Pen vs Stax
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 #744, ahead of Stax at #4,751. Over the last 7 days Pen slipped 4 places and Stax climbed 12 places. Pen has the largest install base, roughly 20× the next: 2K+ active installs against 100+ for Stax. Downloads this week: Pen 47 and Stax 10. Ratings: Pen 5★ from 49 and Stax 5★ from 1 reviews.
| Metric | Pen | Stax |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #744 ▼ 4 | #4,751 ▲ 12 |
| Active installs | 2K+ | 100+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 47 | 10 |
| Rating | 5★ (49) | 5★ (1) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Apr 3, 2025 | Jun 11, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.8 | 1.2.2 |
| Best rank on record | #713 | #4,470 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | May 2019 | Feb 2022 |
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 Stax?
By active installs, Pen: 2K+ sites run it against 100+ for Stax, according to WordPress.org figures captured on November 2, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Pen or Stax?
Pen, at #744 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Stax at #4,751. 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 Stax?
Pen is a classic theme, Stax 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.