Leslie vs Shade Blog
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Leslie leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,827, ahead of Shade Blog at #3,942. Over the last 7 days Leslie climbed 58 places and Shade Blog slipped 39 places. Leslie has the largest install base, roughly 10× the next: 1K+ active installs against 100+ for Shade Blog. Downloads this week: Shade Blog 10 and Leslie 9.
| Metric | Leslie | Shade Blog |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,827 ▲ 58 | #3,942 ▼ 39 |
| Active installs | 1K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 9 | 10 |
| Rating | 3★ (1) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 19, 2025 | May 28, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.3.1 | 1.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,814 | #3,429 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2015 | 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, Leslie or Shade Blog?
By active installs, Leslie: 1K+ sites run it against 100+ for Shade Blog, according to WordPress.org figures captured on November 3, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Leslie or Shade Blog?
Leslie, at #1,827 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Shade Blog at #3,942. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Leslie a block theme or a classic theme? And Shade Blog?
Leslie is a classic theme, Shade Blog 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.