Ilex vs Lightning
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Lightning leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #26, ahead of Ilex at #8,115. Over the last 7 days Lightning slipped 1 place and Ilex climbed 29 places. Lightning has the largest install base, roughly 3333× the next: 100K+ active installs against 30+ for Ilex. Downloads this week: Lightning 4,280 and Ilex 12.
| Metric | Ilex | Lightning |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #8,115 ▲ 29 | #26 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 30+ | 100K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 12 | 4,280 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.8★ (12) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Aug 4, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.4.3 | 15.42.0 |
| Best rank on record | #7,699 | #24 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 759 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2021 | Jul 2015 |
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, Ilex or Lightning?
By active installs, Lightning: 100K+ sites run it against 30+ for Ilex, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 22, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Ilex or Lightning?
Lightning, at #26 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Ilex at #8,115. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Ilex a block theme or a classic theme? And Lightning?
Ilex is a classic theme, Lightning 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.