Lightning vs ST Golf
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 ST Golf at #2,481. Over the last 7 days Lightning slipped 2 places and ST Golf slipped 73 places. Lightning has the largest install base, roughly 10000× the next: 100K+ active installs against 10+ for ST Golf. Downloads this week: Lightning 9,659 and ST Golf 10.
| Metric | Lightning | ST Golf |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #27 ▼ 2 | #2,481 ▼ 73 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 10+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 9,659 | 10 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (12) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 4, 2026 |
| Current version | 15.42.0 | 1.2 |
| Best rank on record | #24 | #1,860 |
| Days in the top 50 | 763 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2015 | Aug 2026 |
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 ST Golf?
By active installs, Lightning: 100K+ sites run it against 10+ for ST Golf, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightning or ST Golf?
Lightning, at #27 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with ST Golf at #2,481. 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 ST Golf?
Lightning is a classic theme, ST Golf 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.