Awesome vs Parabola
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Parabola leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #205, ahead of Awesome at #7,460. Over the last 7 days Parabola climbed 5 places and Awesome slipped 5 places. Parabola has the largest install base, roughly 100× the next: 10K+ active installs against 100+ for Awesome. Downloads this week: Parabola 184 and Awesome 8. Ratings: Awesome 5★ from 2 and Parabola 4.9★ from 70 reviews.
| Metric | Awesome | Parabola |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #7,460 ▼ 5 | #205 ▲ 5 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8 | 184 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 4.9★ (70) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Nov 22, 2024 | Feb 1, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.1 | 2.4.3 |
| Best rank on record | #7,183 | #204 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2016 | Aug 2013 |
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, Awesome or Parabola?
By active installs, Parabola: 10K+ sites run it against 100+ for Awesome, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Awesome or Parabola?
Parabola, at #205 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Awesome at #7,460. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Awesome a block theme or a classic theme? And Parabola?
Awesome is a classic theme, Parabola 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.