Parabola vs Pen
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Parabola leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #206, ahead of Pen at #730. Over the last 7 days Parabola slipped 1 place and Pen climbed 8 places. Parabola has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 10K+ active installs against 2K+ for Pen. Downloads this week: Parabola 90 and Pen 37. Ratings: Parabola 4.9★ from 70 and Pen 5★ from 49 reviews.
| Metric | Parabola | Pen |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #206 ▼ 1 | #730 ▲ 8 |
| Active installs | 10K+ | 2K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 90 | 37 |
| Rating | 4.9★ (70) | 5★ (49) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Feb 1, 2026 | Apr 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 2.4.3 | 1.4.8 |
| Best rank on record | #204 | #713 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Aug 2013 | May 2019 |
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, Parabola or Pen?
By active installs, Parabola: 10K+ sites run it against 2K+ for Pen, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Parabola or Pen?
Parabola, at #206 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Pen at #730. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Parabola a block theme or a classic theme? And Pen?
Parabola is a classic theme, Pen 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.