Boston vs Nucleare
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Boston leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,788, ahead of Nucleare at #3,297. Over the last 7 days Boston slipped 2 places and Nucleare climbed 15 places. Boston has the largest install base, roughly 1.4× the next: 1K+ active installs against 700+ for Nucleare. Downloads this week: Boston 32 and Nucleare 30. Ratings: Boston 5★ from 2 and Nucleare 5★ from 3 reviews.
| Metric | Boston | Nucleare |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,788 ▼ 2 | #3,297 ▲ 15 |
| Active installs | 1K+ | 700+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 32 | 30 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 5★ (3) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jun 23, 2026 | Sep 1, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.1.4 | 2.1.4 |
| Best rank on record | #1,776 | #3,114 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2016 | Apr 2015 |
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, Boston or Nucleare?
By active installs, Boston: 1K+ sites run it against 700+ for Nucleare, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Boston or Nucleare?
Boston, at #1,788 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Nucleare at #3,297. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Boston a block theme or a classic theme? And Nucleare?
Boston is a classic theme, Nucleare 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.