Essenziale vs Viral Times
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Viral Times leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,117, ahead of Essenziale at #6,384. Over the last 7 days Viral Times slipped 48 places and Essenziale slipped 24 places. Viral Times has the largest install base, roughly 1.5× the next: 90+ active installs against 60+ for Essenziale. Downloads this week: Essenziale 39 and Viral Times 14.
| Metric | Essenziale | Viral Times |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #6,384 ▼ 24 | #1,117 ▼ 48 |
| Active installs | 60+ | 90+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 39 | 14 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 1, 2026 | Aug 18, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.1.1 | 1.1.2 |
| Best rank on record | #6,099 | #881 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2023 | May 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, Essenziale or Viral Times?
By active installs, Viral Times: 90+ sites run it against 60+ for Essenziale, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 27, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Essenziale or Viral Times?
Viral Times, at #1,117 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Essenziale at #6,384. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Essenziale a block theme or a classic theme? And Viral Times?
Essenziale is a classic theme, Viral Times 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.