Castell vs Pen
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Pen leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #736, ahead of Castell at #8,195. Over the last 7 days Pen climbed 7 places and Castell slipped 19 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 67× the next: 2K+ active installs against 30+ for Castell. Downloads this week: Pen 43 and Castell 11.
| Metric | Castell | Pen |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #8,195 ▼ 19 | #736 ▲ 7 |
| Active installs | 30+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 11 | 43 |
| Rating | no ratings | 5★ (49) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Apr 25, 2026 | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.20 | 1.4.8 |
| Best rank on record | #7,914 | #713 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2021 | May 2019 |
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, Castell or Pen?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 30+ for Castell, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 22, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Castell or Pen?
Pen, at #736 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Castell at #8,195. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Castell a block theme or a classic theme? And Pen?
Castell is a classic theme, Pen 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.