Chaplin vs Lightning
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Lightning leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #25, ahead of Chaplin at #806. Over the last 7 days Lightning held its place and Chaplin climbed 23 places. Lightning has the largest install base, roughly 50× the next: 100K+ active installs against 2K+ for Chaplin. Downloads this week: Lightning 2,551 and Chaplin 77. Ratings: Chaplin 5★ from 36 and Lightning 4.8★ from 12 reviews.
| Metric | Chaplin | Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #806 ▲ 23 | #25 ▬ |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 77 | 2,551 |
| Rating | 5★ (36) | 4.8★ (12) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 17, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.6.10 | 15.42.0 |
| Best rank on record | #806 | #24 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 754 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2019 | Jul 2015 |
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, Chaplin or Lightning?
By active installs, Lightning: 100K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Chaplin, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Chaplin or Lightning?
Lightning, at #25 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Chaplin at #806. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Chaplin a block theme or a classic theme? And Lightning?
Chaplin is a classic theme, Lightning 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.