aThemes Starter Sites vs Softaculous
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 #909, ahead of Softaculous at #1,548. Over the last 7 days aThemes Starter Sites slipped 1 place and Softaculous slipped 4 places. aThemes Starter Sites has the largest install base, roughly 4× the next: 40K+ active installs against 10K+ for Softaculous. Downloads this week: aThemes Starter Sites 1,992 and Softaculous 708.
| Metric | aThemes Starter Sites | Softaculous |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #909 ▼ 1 | #1,548 ▼ 4 |
| Active installs | 40K+ | 10K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 1,992 | 708 |
| Rating | 2★ (2) | no ratings |
| Last updated | Aug 6, 2026 | Jul 17, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.4.2 | 2.4.1 |
| Best rank on record | #887 | #1,535 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2020 | Apr 2024 |
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 Softaculous?
By active installs, aThemes Starter Sites: 40K+ sites run it against 10K+ for Softaculous, according to WordPress.org figures captured on September 12, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, aThemes Starter Sites or Softaculous?
aThemes Starter Sites, at #909 on the WordPress.org popular plugins list today, with Softaculous at #1,548. 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 Softaculous 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.