Melos Dark vs Pen
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Pen leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #742, ahead of Melos Dark at #6,496. Over the last 7 days Pen slipped 1 place and Melos Dark climbed 22 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 22× the next: 2K+ active installs against 90+ for Melos Dark. Downloads this week: Pen 41 and Melos Dark 8.
| Metric | Melos Dark | Pen |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #6,496 ▲ 22 | #742 ▼ 1 |
| Active installs | 90+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8 | 41 |
| Rating | no ratings | 5★ (49) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Feb 24, 2026 | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.0.6 | 1.4.8 |
| Best rank on record | #6,273 | #713 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Mar 2021 | May 2019 |
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, Melos Dark or Pen?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 90+ for Melos Dark, according to WordPress.org figures captured on November 3, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Melos Dark or Pen?
Pen, at #742 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Melos Dark at #6,496. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Melos Dark a block theme or a classic theme? And Pen?
Melos Dark is a classic theme, Pen 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.