Carbon Marketing vs Waterlava
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Carbon Marketing leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #982, ahead of Waterlava at #2,429. Over the last 7 days Carbon Marketing slipped 46 places and Waterlava slipped 1 place. Waterlava has the largest install base, roughly 3× the next: 300+ active installs against 100+ for Carbon Marketing. Downloads this week: Waterlava 12 and Carbon Marketing 11.
| Metric | Carbon Marketing | Waterlava |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #982 ▼ 46 | #2,429 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 300+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 11 | 12 |
| Rating | no ratings | 5★ (1) |
| Type | Block theme | Block theme |
| Last updated | Feb 18, 2026 | May 25, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.3 | 1.3.0 |
| Best rank on record | #504 | #2,362 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2026 | Jul 2022 |
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, Carbon Marketing or Waterlava?
By active installs, Waterlava: 300+ sites run it against 100+ for Carbon Marketing, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Carbon Marketing or Waterlava?
Carbon Marketing, at #982 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Waterlava at #2,429. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Carbon Marketing a block theme or a classic theme? And Waterlava?
Carbon Marketing is a block theme, Waterlava is a block 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.