News Boost vs Square
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
News Boost leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #481, ahead of Square at #941. Over the last 7 days News Boost slipped 45 places and Square climbed 18 places. Square has the largest install base, roughly 20× the next: 2K+ active installs against 100+ for News Boost. Downloads this week: Square 55 and News Boost 23.
| Metric | News Boost | Square |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #481 ▼ 45 | #941 ▲ 18 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 23 | 55 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.6★ (39) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Aug 19, 2026 | Jan 18, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.1 | 2.0.68 |
| Best rank on record | #149 | #941 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2026 | Feb 2016 |
| 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, News Boost or Square?
By active installs, Square: 2K+ sites run it against 100+ for News Boost, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 23, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, News Boost or Square?
News Boost, at #481 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Square at #941. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is News Boost a block theme or a classic theme? And Square?
News Boost is a classic theme, Square 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.