Polite News vs Smartcube
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Polite News leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #129, ahead of Smartcube at #1,717. Over the last 7 days Polite News slipped 15 places and Smartcube climbed 7 places. Smartcube has the largest install base, roughly 5× the next: 500+ active installs against 100+ for Polite News. Downloads this week: Polite News 52 and Smartcube 35.
| Metric | Polite News | Smartcube |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #129 ▼ 15 | #1,717 ▲ 7 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 500+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 52 | 35 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Classic theme | Block theme |
| Last updated | Sep 5, 2026 | Aug 10, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.0.1 | 1.1 |
| Best rank on record | #83 | #1,704 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Sep 2026 | Sep 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, Polite News or Smartcube?
By active installs, Smartcube: 500+ sites run it against 100+ for Polite News, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Polite News or Smartcube?
Polite News, at #129 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Smartcube at #1,717. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Polite News a block theme or a classic theme? And Smartcube?
Polite News is a classic theme, Smartcube is a block 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.