Modern vs Twenty Seventeen
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 Seventeen leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #15, ahead of Modern at #1,418. Over the last 7 days Twenty Seventeen held its place and Modern slipped 4 places. Twenty Seventeen has the largest install base, roughly 150× the next: 300K+ active installs against 2K+ for Modern. Downloads this week: Twenty Seventeen 19,364 and Modern 31. Ratings: Modern 5★ from 33 and Twenty Seventeen 4.5★ from 119 reviews.
| Metric | Modern | Twenty Seventeen |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,418 ▼ 4 | #15 ▬ |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 300K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 31 | 19,364 |
| Rating | 5★ (33) | 4.5★ (119) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Sep 4, 2025 | Aug 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.6.6 | 4.2 |
| Best rank on record | #1,406 | #10 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 753 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jan 2015 | Dec 2016 |
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, Modern or Twenty Seventeen?
By active installs, Twenty Seventeen: 300K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Modern, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 16, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Modern or Twenty Seventeen?
Twenty Seventeen, at #15 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Modern at #1,418. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Modern a block theme or a classic theme? And Twenty Seventeen?
Modern is a classic theme, Twenty Seventeen 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.