PaperoNews vs Phlox
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Phlox leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #56, ahead of PaperoNews at #397. Over the last 7 days Phlox climbed 1 place and PaperoNews slipped 45 places. Phlox has the largest install base, roughly 333× the next: 30K+ active installs against 90+ for PaperoNews. Downloads this week: Phlox 760 and PaperoNews 42.
| Metric | PaperoNews | Phlox |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #397 ▼ 45 | #56 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 90+ | 30K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 42 | 760 |
| Rating | no ratings | 4.8★ (867) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Aug 22, 2026 | Aug 1, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.0 | 2.17.22 |
| Best rank on record | #182 | #48 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 28 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2026 | Jul 2017 |
| 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, PaperoNews or Phlox?
By active installs, Phlox: 30K+ sites run it against 90+ for PaperoNews, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, PaperoNews or Phlox?
Phlox, at #56 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with PaperoNews at #397. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is PaperoNews a block theme or a classic theme? And Phlox?
PaperoNews is a classic theme, Phlox 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.