Grow News 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 #745, ahead of Grow News at #7,897. Over the last 7 days Pen slipped 7 places and Grow News slipped 14 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 40× the next: 2K+ active installs against 50+ for Grow News. Downloads this week: Pen 54 and Grow News 9.
| Metric | Grow News | Pen |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #7,897 ▼ 14 | #745 ▼ 7 |
| Active installs | 50+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 9 | 54 |
| Rating | no ratings | 5★ (49) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Feb 24, 2026 | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.0.9 | 1.4.8 |
| Best rank on record | #7,612 | #713 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2019 | 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, Grow News or Pen?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 50+ for Grow News, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Grow News or Pen?
Pen, at #745 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Grow News at #7,897. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Grow News a block theme or a classic theme? And Pen?
Grow News 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.