Highlights · computed from our daily tracking data
- News Access currently ranks #95 in the WordPress.org popular themes list.
- Its best position in our tracking is #25, first reached on Jun 26, 2026.
- Active installs have held steady at 700+ since we began tracking it in June 2026.
- It is averaging 12 downloads/day over the last 30 days, down 29% versus the month before (18/day).
- The latest release, v1.1.0, shipped on Aug 6, 2026 (26 days ago) — release #3 since the theme joined the directory in 2026.
Performance · Google Lighthouse, official wordpress.org demo
| Mobile | Desktop | |
| Largest Contentful Paint | 2.9 s | 0.7 s |
| First Contentful Paint | 2.9 s | 0.7 s |
| Total Blocking Time | 0 ms | 0 ms |
| Cumulative Layout Shift | 0.000 | 0.040 |
| Page weight | 483.4 KB | 483.4 KB |
Lab (Lighthouse) data measured on the official demo at wp-themes.com, where every theme serves identical content — so scores isolate the theme's own CSS/JS payload. Tested Aug 3, 2026. Scores vary ±5 between runs. Run a live test ↗
Ranking history
Ranking history — data table
| Date | Ranking history |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | #95 |
| 2026-08-31 | #95 |
| 2026-07-31 | #49 |
| 2026-06-30 | #26 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-09-01 | 700 |
| 2026-08-31 | 700 |
| 2026-07-31 | 1,000 |
| 2026-06-30 | 1,000 |
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 |
|---|---|
| 2026-08-31 | 9 |
| 2026-07-31 | 9 |
| 2026-06-30 | 31 |
| 2026-05-31 | 6 |
Latest reading of each month from our daily snapshots; the chart holds the full daily history.
Details
| Author | Ascendoor |
|---|---|
| Current version | 1.1.0 |
| Versions released | 3 |
| Last updated | 2026-08-06 |
| Added to directory | 2026-05-04 |
| Requires WordPress | 5.0+ |
| Requires PHP | 8.0+ |
| Type | Classic theme |
| First tracked here | 2026-06-01 |
Description
News Access is a clean and contemporary WordPress theme designed for news sites, online magazines, and content-driven platforms. With its minimalist style and user-friendly layout, it provides multiple flexible design options, customizable color schemes, and widget-ready sections for effortless personalization. Built with performance and SEO in mind, it ensures fast loading speeds and better visibility in search engine results. Its fully responsive design guarantees a smooth and consistent experience across all devices and browsers, making it a perfect choice for bloggers, journalists, and digital publishers. Check the theme documentation at: https://docs.ascendoor.com/docs/news-access/ and demo at: https://demos.ascendoor.com/news-access/
Frequently asked questions
How many websites use News Access?
WordPress.org reports 700+ active installs.
How popular is News Access?
As of September 1, 2026, News Access ranks #95 in the WordPress.org popular themes list. Its best position in our tracking is #25.
When was News Access last updated?
News Access was last updated on August 6, 2026 (version 1.1.0). It has shipped 3 releases in total.
Who makes News Access?
News Access is developed by Ascendoor. It joined the WordPress.org theme directory in May 2026.
How fast is News Access?
On the official WordPress.org demo, News Access scores 88/100 for mobile performance in Google Lighthouse and 96/100 for desktop (tested August 2026).
