Ascend vs Elegant Recipe Blog
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Ascend leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #961, ahead of Elegant Recipe Blog at #5,321. Over the last 7 days Ascend climbed 24 places and Elegant Recipe Blog slipped 27 places. Ascend has the largest install base, roughly 20× the next: 2K+ active installs against 100+ for Elegant Recipe Blog. Downloads this week: Ascend 106 and Elegant Recipe Blog 12. Ratings: Ascend 4.9★ from 37 and Elegant Recipe Blog 5★ from 2 reviews.
| Metric | Ascend | Elegant Recipe Blog |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #961 ▲ 24 | #5,321 ▼ 27 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 106 | 12 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (37) | 5★ (2) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 12, 2026 | Aug 20, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.21 | 1.0.21 |
| Best rank on record | #956 | #5,080 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2017 | Jan 2022 |
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, Ascend or Elegant Recipe Blog?
By active installs, Ascend: 2K+ sites run it against 100+ for Elegant Recipe Blog, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 23, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Ascend or Elegant Recipe Blog?
Ascend, at #961 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Elegant Recipe Blog at #5,321. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Ascend a block theme or a classic theme? And Elegant Recipe Blog?
Ascend is a classic theme, Elegant Recipe Blog 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.