Brilliant vs Polestar
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Polestar leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,638, ahead of Brilliant at #3,967. Over the last 7 days Polestar held its place and Brilliant climbed 51 places. Polestar has the largest install base, roughly 2.5× the next: 1K+ active installs against 400+ for Brilliant. Downloads this week: Brilliant 14 and Polestar 8. Ratings: Brilliant 5★ from 2 and Polestar 5★ from 7 reviews.
| Metric | Brilliant | Polestar |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #3,967 ▲ 51 | #1,638 ▬ |
| Active installs | 400+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 14 | 8 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 5★ (7) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 12, 2026 | Oct 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.2.4 | 1.11.0 |
| Best rank on record | #3,878 | #1,629 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2017 | Mar 2017 |
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, Brilliant or Polestar?
By active installs, Polestar: 1K+ sites run it against 400+ for Brilliant, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Brilliant or Polestar?
Polestar, at #1,638 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Brilliant at #3,967. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Brilliant a block theme or a classic theme? And Polestar?
Brilliant is a classic theme, Polestar 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.