Awaken vs News Axis
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Awaken leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,307, ahead of News Axis at #6,536. Over the last 7 days Awaken held its place and News Axis climbed 53 places. Awaken has the largest install base, roughly 67× the next: 2K+ active installs against 30+ for News Axis. Downloads this week: Awaken 62 and News Axis 13.
| Metric | Awaken | News Axis |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,307 ▬ | #6,536 ▲ 53 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 30+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 62 | 13 |
| Rating | 4.4★ (27) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Dec 7, 2025 | Sep 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.3.1 | 1.0.8 |
| Best rank on record | #1,295 | #5,155 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2014 | Jan 2025 |
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, Awaken or News Axis?
By active installs, Awaken: 2K+ sites run it against 30+ for News Axis, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Awaken or News Axis?
Awaken, at #1,307 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with News Axis at #6,536. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Awaken a block theme or a classic theme? And News Axis?
Awaken is a classic theme, News Axis 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.