Pen vs Ryan
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 #746, ahead of Ryan at #4,433. Over the last 7 days Pen slipped 11 places and Ryan slipped 13 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 6.7× the next: 2K+ active installs against 300+ for Ryan. Downloads this week: Pen 54 and Ryan 37. Ratings: Pen 5★ from 49 and Ryan 3★ from 2 reviews.
| Metric | Pen | Ryan |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #746 ▼ 11 | #4,433 ▼ 13 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 300+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 54 | 37 |
| Rating | 5★ (49) | 3★ (2) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Apr 3, 2025 | Jun 13, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.8 | 1.8.0 |
| Best rank on record | #713 | #4,301 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2019 | Oct 2016 |
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 Ryan?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 300+ for Ryan, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 30, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Pen or Ryan?
Pen, at #746 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Ryan at #4,433. 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 Ryan?
Pen is a classic theme, Ryan 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.