Kale vs Materialis
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Kale leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #312, ahead of Materialis at #566. Over the last 7 days Kale slipped 3 places and Materialis climbed 6 places. Kale has the largest install base, roughly 2.3× the next: 7K+ active installs against 3K+ for Materialis. Downloads this week: Kale 194 and Materialis 84. Ratings: Kale 4.9★ from 206 and Materialis 4.5★ from 33 reviews.
| Metric | Kale | Materialis |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #312 ▼ 3 | #566 ▲ 6 |
| Active installs | 7K+ | 3K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 194 | 84 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (206) | 4.5★ (33) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 22, 2026 | Aug 12, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9 | 1.1.67 |
| Best rank on record | #304 | #566 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2017 | Jun 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, Kale or Materialis?
By active installs, Kale: 7K+ sites run it against 3K+ for Materialis, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 22, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kale or Materialis?
Kale, at #312 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Materialis at #566. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Kale a block theme or a classic theme? And Materialis?
Kale is a classic theme, Materialis 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.