Journal Book vs The Photograph
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 Photograph leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #157, ahead of Journal Book at #334. Over the last 7 days The Photograph slipped 3 places and Journal Book slipped 25 places. The Photograph has the largest install base, roughly 11× the next: 1K+ active installs against 90+ for Journal Book. Downloads this week: The Photograph 167 and Journal Book 55.
| Metric | Journal Book | The Photograph |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #334 ▼ 25 | #157 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 90+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 55 | 167 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Block theme | Block theme |
| Last updated | Aug 28, 2026 | May 22, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.0 | 1.6 |
| Best rank on record | #172 | #127 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2026 | Oct 2025 |
| 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, Journal Book or The Photograph?
By active installs, The Photograph: 1K+ sites run it against 90+ for Journal Book, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 16, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Journal Book or The Photograph?
The Photograph, at #157 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Journal Book at #334. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Journal Book a block theme or a classic theme? And The Photograph?
Journal Book is a block theme, The Photograph is a block 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.