Kahuna vs StartKit
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Kahuna leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #921, ahead of StartKit at #2,146. Over the last 7 days Kahuna climbed 4 places and StartKit climbed 9 places. Kahuna has the largest install base, roughly 2.5× the next: 2K+ active installs against 800+ for StartKit. Downloads this week: StartKit 152 and Kahuna 30. Ratings: Kahuna 4.6★ from 18 and StartKit 5★ from 35 reviews.
| Metric | Kahuna | StartKit |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #921 ▲ 4 | #2,146 ▲ 9 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 800+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 30 | 152 |
| Rating | 4.6★ (18) | 5★ (35) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jan 20, 2026 | Oct 12, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.8.0 | 24.4 |
| Best rank on record | #919 | #2,098 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Nov 2017 | Jun 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, Kahuna or StartKit?
By active installs, Kahuna: 2K+ sites run it against 800+ for StartKit, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 19, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kahuna or StartKit?
Kahuna, at #921 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with StartKit at #2,146. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Kahuna a block theme or a classic theme? And StartKit?
Kahuna is a classic theme, StartKit 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.