Atmosphere Lite vs Kale
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Kale leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #311, ahead of Atmosphere Lite at #8,256. Over the last 7 days Kale slipped 4 places and Atmosphere Lite slipped 26 places. Kale has the largest install base, roughly 175× the next: 7K+ active installs against 40+ for Atmosphere Lite. Downloads this week: Kale 273 and Atmosphere Lite 8.
| Metric | Atmosphere Lite | Kale |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #8,256 ▼ 26 | #311 ▼ 4 |
| Active installs | 40+ | 7K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8 | 273 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.9★ (206) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jun 27, 2026 | Jul 22, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.2.1 | 2.9 |
| Best rank on record | #7,875 | #304 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2017 | Feb 2017 |
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, Atmosphere Lite or Kale?
By active installs, Kale: 7K+ sites run it against 40+ for Atmosphere Lite, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Atmosphere Lite or Kale?
Kale, at #311 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Atmosphere Lite at #8,256. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Atmosphere Lite a block theme or a classic theme? And Kale?
Atmosphere Lite is a classic theme, Kale 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.