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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 2026-09-01 · movement vs 2026-08-31 · 8,526 themes tracked

# Theme Trends (1d / 7d / 30d) Type Rating Active installs Next milestone
6452 Buildcon Lite Buildcon Lite Updated 2 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 90+
6453 Cooking Classes Cooking Classes Updated 1 month ago Classic 60+
6454 SKT Camping SKT Camping Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
6455 BlockMe BlockMe Updated 1 year ago Block 60+
6456 Kortez Kortez Updated 6 months ago Classic 60+
6457 Catch Wheels Catch Wheels Updated 3 months ago Classic 4.3★ (4) 100+
6458 FGymClub Fitness Lite FGymClub Fitness Lite Updated 5 months ago Classic 60+
6459 Fossil Fossil Updated 2 months ago Classic 20+
6460 Mega Manufacturing Industry Mega Manufacturing Industry Updated 1 month ago Classic 20+
6461 Elated Elated Updated 6 months ago Classic 50+
6462 Home Decor Blog Home Decor Blog Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 40+
6463 Mechanical Industry Mechanical Industry Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 50+
6464 Fitness Exercise Hub Fitness Exercise Hub Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 60+
6465 Milestone lite Milestone lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 100+
6466 Creativ Kids Education Creativ Kids Education Updated 3 months ago Classic 100+
6467 Electronics Gadgets Electronics Gadgets Updated 5 days ago Classic 3.5★ (2) 70+
6468 Movie Theatre Movie Theatre Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 30+
6469 Dog Groomer Dog Groomer Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 30+
6470 AmBerd - Online Store AmBerd - Online Store Updated 1 day ago Classic 40+
6471 Fashion Designer Mart Fashion Designer Mart Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 50+
6472 Elearning Workshop Elearning Workshop Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 30+
6473 TiStore TiStore Updated 1 day ago Classic 30+
6474 Digital Marketing Agency Digital Marketing Agency Updated 4 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 70+
6475 Furniture Decor Furniture Decor Updated 2 months ago Classic 50+
6476 Business Planning Business Planning Updated 2 months ago Classic 40+
6477 Sparkle Mart Sparkle Mart Updated 2 years ago Classic 70+
6478 WENS Inspire WENS Inspire Updated 2 months ago Block 20+
6479 Crypto Compare Crypto Compare Updated 7 months ago Classic 70+
6480 Shoppable Fashion Shoppable Fashion Updated 4 months ago Classic 40+
6481 Travix Travix Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
6482 WX Dentist WX Dentist Updated 1 year ago Classic 10+
6483 Feminine Clothing Fashion Feminine Clothing Fashion Updated 2 months ago Classic 50+
6484 Dark Photography Dark Photography Updated 2 months ago Classic 70+
6485 Dry Cleaning Services Dry Cleaning Services Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
6486 Gutenify Biz Focus Gutenify Biz Focus Updated 3 months ago Block 20+
6487 BB Ecommerce Store BB Ecommerce Store Updated 1 week ago Classic 5★ (14) 100+
6488 Happy Peanuts Happy Peanuts Updated 1 year ago Classic 20+
6489 Lifestyle Store Lifestyle Store Updated 3 weeks ago Block 40+
6490 Baseball Club Baseball Club Updated 3 months ago Classic 50+
6491 Interior Decor Studio Interior Decor Studio Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 40+
6492 Interior Decor Interior Decor Updated 1 day ago Classic 60+
6493 Dark Pastel Dark Pastel Updated 3 months ago Block 60+
6494 upTown upTown Updated 5 months ago Classic 3★ (2) 200+
6495 Construction Engineering Construction Engineering Updated 1 month ago Classic 70+
6496 Haine Haine Updated 7 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 70+
6497 Harest Harest Updated 3 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 100+
6498 Ad Agency Lite Ad Agency Lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
6499 Mocktail Mocktail Updated 1 year ago Classic 100+
6500 Conversions Conversions Updated 2 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 100+
6501 Pencil Pencil Updated 2 years ago Classic 5★ (5) 100+

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 the top 250 themes 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 2026-09-01, 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 top 250 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 2026-09-01, 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.