Cele vs FreeNews
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
FreeNews leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,980, ahead of Cele at #2,633. Over the last 7 days FreeNews slipped 23 places and Cele climbed 9 places. Cele has the largest install base: 800+ active installs against 800+ for FreeNews. Downloads this week: Cele 23 and FreeNews 15. Ratings: Cele 4.8★ from 6 and FreeNews 5★ from 3 reviews.
| Metric | Cele | FreeNews |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #2,633 ▲ 9 | #1,980 ▼ 23 |
| Active installs | 800+ | 800+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 23 | 15 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (6) | 5★ (3) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Aug 28, 2026 | Jun 4, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.31 | 2.0.2 |
| Best rank on record | #2,574 | #1,906 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2016 | Sep 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, Cele or FreeNews?
By active installs, Cele: 800+ sites run it against 800+ for FreeNews, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 27, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Cele or FreeNews?
FreeNews, at #1,980 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Cele at #2,633. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Cele a block theme or a classic theme? And FreeNews?
Cele is a classic theme, FreeNews 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.