Kale vs Newspaper Up
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 #313, ahead of Newspaper Up at #5,512. Over the last 7 days Kale slipped 4 places and Newspaper Up slipped 4 places. Kale has the largest install base, roughly 78× the next: 7K+ active installs against 90+ for Newspaper Up. Downloads this week: Kale 306 and Newspaper Up 11.
| Metric | Kale | Newspaper Up |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #313 ▼ 4 | #5,512 ▼ 4 |
| Active installs | 7K+ | 90+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 306 | 11 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (206) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 22, 2026 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9 | 1.0.45 |
| Best rank on record | #304 | #5,018 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2017 | May 2023 |
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 Up?
By active installs, Kale: 7K+ sites run it against 90+ for Newspaper Up, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 28, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kale or Newspaper Up?
Kale, at #313 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Newspaper Up at #5,512. 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 Up?
Kale is a classic theme, Newspaper Up 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.