Sterling FSE vs SWP Painting
Two WordPress themes head to head: ranking, active installs, downloads and ratings, from our daily tracking of the WordPress.org directory.
At a glance
SWP Painting leads the WordPress.org popular list today at #1,198, ahead of Sterling FSE at #3,620. Over the last 7 days SWP Painting slipped 32 places and Sterling FSE climbed 12 places. Sterling FSE has the largest install base, roughly 1.7× the next: 100+ active installs against 60+ for SWP Painting. Downloads this week: SWP Painting 23 and Sterling FSE 7.
| Metric | Sterling FSE | SWP Painting |
|---|---|---|
| Popular rank today | #3,620 ▲ 12 | #1,198 ▼ 32 |
| Active installs | 100+ | 60+ |
| Downloads, last 7 days | 7 | 23 |
| Rating | no ratings | no ratings |
| Type | Block theme | Block theme |
| Last updated | Jun 26, 2025 | Oct 19, 2026 |
| Current version | 1.2 | 1.4 |
| Best rank on record | #2,837 | #391 |
| Days in the top 50 | 0 | 0 |
| On WordPress.org since | Feb 2024 | Jul 2026 |
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, Sterling FSE or SWP Painting?
By active installs, Sterling FSE: 100+ sites run it against 60+ for SWP Painting, according to WordPress.org figures captured on October 26, 2026.
Which ranks higher on WordPress.org, Sterling FSE or SWP Painting?
SWP Painting, at #1,198 on the WordPress.org popular themes list today, with Sterling FSE at #3,620. The ranking reflects recent installs and moves daily, which is why this page shows the history rather than one snapshot.
Is Sterling FSE a block theme or a classic theme? And SWP Painting?
Sterling FSE is a block theme, SWP Painting 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.