Lightning vs ST Psychology
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 Psychology at #1,781. Over the last 7 days Lightning slipped 2 places and ST Psychology slipped 3 places. Lightning has the largest install base, roughly 1667× the next: 100K+ active installs against 60+ for ST Psychology. Downloads this week: Lightning 9,659 and ST Psychology 28. Ratings: Lightning 4.8★ from 12 and ST Psychology 5★ from 1 reviews.
| Metric | Lightning | ST Psychology |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #27 ▼ 2 | #1,781 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 60+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 9,659 | 28 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (12) | 5★ (1) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 9, 2026 | Sep 9, 2026 |
| Current version | 15.42.0 | 1.6 |
| Best rank on record | #24 | #1,281 |
| Days in the top 50 | 763 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2015 | May 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 Psychology?
By active installs, Lightning: 100K+ sites run it against 60+ for ST Psychology, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightning or ST Psychology?
Lightning, at #27 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with ST Psychology at #1,781. 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 Psychology?
Lightning is a classic theme, ST Psychology 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.