NewsCastle vs Verbosa
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Verbosa leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,887, ahead of NewsCastle at #4,180. Over the last 7 days Verbosa slipped 2 places and NewsCastle climbed 21 places. Verbosa has the largest install base, roughly 11× the next: 1K+ active installs against 90+ for NewsCastle. Downloads this week: Verbosa 49 and NewsCastle 20.
| Metric | NewsCastle | Verbosa |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #4,180 ▲ 21 | #1,887 ▼ 2 |
| Active installs | 90+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 20 | 49 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.6★ (21) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 18, 2026 | Nov 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.1.11 | 1.3.0 |
| Best rank on record | #3,767 | #1,884 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2024 | Sep 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, NewsCastle or Verbosa?
By active installs, Verbosa: 1K+ sites run it against 90+ for NewsCastle, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 27, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, NewsCastle or Verbosa?
Verbosa, at #1,887 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with NewsCastle at #4,180. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is NewsCastle a block theme or a classic theme? And Verbosa?
NewsCastle is a classic theme, Verbosa 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.