Pen vs Recruitment
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Pen leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #738, ahead of Recruitment at #1,415. Over the last 7 days Pen climbed 2 places and Recruitment slipped 11 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 20× the next: 2K+ active installs against 100+ for Recruitment. Downloads this week: Pen 39 and Recruitment 13.
| Metric | Pen | Recruitment |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #738 ▲ 2 | #1,415 ▼ 11 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 39 | 13 |
| Rating | 5★ (49) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Apr 3, 2025 | Jan 10, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.8 | 1.0.7 |
| Best rank on record | #713 | #1,185 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2019 | Jan 2026 |
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, Pen or Recruitment?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 100+ for Recruitment, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 17, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Pen or Recruitment?
Pen, at #738 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Recruitment at #1,415. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Pen a block theme or a classic theme? And Recruitment?
Pen is a classic theme, Recruitment 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.