ColorMag vs NewsMachine
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
ColorMag leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #65, ahead of NewsMachine at #2,391. Over the last 7 days ColorMag slipped 3 places and NewsMachine slipped 47 places. ColorMag has the largest install base, roughly 400× the next: 40K+ active installs against 100+ for NewsMachine. Downloads this week: ColorMag 2,918 and NewsMachine 37.
| Metric | ColorMag | NewsMachine |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #65 ▼ 3 | #2,391 ▼ 47 |
| Active installs | 40K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 2,918 | 37 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (1,566) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 17, 2026 | Oct 20, 2026 |
| Current version | 4.2.5 | 1.1.4 |
| Best rank on record | #53 | #1,663 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2015 | Jun 2025 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 1 | 0 |
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, ColorMag or NewsMachine?
By active installs, ColorMag: 40K+ sites run it against 100+ for NewsMachine, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 25, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, ColorMag or NewsMachine?
ColorMag, at #65 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with NewsMachine at #2,391. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is ColorMag a block theme or a classic theme? And NewsMachine?
ColorMag is a classic theme, NewsMachine 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.