Pen vs Shuttle
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 #735, ahead of Shuttle at #2,139. Over the last 7 days Pen climbed 3 places and Shuttle climbed 12 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 2.2× the next: 2K+ active installs against 900+ for Shuttle. Downloads this week: Shuttle 219 and Pen 44. Ratings: Pen 5★ from 49 and Shuttle 1.4★ from 9 reviews.
| Metric | Pen | Shuttle |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #735 ▲ 3 | #2,139 ▲ 12 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 900+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 44 | 219 |
| Rating | 5★ (49) | 1.4★ (9) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Apr 3, 2025 | May 8, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.8 | 1.6.0 |
| Best rank on record | #713 | #2,021 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2019 | Jun 2018 |
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 Shuttle?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 900+ for Shuttle, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 23, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Pen or Shuttle?
Pen, at #735 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Shuttle at #2,139. 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 Shuttle?
Pen is a classic theme, Shuttle 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.