Dazzling vs Esteem
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Esteem leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,179, ahead of Dazzling at #1,359. Over the last 7 days Esteem climbed 16 places and Dazzling climbed 18 places. Dazzling has the largest install base: 2K+ active installs against 2K+ for Esteem. Downloads this week: Dazzling 1,179 and Esteem 27. Ratings: Dazzling 4.6★ from 52 and Esteem 4.9★ from 46 reviews.
| Metric | Dazzling | Esteem |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,359 ▲ 18 | #1,179 ▲ 16 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,179 | 27 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (52) | 4.9★ (46) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 2, 2026 | Aug 12, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.3.0 | 1.5.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,355 | #1,176 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Mar 2014 | Sep 2014 |
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, Dazzling or Esteem?
By active installs, Dazzling: 2K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Esteem, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 22, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Dazzling or Esteem?
Esteem, at #1,179 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Dazzling at #1,359. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Dazzling a block theme or a classic theme? And Esteem?
Dazzling is a classic theme, Esteem 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.