Chicago vs NS Minimal
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 #1,883, ahead of NS Minimal at #3,180. Over the last 7 days Chicago climbed 33 places and NS Minimal climbed 12 places. Chicago has the largest install base, roughly 2.5× the next: 1K+ active installs against 400+ for NS Minimal. Downloads this week: Chicago 31 and NS Minimal 21. Ratings: Chicago 5★ from 2 and NS Minimal 5★ from 8 reviews.
| Metric | Chicago | NS Minimal |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,883 ▲ 33 | #3,180 ▲ 12 |
| Active installs | 1K+ | 400+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 31 | 21 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 5★ (8) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | May 27, 2026 | Jun 27, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.2 | 1.1.7 |
| Best rank on record | #1,883 | #3,122 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2015 | Jul 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, Chicago or NS Minimal?
By active installs, Chicago: 1K+ sites run it against 400+ for NS Minimal, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Chicago or NS Minimal?
Chicago, at #1,883 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with NS Minimal at #3,180. 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 NS Minimal?
Chicago is a classic theme, NS Minimal 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.