BroadNews vs Newsmatic
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Newsmatic leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #66, ahead of BroadNews at #2,244. Over the last 7 days Newsmatic slipped 3 places and BroadNews slipped 44 places. Newsmatic has the largest install base, roughly 25× the next: 10K+ active installs against 400+ for BroadNews. Downloads this week: Newsmatic 1,287 and BroadNews 17. Ratings: BroadNews 4.8★ from 4 and Newsmatic 4.8★ from 87 reviews.
| Metric | BroadNews | Newsmatic |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #2,244 ▼ 44 | #66 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 400+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 17 | 1,287 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (4) | 4.8★ (87) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 21, 2026 | Oct 16, 2026 |
| Current version | 5.2.6 | 1.5.1 |
| Best rank on record | #1,856 | #36 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 487 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2022 | Jan 2023 |
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, BroadNews or Newsmatic?
By active installs, Newsmatic: 10K+ sites run it against 400+ for BroadNews, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, BroadNews or Newsmatic?
Newsmatic, at #66 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with BroadNews at #2,244. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is BroadNews a block theme or a classic theme? And Newsmatic?
BroadNews is a classic theme, Newsmatic 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.