Highlights · computed from our daily tracking data
- Highstarter currently ranks #3138 in the WordPress.org popular themes list.
- Its best position in our tracking is #3104, first reached on Aug 14, 2026.
- The latest release, v2.2.4, shipped on Apr 5, 2025 (513 days ago) — release #30 since the theme joined the directory in 2020.
Ranking history
Ranking history — data table
| Date | Ranking history |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 | #3138 |
| 2026-07-31 | #3140 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 | 400 |
| 2026-07-31 | 400 |
Latest reading of each month from our daily snapshots; the chart holds the full daily history.
Downloads per day
Details
| Author | Atanas Yonkov |
|---|---|
| Current version | 2.2.4 |
| Versions released | 30 |
| Last updated | 2025-04-05 |
| Added to directory | 2020-04-26 |
| Requires WordPress | 4.4+ |
| Requires PHP | 5.2.4+ |
| Type | Classic theme |
| First tracked here | 2026-07-23 |
Description
Highstarter is a lightweight starter theme without any libraries or frameworks, developed by Atanas Yonkov. The theme is very fast, simple, and easy to adapt to any design. This tiny WordPress theme (only 33KB zip file excluding the header image and the screenshot) uses core WordPress functions, custom css and vanilla js to provide high performance and the best possible user experience. It has extensive documentation and a lot of options in the theme customizer, which makes it accessible not only to WordPress developers but also to people with little or no coding experience at all. Option to pick between right sidebar, left sidebar or full-width layout. The visitors can choose between light and dark (night) mode and change their preferences with one click. Option to use a static Homepage. Option to add custom header image, custom header call to action button, custom site icon and change theme accent colors from the theme customizer. The theme also offers a lot of options to customize the header image. Add parallax, image overlay or change the height of the header image with a single click. The theme supports nested dropdown sub menus, pagination and even breadcrumbs out of the box. Fully compatible with Gutenberg but also supports the good old Classic editor. How to set it up: https://github.com/yonkov/highstarter/#readme. Example child theme configured with webpack module bundler https://github.com/yonkov/highstarter-child/
Frequently asked questions
How many websites use Highstarter?
WordPress.org reports 400+ active installs.
How popular is Highstarter?
As of August 31, 2026, Highstarter ranks #3138 in the WordPress.org popular themes list. Its best position in our tracking is #3104.
When was Highstarter last updated?
Highstarter was last updated on April 5, 2025 (version 2.2.4). It has shipped 30 releases in total.
Who makes Highstarter?
Highstarter is developed by Atanas Yonkov. It joined the WordPress.org theme directory in April 2020.
