Photo Journal vs XPress Dark
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Photo Journal leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,810, ahead of XPress Dark at #3,258. Over the last 7 days Photo Journal slipped 12 places and XPress Dark slipped 3 places. Photo Journal has the largest install base, roughly 8.9× the next: 800+ active installs against 90+ for XPress Dark. Downloads this week: Photo Journal 53 and XPress Dark 8.
| Metric | Photo Journal | XPress Dark |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #1,810 ▼ 12 | #3,258 ▼ 3 |
| Active installs | 800+ | 90+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 53 | 8 |
| Rating | 4.8★ (6) | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jun 17, 2026 | Jan 21, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.6.3 | 1.1.0 |
| Best rank on record | #1,753 | #2,678 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Apr 2020 | Apr 2025 |
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, Photo Journal or XPress Dark?
By active installs, Photo Journal: 800+ sites run it against 90+ for XPress Dark, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 27, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Photo Journal or XPress Dark?
Photo Journal, at #1,810 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with XPress Dark at #3,258. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Photo Journal a block theme or a classic theme? And XPress Dark?
Photo Journal is a classic theme, XPress Dark 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.