Elegant Writer vs Journal Book
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Journal Book leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #362, ahead of Elegant Writer at #1,987. Over the last 7 days Journal Book slipped 30 places and Elegant Writer slipped 33 places. Elegant Writer has the largest install base, roughly 3.3× the next: 300+ active installs against 90+ for Journal Book. Downloads this week: Journal Book 49 and Elegant Writer 13.
| Metric | Elegant Writer | Journal Book |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,987 ▼ 33 | #362 ▼ 30 |
| Active installs | 300+ | 90+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 13 | 49 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Block theme |
| Last updated | Feb 1, 2026 | Aug 28, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.1 | 1.0.0 |
| Best rank on record | #1,758 | #172 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2023 | Aug 2026 |
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, Elegant Writer or Journal Book?
By active installs, Elegant Writer: 300+ sites run it against 90+ for Journal Book, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 25, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Elegant Writer or Journal Book?
Journal Book, at #362 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Elegant Writer at #1,987. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Elegant Writer a block theme or a classic theme? And Journal Book?
Elegant Writer is a classic theme, Journal Book is a block 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.