Essence News vs Raw News
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Raw News leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #127, ahead of Essence News at #1,112. Over the last 7 days Raw News slipped 5 places and Essence News slipped 3 places. Raw News has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 400+ active installs against 200+ for Essence News. Downloads this week: Raw News 45 and Essence News 12.
| Metric | Essence News | Raw News |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,112 ▼ 3 | #127 ▼ 5 |
| Active installs | 200+ | 400+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 12 | 45 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 10, 2025 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.0 | 1.1.0 |
| Best rank on record | #609 | #119 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2025 | Jul 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, Essence News or Raw News?
By active installs, Raw News: 400+ sites run it against 200+ for Essence News, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 25, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Essence News or Raw News?
Raw News, at #127 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Essence News at #1,112. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Essence News a block theme or a classic theme? And Raw News?
Essence News is a classic theme, Raw News 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.