Highlights · computed from our daily tracking data
- Pencil currently ranks #6427 in the WordPress.org popular themes list.
- The latest release, v1.7.2, shipped on Sep 13, 2024 (694 days ago) — release #26 since the theme joined the directory in 2016.
Ranking history
Active installs
Downloads per day
Details
| Author | Patryk Kachel |
|---|---|
| Current version | 1.7.2 |
| Versions released | 26 |
| Last updated | 2024-09-13 |
| Added to directory | 2016-02-01 |
| Requires WordPress | — |
| Requires PHP | 5.6.30+ |
| Type | Classic theme |
| First tracked here | 2026-07-23 |
Description
Pencil is an amazing Simply & Clean WordPress Blog / Magazine Theme. It’s elegant and modern theme perfect for minimalist style lovers. Created to showcase your content in a clean, minimal way. Pencil is fast and well-coded design. It's the best choice to create a Beautiful & Powerful website. Suitable for all types of blog, magazine, newspaper. With Pencil WordPress Theme you can display your content in the best possible way, you can easy create your own unique layout and style. Pencil have many powerful features including: 3 Homepage Layouts, 4 Post Formats, 2 Page Layouts, Responsive Design (Bootstrap 4 based), Sticky Sidebar, Smooth Scrolling, Theme Options Easily Customized by Native WordPress Customizer (Live Preview) and much more. Support for AMP plugin. Tested with new block editor (Gutenberg). Pencil is easy to customize and well documented with great support and friendly help:)
Frequently asked questions
Is Pencil a free theme?
Yes — Pencil is a free, open-source (GPL) theme distributed through the official WordPress.org directory.
Is Pencil a block theme or a classic theme?
Pencil is a classic theme: it uses the traditional Customizer/widgets workflow rather than WordPress Full Site Editing.
How many websites use Pencil?
WordPress.org reports 100+ active installs.
How popular is Pencil?
As of August 8, 2026, Pencil ranks #6427 in the WordPress.org popular themes list.
When was Pencil last updated?
Pencil was last updated on September 13, 2024 (version 1.7.2). It has shipped 26 releases in total.
Who makes Pencil?
Pencil is developed by Patryk Kachel. It joined the WordPress.org theme directory in February 2016.
