Highlights · computed from our daily tracking data
- Broadside currently ranks #664 in the WordPress.org popular themes list.
- Its best position in our tracking is #177, first reached on Aug 30, 2026.
- Active installs grew from 40+ when we started tracking it in August 2026 to 60+ today — it crossed the 60+ mark around October 2026.
- It is averaging 4 downloads/day over the last 30 days, down 53% versus the month before (9/day).
- The latest release, v1.3.4, shipped on Aug 15, 2026 (63 days ago) — release #2 since the theme joined the directory in 2026.
Ranking history
Ranking history — data table
| Date | Ranking history |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-17 | #664 |
| 2026-09-30 | #511 |
| 2026-08-31 | #180 |
Latest reading of each month from our daily snapshots; the chart holds the full daily history.
Active installs
Active installs — data table
| Date | Active installs |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-17 | 60 |
| 2026-09-30 | 50 |
| 2026-08-31 | 50 |
Latest reading of each month from our daily snapshots; the chart holds the full daily history.
Downloads per day
Downloads per day — data table
| Date | Downloads per day |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-16 | 4 |
| 2026-09-30 | 6 |
| 2026-08-31 | 10 |
Latest reading of each month from our daily snapshots; the chart holds the full daily history.
Details
| Author | Shadow Software LLC |
|---|---|
| Current version | 1.3.4 |
| Versions released | 2 |
| Last updated | 2026-08-15 |
| Added to directory | 2026-08-15 |
| Requires WordPress | 6.6+ |
| Requires PHP | 8.0+ |
| Type | Block theme |
| First tracked here | 2026-08-30 |
Description
A block theme for news publications and journals of record. Broadside dresses a modern WordPress site as a broadsheet newspaper: a blackletter masthead, a folio rule, a three-column lead grid, and a long-read article layout with editorial furniture — a short-answer box, key takeaways, a table of contents, an FAQ, and a sources list. Every colour, rule and section name is a Customizer setting, so one codebase can dress two mastheads without a single hard-coded brand.
Frequently asked questions
How many websites use Broadside?
WordPress.org reports 60+ active installs.
How popular is Broadside?
As of October 17, 2026, Broadside ranks #664 in the WordPress.org popular themes list. Its best position in our tracking is #177.
When was Broadside last updated?
Broadside was last updated on August 15, 2026 (version 1.3.4). It has shipped 2 releases in total.
Who makes Broadside?
Broadside is developed by Shadow Software LLC. It joined the WordPress.org theme directory in August 2026.
