Empowerment vs Hestia
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Hestia leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #30, ahead of Empowerment at #6,654. Over the last 7 days Hestia slipped 2 places and Empowerment slipped 73 places. Hestia has the largest install base, roughly 1167× the next: 70K+ active installs against 60+ for Empowerment. Downloads this week: Hestia 7,073 and Empowerment 12. Ratings: Empowerment 5★ from 2 and Hestia 4.8★ from 563 reviews.
| Metric | Empowerment | Hestia |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #6,654 ▼ 73 | #30 ▼ 2 |
| Active installs | 60+ | 70K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 12 | 7,073 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 4.8★ (563) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Aug 20, 2026 | Oct 15, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.3 | 3.3.8 |
| Best rank on record | #6,275 | #26 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 763 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2022 | May 2017 |
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, Empowerment or Hestia?
By active installs, Hestia: 70K+ sites run it against 60+ for Empowerment, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Empowerment or Hestia?
Hestia, at #30 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Empowerment at #6,654. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Empowerment a block theme or a classic theme? And Hestia?
Empowerment is a classic theme, Hestia 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.