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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 2026-09-02 (latest available — today not captured yet) · movement vs 2026-09-01 · 6,786 themes tracked

# Theme Trends (1d / 7d / 30d) Type Rating Active installs Next milestone
8186 Sento Business Sento Business Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
8187 Xshop Lite Xshop Lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 20+
8188 TA Business TA Business Updated 1 year ago Classic 2★ (1) 30+
8189 Lemesos Lemesos Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 30+
8190 Matangi Matangi Updated 4 months ago Classic 30+
8191 My Holiday My Holiday Updated 7 months ago Classic 30+
8192 Core Fitness Core Fitness Updated 6 days ago Classic 30+
8193 fCorpo fCorpo Updated 3 months ago Classic 3.3★ (3) 40+
8194 Undedicated Undedicated Updated 1 year ago Classic 5★ (1) 60+
8195 Technify Technify Updated 2 years ago Classic 20+
8196 fTravel fTravel Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
8197 Ryan Boxed Ryan Boxed Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
8198 XHub Blog XHub Blog Updated 6 months ago Classic 20+
8199 Kraft Lite Kraft Lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 40+
8200 Alante News Alante News Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
8201 WP Digest WP Digest Updated 2 years ago Classic 10+
8202 StoreWise StoreWise Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 20+
8203 Sundara Sundara Updated 2 years ago Classic 10+
8204 HospitalLight HospitalLight Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
8205 Boost Biz Boost Biz Updated 4 months ago Classic 20+
8206 Asura Asura Updated 4 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 30+
8207 Preschool Nursery Preschool Nursery Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 1★ (1) 10+
8208 ClickPic ClickPic Updated 5 months ago Classic 1★ (1) 30+
8209 Corriere Corriere Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+
8210 SKT The App SKT The App Updated 6 months ago Classic 3★ (2) 40+
8211 Creative Business Blog Creative Business Blog Updated 2 years ago Classic 30+
8212 Jane Lite Jane Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 30+
8213 Delicious Recipe Blog Delicious Recipe Blog Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 10+
8214 BuzzStore Lite BuzzStore Lite Updated 2 years ago Classic 20+
8215 SKT Bakery SKT Bakery Updated 6 months ago Classic 2★ (5) 40+
8216 Padma New Padma New Updated 2 years ago Classic 10+
8217 Yamuna Yamuna Updated 4 months ago Classic 30+
8218 Sveva Sveva Updated 1 year ago Classic 30+
8219 Pena Lite Pena Lite Updated 2 years ago Classic 30+
8220 Tech Startup Tech Startup Updated 6 days ago Classic 20+
8221 ShopUp Lite ShopUp Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 10+
8222 fGymm fGymm Updated 3 months ago Classic 2★ (1) 40+
8223 Auto Store Auto Store Updated 7 months ago Classic 30+
8224 Businesity Businesity Updated 1 month ago Classic 10+
8225 Quotidiano Quotidiano Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+
8226 Ganga Ganga Updated 4 months ago Classic 30+
8227 Vertigo Vertigo Updated 11 hours ago Classic 5★ (1) 50+
8228 coolrestx coolrestx Updated 5 months ago Classic 20+
8229 Foodland Foodland Updated 3 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 30+
8230 Vivah Royal Wedding Vivah Royal Wedding Updated 1 month ago Classic 30+
8231 SpaCare SpaCare Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 10+
8232 Haaski Diary Haaski Diary Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+
8233 KABBO KABBO Updated 2 years ago Classic 4.5★ (2) 50+
8234 AyaSpirit AyaSpirit Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
8235 ZenLife ZenLife Updated 3 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 2026-09-02, 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 2026-09-02, 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.