Kale vs Newspaper Story
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 #314, ahead of Newspaper Story at #5,323. Over the last 7 days Kale slipped 2 places and Newspaper Story slipped 15 places. Kale has the largest install base, roughly 117× the next: 7K+ active installs against 60+ for Newspaper Story. Downloads this week: Kale 268 and Newspaper Story 8.
| Metric | Kale | Newspaper Story |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #314 ▼ 2 | #5,323 ▼ 15 |
| Active installs | 7K+ | 60+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 268 | 8 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (206) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 22, 2026 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9 | 1.0.27 |
| Best rank on record | #304 | #4,874 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2017 | Jul 2024 |
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 Newspaper Story?
By active installs, Kale: 7K+ sites run it against 60+ for Newspaper Story, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 29, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kale or Newspaper Story?
Kale, at #314 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Newspaper Story at #5,323. 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 Newspaper Story?
Kale is a classic theme, Newspaper Story 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.