Highstarter vs The Conference
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
The Conference leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,624, ahead of Highstarter at #3,225. Over the last 7 days The Conference slipped 18 places and Highstarter climbed 8 places. The Conference has the largest install base, roughly 2.5× the next: 1K+ active installs against 400+ for Highstarter. Downloads this week: The Conference 31 and Highstarter 11. Ratings: Highstarter 5★ from 8 and The Conference 5★ from 16 reviews.
| Metric | Highstarter | The Conference |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #3,225 ▲ 8 | #1,624 ▼ 18 |
| Active installs | 400+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 11 | 31 |
| Rating | 5★ (8) | 5★ (16) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Apr 5, 2025 | Mar 31, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.2.4 | 1.2.7 |
| Best rank on record | #3,104 | #1,604 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2020 | Dec 2018 |
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, Highstarter or The Conference?
By active installs, The Conference: 1K+ sites run it against 400+ for Highstarter, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Highstarter or The Conference?
The Conference, at #1,624 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Highstarter at #3,225. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Highstarter a block theme or a classic theme? And The Conference?
Highstarter is a classic theme, The Conference 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.