Best News vs Donovan
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Donovan leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #198, ahead of Best News at #6,949. Over the last 7 days Donovan slipped 7 places and Best News climbed 2 places. Donovan has the largest install base, roughly 90× the next: 9K+ active installs against 100+ for Best News. Downloads this week: Donovan 261 and Best News 7. Ratings: Best News 3★ from 2 and Donovan 4.8★ from 24 reviews.
| Metric | Best News | Donovan |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #6,949 ▲ 2 | #198 ▼ 7 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 9K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 7 | 261 |
| Rating | 3★ (2) | 4.8★ (24) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jan 2, 2025 | Aug 6, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.2.0 | 1.9.4 |
| Best rank on record | #6,707 | #188 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2019 | Apr 2018 |
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, Best News or Donovan?
By active installs, Donovan: 9K+ sites run it against 100+ for Best News, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Best News or Donovan?
Donovan, at #198 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Best News at #6,949. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Best News a block theme or a classic theme? And Donovan?
Best News is a classic theme, Donovan 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.