Kale vs Silk Newspaper
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 #307, ahead of Silk Newspaper at #4,001. Over the last 7 days Kale held its place and Silk Newspaper slipped 104 places. Kale has the largest install base, roughly 70× the next: 7K+ active installs against 100+ for Silk Newspaper. Downloads this week: Kale 151 and Silk Newspaper 9. Ratings: Kale 4.9★ from 206 and Silk Newspaper 5★ from 1 reviews.
| Metric | Kale | Silk Newspaper |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #307 ▬ | #4,001 ▼ 104 |
| Active installs | 7K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 151 | 9 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (206) | 5★ (1) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 22, 2026 | Aug 20, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9 | 1.0.35 |
| Best rank on record | #304 | #3,632 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2017 | Feb 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 Silk Newspaper?
By active installs, Kale: 7K+ sites run it against 100+ for Silk Newspaper, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 19, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kale or Silk Newspaper?
Kale, at #307 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Silk Newspaper at #4,001. 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 Silk Newspaper?
Kale is a classic theme, Silk Newspaper 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.