Expert Gardener vs Pen
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Pen leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #742, ahead of Expert Gardener at #4,566. Over the last 7 days Pen slipped 1 place and Expert Gardener climbed 11 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 33× the next: 2K+ active installs against 60+ for Expert Gardener. Downloads this week: Pen 41 and Expert Gardener 31. Ratings: Expert Gardener 5★ from 2 and Pen 5★ from 49 reviews.
| Metric | Expert Gardener | Pen |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #4,566 ▲ 11 | #742 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 60+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 31 | 41 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 5★ (49) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 13, 2026 | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.2.6 | 1.4.8 |
| Best rank on record | #3,924 | #713 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2025 | May 2019 |
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, Expert Gardener or Pen?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 60+ for Expert Gardener, according to WordPress.org figures captured on November 3, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Expert Gardener or Pen?
Pen, at #742 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Expert Gardener at #4,566. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Expert Gardener a block theme or a classic theme? And Pen?
Expert Gardener is a classic theme, Pen 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.