Nirvata vs VW Minimalist
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Nirvata ranks #595 on the popular list; VW Minimalist is outside the top 1,001 we capture daily. Nirvata has the largest install base, roughly 2× the next: 600+ active installs against 300+ for VW Minimalist. Downloads this week: Nirvata 31 and VW Minimalist 25. Ratings: Nirvata 5★ from 2 and VW Minimalist 5★ from 1 reviews.
| Metric | Nirvata | VW Minimalist |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #595 ▼ 7 | outside top 1001 |
| Active installs | 600+ | 300+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 31 | 25 |
| Rating | 5★ (2) | 5★ (1) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jun 11, 2026 | Oct 14, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.4 | 1.2.0 |
| Best rank on record | #516 | #3,134 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2025 | Aug 2020 |
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, Nirvata or VW Minimalist?
By active installs, Nirvata: 600+ sites run it against 300+ for VW Minimalist, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 28, 2026.
Is Nirvata a block theme or a classic theme? And VW Minimalist?
Nirvata is a classic theme, VW Minimalist 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.