Lightning vs Skewart
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 Skewart at #3,423. Over the last 7 days Lightning slipped 2 places and Skewart slipped 67 places. Lightning has the largest install base, roughly 1250× the next: 100K+ active installs against 80+ for Skewart. Downloads this week: Lightning 8,637 and Skewart 14.
| Metric | Lightning | Skewart |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #27 ▼ 2 | #3,423 ▼ 67 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 80+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8,637 | 14 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (12) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 23, 2026 |
| Current version | 15.42.0 | 1.1.1 |
| Best rank on record | #24 | #2,784 |
| Days in the top 50 | 761 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2015 | Apr 2025 |
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 Skewart?
By active installs, Lightning: 100K+ sites run it against 80+ for Skewart, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightning or Skewart?
Lightning, at #27 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Skewart at #3,423. 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 Skewart?
Lightning is a classic theme, Skewart 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.