Kawi vs Modern
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Modern leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,401, ahead of Kawi at #4,307. Over the last 7 days Modern climbed 17 places and Kawi climbed 2 places. Modern has the largest install base, roughly 10× the next: 2K+ active installs against 200+ for Kawi. Downloads this week: Modern 69 and Kawi 11. Ratings: Kawi 5★ from 3 and Modern 5★ from 33 reviews.
| Metric | Kawi | Modern |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #4,307 ▲ 2 | #1,401 ▲ 17 |
| Active installs | 200+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 11 | 69 |
| Rating | 5★ (3) | 5★ (33) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Feb 13, 2025 | Sep 4, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.4.3 | 2.6.6 |
| Best rank on record | #4,146 | #1,400 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Oct 2019 | Jan 2015 |
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, Kawi or Modern?
By active installs, Modern: 2K+ sites run it against 200+ for Kawi, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 23, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Kawi or Modern?
Modern, at #1,401 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Kawi at #4,307. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Kawi a block theme or a classic theme? And Modern?
Kawi is a classic theme, Modern 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.