Bard vs Best Shop
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Bard leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #206, ahead of Best Shop at #470. Over the last 7 days Bard slipped 7 places and Best Shop slipped 1 place. Bard has the largest install base, roughly 4× the next: 8K+ active installs against 2K+ for Best Shop. Downloads this week: Best Shop 540 and Bard 242. Ratings: Bard 4.8★ from 88 and Best Shop 4★ from 8 reviews.
| Metric | Bard | Best Shop |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #206 ▼ 7 | #470 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 8K+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 242 | 540 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (88) | 4★ (8) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 24, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.235 | 1.6.3 |
| Best rank on record | #199 | #464 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2018 | 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, Bard or Best Shop?
By active installs, Bard: 8K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Best Shop, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Bard or Best Shop?
Bard, at #206 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Best Shop at #470. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Bard a block theme or a classic theme? And Best Shop?
Bard is a classic theme, Best Shop 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.