Short News vs Verbosa
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
Verbosa leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,887, ahead of Short News at #3,464. Over the last 7 days Verbosa climbed 15 places and Short News held its place. Verbosa has the largest install base, roughly 2.5× the next: 1K+ active installs against 400+ for Short News. Downloads this week: Verbosa 22 and Short News 11. Ratings: Short News 5★ from 4 and Verbosa 4.6★ from 21 reviews.
| Metric | Short News | Verbosa |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #3,464 ▬ | #1,887 ▲ 15 |
| Active installs | 400+ | 1K+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 11 | 22 |
| Rating | 5★ (4) | 4.6★ (21) |
| Type | Classic theme | Classic theme |
| Last updated | Jul 12, 2026 | Nov 3, 2025 |
| Current version | 1.1.8 | 1.3.0 |
| Best rank on record | #3,212 | #1,887 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Dec 2018 | Sep 2016 |
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, Short News or Verbosa?
By active installs, Verbosa: 1K+ sites run it against 400+ for Short News, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 18, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Short News or Verbosa?
Verbosa, at #1,887 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Short News at #3,464. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Short News a block theme or a classic theme? And Verbosa?
Short News is a classic theme, Verbosa 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.