 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.2.1 | 4.9 |
| Best rank on record | #6,223 | #50 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 2 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2019 | Sep 2012 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 1 |
Highlighted cells mark the strongest figure in each row. Rank and installs are from the latest WordPress.org capture; downloads are the last seven captured days.
Ranking history Lower is better
Active installs
Downloads per day
More comparisons
Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, Alchemist or Twenty Twelve?
By active installs, Twenty Twelve: 50K+ sites run it against 100+ for Alchemist, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Alchemist or Twenty Twelve?
Twenty Twelve, at #60 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Alchemist at #6,459. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Alchemist a block theme or a classic theme? And Twenty Twelve?
Alchemist is a classic theme, Twenty Twelve is a classic theme. Block themes are built for the Site Editor; classic themes use the Customizer and widget areas.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each theme’s active install count and its position on the popular list. This site records both every day, along with per-day downloads and ratings, so the charts above show how the themes have moved over time rather than a single day.