NewsCircuit vs ShadowWave
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
NewsCircuit leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #80, ahead of ShadowWave at #4,522. Over the last 7 days NewsCircuit slipped 2 places and ShadowWave slipped 177 places. NewsCircuit has the largest install base, roughly 18× the next: 900+ active installs against 50+ for ShadowWave. Downloads this week: NewsCircuit 125 and ShadowWave 10.
| Metric | NewsCircuit | ShadowWave |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #80 ▼ 2 | #4,522 ▼ 177 |
| Active installs | 900+ | 50+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 125 | 10 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Oct 25, 2026 | Jul 4, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.1.17 | 1.0.1 |
| Best rank on record | #62 | #3,298 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Jun 2026 | Apr 2025 |
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, NewsCircuit or ShadowWave?
By active installs, NewsCircuit: 900+ sites run it against 50+ for ShadowWave, according to WordPress.org figures captured on November 2, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, NewsCircuit or ShadowWave?
NewsCircuit, at #80 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with ShadowWave at #4,522. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is NewsCircuit a block theme or a classic theme? And ShadowWave?
NewsCircuit is a classic theme, ShadowWave 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.