Lightning vs Twenty Twenty
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Twenty Twenty leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #17, ahead of Lightning at #25. Twenty Twenty has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 200K+ active installs against 100K+ for Lightning. Downloads this week: Twenty Twenty 36,849 and Lightning 2,546. Ratings: Lightning 4.8★ from 12 and Twenty Twenty 4.4★ from 68 reviews.
| Metric | Lightning | Twenty Twenty |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #25 ▬ | #17 ▬ |
| Active installs | 100K+ | 200K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 2,546 | 36,849 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (12) | 4.4★ (68) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 9, 2026 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 15.42.0 | 3.2 |
| Best rank on record | #24 | #9 |
| Days in the top 50 | 755 | 755 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jul 2015 | Nov 2019 |
| Sites detected by our detector | 0 | 1 |
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 Twenty Twenty?
By active installs, Twenty Twenty: 200K+ sites run it against 100K+ for Lightning, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Lightning or Twenty Twenty?
Twenty Twenty, at #17 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Lightning at #25. 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 Twenty Twenty?
Lightning is a classic theme, Twenty Twenty 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.