Searchlight vs Viral News
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Viral News leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,597, ahead of Searchlight at #7,698. Over the last 7 days Viral News slipped 7 places and Searchlight slipped 24 places. Viral News has the largest install base, roughly 10× the next: 1K+ active installs against 100+ for Searchlight. Downloads this week: Viral News 29 and Searchlight 8. Ratings: Searchlight 3.7★ from 3 and Viral News 4.8★ from 18 reviews.
| Metric | Searchlight | Viral News |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #7,698 ▼ 24 | #1,597 ▼ 7 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 8 | 29 |
| Rating | 3.7★ (3) | 4.8★ (18) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Dec 6, 2024 | Aug 16, 2026 |
| Current version | 2.9 | 2.07 |
| Best rank on record | #7,376 | #1,566 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2014 | Apr 2020 |
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, Searchlight or Viral News?
By active installs, Viral News: 1K+ sites run it against 100+ for Searchlight, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 24, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Searchlight or Viral News?
Viral News, at #1,597 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Searchlight at #7,698. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Searchlight a block theme or a classic theme? And Viral News?
Searchlight is a classic theme, Viral News 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.