Awaken vs News Magazine X
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
News Magazine X leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #44, ahead of Awaken at #1,311. Over the last 7 days News Magazine X held its place and Awaken slipped 5 places. News Magazine X has the largest install base, roughly 4× the next: 8K+ active installs against 2K+ for Awaken. Downloads this week: News Magazine X 803 and Awaken 40. Ratings: Awaken 4.4★ from 27 and News Magazine X 5★ from 29 reviews.
| Metric | Awaken | News Magazine X |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,311 ▼ 5 | #44 ▬ |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 8K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 40 | 803 |
| Rating | 4.4★ (27) | 5★ (29) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Dec 7, 2025 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.3.1 | 1.2.59 |
| Best rank on record | #1,305 | #31 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 567 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2014 | Mar 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 Magazine X?
By active installs, News Magazine X: 8K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Awaken, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 16, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Awaken or News Magazine X?
News Magazine X, at #44 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Awaken at #1,311. 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 Magazine X?
Awaken is a classic theme, News Magazine X 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.