Chicago vs Gardenia
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Chicago leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,916, ahead of Gardenia at #4,762. Over the last 7 days Chicago climbed 17 places and Gardenia climbed 25 places. Chicago has the largest install base, roughly 3.3× the next: 1K+ active installs against 300+ for Gardenia. Downloads this week: Gardenia 13 and Chicago 10. Ratings: Chicago 5★ from 2 and Gardenia 3.9★ from 10 reviews.
| Metric | Chicago | Gardenia |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,916 ▲ 17 | #4,762 ▲ 25 |
| Active installs | 1K+ | 300+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 10 | 13 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 3.9★ (10) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | May 27, 2026 | Aug 14, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.2 | 2.3 |
| Best rank on record | #1,916 | #4,676 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2015 | Apr 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, Chicago or Gardenia?
By active installs, Chicago: 1K+ sites run it against 300+ for Gardenia, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 22, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Chicago or Gardenia?
Chicago, at #1,916 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Gardenia at #4,762. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Chicago a block theme or a classic theme? And Gardenia?
Chicago is a classic theme, Gardenia 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.