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Most Popular WordPress Themes

Every theme in the WordPress.org directory, ranked by active installs and re-captured every night — with daily rank movement, ratings, download history and how many live sites actually run each one.

Ranking for 2026-09-05 · movement vs 2026-09-04 · 6,800 themes tracked

# Theme Trends (1d / 7d / 30d) Type Rating Active installs Next milestone
7554 Fondness Fondness Updated 4 months ago Classic 40+
7555 Chic Lifestyle Chic Lifestyle Updated 2 months ago Classic 5★ (2) 80+
7556 Workart Blog Workart Blog Updated 2 years ago Classic 30+
7557 Smarter Smarter Updated 3 months ago Classic 80+
7558 Chitta Chitta Updated 1 year ago Classic 10+
7559 Automotive Charging Station Automotive Charging Station Updated 2 months ago Classic 30+
7560 Misbah Blog Misbah Blog Updated 2 months ago Classic 50+
7561 Omega Design Agency Omega Design Agency Updated 2 days ago Classic 10+
7562 AgencyX AgencyX Updated 2 months ago Classic 40+
7563 SKT Cutsnstyle Lite SKT Cutsnstyle Lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 2.3★ (3) 100+
7565 KitePress KitePress Updated 1 month ago Classic 40+
7566 Web Artist Web Artist Updated 4 months ago Classic 50+
7567 LZ One Page LZ One Page Updated 1 month ago Classic 5★ (1) 70+
7568 Creativ News Creativ News Updated 3 months ago Classic 40+
7569 unExposed unExposed Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
7570 DatingLite DatingLite Updated 3 months ago Classic 70+
7571 Barbecue Cafeteria Barbecue Cafeteria Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 20+
7572 Anamio Anamio Updated 4 days ago Classic 30+
7573 Weight Loss Trainer Weight Loss Trainer Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 20+
7574 Cargo Lite Cargo Lite Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 40+
7575 I Am One I Am One Updated 6 months ago Classic 4.5★ (8) 100+
7576 Kortez Corporate Kortez Corporate Updated 6 months ago Classic 20+
7577 civil construction civil construction Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 40+
7578 Tourable Tourable Updated 3 months ago Classic 3★ (2) 70+
7579 Sandalwood Sandalwood Updated 1 year ago Classic 70+
7580 Titan Branding Agency Titan Branding Agency Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 10+
7581 SKT Biz SKT Biz Updated 6 months ago Classic 5★ (3) 100+
7583 Droha Droha Updated 2 years ago Classic 20+
7584 Techbit Techbit Updated 4 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 50+
7585 SKT Photo World SKT Photo World Updated 6 months ago Classic 3★ (4) 100+
7586 Designer Boutique Designer Boutique Updated 2 months ago Classic 30+
7587 ReelCraft ReelCraft Updated 1 year ago Classic 10+
7588 Blogism Blogism Updated 8 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 80+
7589 ZenEther ZenEther Updated 3 months ago Classic 60+
7590 Gaukingo Gaukingo Updated 11 months ago Classic 5★ (2) 90+
7591 Ultimate Blogger Ultimate Blogger Updated 5 days ago Classic 70+
7592 Everafter Wedding Everafter Wedding Updated 5 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 20+
7593 Tattoo Artist Tattoo Artist Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
7594 Medplus Medplus Updated 8 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 90+
7595 Real Estate Builder Real Estate Builder Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 1★ (1) 30+
7596 Experon Magazine Experon Magazine Updated 6 months ago Classic 60+
7597 The Business WP The Business WP Updated 5 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 60+
7598 fART fART Updated 3 months ago Classic 1★ (2) 100+
7599 Skanda Skanda Updated 2 years ago Classic 50+
7600 Misbah Lighting Misbah Lighting Updated 2 days ago Classic 20+
7602 Sellnow Sellnow Updated 5 months ago Classic 30+
7603 Cardio Cardio Updated 1 year ago Classic 90+
7604 Catering Lite Catering Lite Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 30+
7605 MotoSpeed MotoSpeed Updated 3 months ago Classic 80+
7606 edutechstar edutechstar Updated 2 months ago Classic 30+

About this ranking

The WordPress.org theme directory lists thousands of free themes, but it doesn’t show which ones are gaining or losing ground over time. WP.MD tracks every theme in the directory daily and records each one’s position in the directory’s popularity ranking, so you see movement across 1, 7, and 30 days instead of a single static snapshot. The table above reflects the ranking for 2026-09-05, compared against the previous day.

What the numbers mean

A theme’s position is based on its standing in the WordPress.org “Popular” listing, which is driven largely by active installs and recent download velocity. Active installs (shown in buckets like 1M+ or 500K+) count sites currently running the theme. Downloads per day reflect fresh installs and updates over the last 24 hours — and the two often move independently. A default theme like Twenty Twenty-Five ships with WordPress core, so its download figures are inflated by every new install, whereas a theme like Astra earns its rank from sites that deliberately choose it.

Reading the movement columns

The 1D, 7D, and 30D columns show how far a theme has climbed or dropped over each window. Large short-term jumps — the biggest risers — usually follow a directory feature, a viral tutorial, or a fresh release. Sharp falls often mean a competitor surged rather than the theme itself losing installs. Entries in New in range are themes that broke into the tracked ranking for the first time that week.

Directory popularity vs. real-world usage

Directory rank and real-world usage aren’t the same thing. The “Popular” sort rewards download velocity, which favors bundled and default themes. Surveys of live sites tell a different story, where page-builder foundations like Astra, Kadence, and Hello Elementor punch above their directory rank because they anchor agencies and commercial sites. For the wider market picture — how many WordPress themes exist and which ones lead by real-world install share — see our regularly updated WordPress theme statistics. Comparing those figures with the tracker above is the quickest way to spot a theme that’s quietly dominant despite a modest directory position.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most popular WordPress theme right now?

As of 2026-09-05, Twenty Twenty-Five leads the WordPress.org popularity ranking, followed by Hello Elementor and Astra. Twenty Twenty-Five ships with WordPress core, so part of its lead reflects bundling rather than deliberate choice.

What’s the difference between active installs and downloads?
Active installs count the sites currently running a theme, shown in ranges like 1M+ or 500K+. Downloads per day count fresh installs and updates over the previous 24 hours. A theme can post high daily downloads while its active-install base stays flat, which is why both columns are worth watching.

How is WordPress theme popularity measured?
Directory popularity comes from the WordPress.org “Popular” listing, driven mainly by active installs and download velocity. Real-world usage comes from surveys of live sites and can rank themes differently. WP.MD tracks both so you can compare the directory view against actual deployment.

How often is this data updated?
The ranking refreshes daily. Each day’s movement is measured against the previous day, with 7-day and 30-day columns showing longer trends across the 250 themes we track.