BlogBend 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 #46, ahead of BlogBend at #4,389. Over the last 7 days News Magazine X slipped 2 places and BlogBend slipped 123 places. News Magazine X has the largest install base, roughly 114× the next: 8K+ active installs against 70+ for BlogBend. Downloads this week: News Magazine X 691 and BlogBend 10.
| Metric | BlogBend | News Magazine X |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #4,389 ▼ 123 | #46 ▼ 2 |
| Active installs | 70+ | 8K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 10 | 691 |
| Rating | no ratings | 5★ (29) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jun 1, 2026 | Oct 6, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.7 | 1.2.59 |
| Best rank on record | #3,709 | #31 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 577 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2025 | 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, BlogBend or News Magazine X?
By active installs, News Magazine X: 8K+ sites run it against 70+ for BlogBend, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, BlogBend or News Magazine X?
News Magazine X, at #46 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with BlogBend at #4,389. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is BlogBend a block theme or a classic theme? And News Magazine X?
BlogBend 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.