Graphene vs Nirvana
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Nirvana leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #274, ahead of Graphene at #348. Over the last 7 days Nirvana slipped 2 places and Graphene climbed 10 places. Graphene has the largest install base: 10K+ active installs against 10K+ for Nirvana. Downloads this week: Graphene 198 and Nirvana 122. Ratings: Graphene 4.7★ from 83 and Nirvana 4.3★ from 69 reviews.
| Metric | Graphene | Nirvana |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #348 ▲ 10 | #274 ▼ 2 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 198 | 122 |
| Rating | 4.7★ (83) | 4.3★ (69) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Aug 25, 2026 | Jan 26, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9.6 | 1.6.5 |
| Best rank on record | #348 | #271 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2010 | Sep 2014 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 1 |
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, Graphene or Nirvana?
By active installs, Graphene: 10K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Nirvana, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Graphene or Nirvana?
Nirvana, at #274 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Graphene at #348. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Graphene a block theme or a classic theme? And Nirvana?
Graphene is a classic theme, Nirvana 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.