aThemes Starter Sites vs Hester Core
Two WordPress plugins head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
These aren’t all alternatives to each other — they do different jobs — so this page compares popularity only, not features.
At a glance
aThemes Starter Sites leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #908, ahead of Hester Core at #1,888. Over the last 7 days aThemes Starter Sites climbed 3 places and Hester Core climbed 1 place. aThemes Starter Sites has the largest install base, roughly 4× the next: 40K+ active installs against 10K+ for Hester Core. Ratings: aThemes Starter Sites 2★ from 2 and Hester Core 3★ from 1 reviews.
| Metric | aThemes Starter Sites | Hester Core |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #908 ▲ 3 | #1,888 ▲ 1 |
| Active installs | 40K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,985 | — |
| Rating | 2★ (2) | 3★ (1) |
| Last updated | Aug 6, 2026 | Jun 20, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.2 | 1.1.9 |
| Best rank on record | #887 | #1,878 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2020 | Mar 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
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Frequently asked questions
Which is more popular, aThemes Starter Sites or Hester Core?
By active installs, aThemes Starter Sites: 40K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Hester Core, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 14, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, aThemes Starter Sites or Hester Core?
aThemes Starter Sites, at #908 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Hester Core at #1,888. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Are aThemes Starter Sites or Hester Core alternatives to each other?
Not all of them. Some of these plugins do different jobs and many sites run more than one. This page compares their popularity, not their features.
Where do these numbers come from?
WordPress.org publishes each plugin’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 plugins have moved over time rather than a single day.