BlackNews vs Scary Halloween
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
BlackNews leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #960, ahead of Scary Halloween at #2,146. Over the last 7 days BlackNews slipped 12 places and Scary Halloween slipped 22 places. BlackNews has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 400+ active installs against 200+ for Scary Halloween. Downloads this week: BlackNews 173 and Scary Halloween 22.
| Metric | BlackNews | Scary Halloween |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #960 ▼ 12 | #2,146 ▼ 22 |
| Active installs | 400+ | 200+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 173 | 22 |
| Rating | 5★ (1) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 25, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.1.11 | 0.5.9 |
| Best rank on record | #50 | #2,071 |
| Days in the top 50 | 1 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2025 | Oct 2024 |
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, BlackNews or Scary Halloween?
By active installs, BlackNews: 400+ sites run it against 200+ for Scary Halloween, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, BlackNews or Scary Halloween?
BlackNews, at #960 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Scary Halloween at #2,146. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is BlackNews a block theme or a classic theme? And Scary Halloween?
BlackNews is a classic theme, Scary Halloween 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.