Lightning vs Paira
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Lightning leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #27, ahead of Paira at #6,799. Over the last 7 days Lightning slipped 2 places and Paira slipped 13 places. Lightning has the largest install base, roughly 2000× the next: 100K+ active installs against 50+ for Paira. Downloads this week: Lightning 9,266 and Paira 8.
| Metric | Lightning | Paira |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #27 ▼ 2 | #6,799 ▼ 13 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 50+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 9,266 | 8 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (12) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 9, 2026 | Mar 25, 2025 |
| Current version | 15.42.0 | 1.0.9 |
| Best rank on record | #24 | #6,512 |
| Days in the top 50 | 762 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2015 | Mar 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, Lightning or Paira?
By active installs, Lightning: 100K+ sites run it against 50+ for Paira, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 25, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightning or Paira?
Lightning, at #27 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Paira at #6,799. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Lightning a block theme or a classic theme? And Paira?
Lightning is a classic theme, Paira 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.