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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 · movement vs 2026-09-01 · 8,545 themes tracked

# Theme Trends (1d / 7d / 30d) Type Rating Active installs Next milestone
6652 SimplyBlack SimplyBlack Updated 1 year ago Classic 5★ (3) 200+
6653 Fashion Photography Fashion Photography Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 70+
6654 Musicians Musicians Updated 2 months ago Classic 40+
6655 Experon Dark Experon Dark Updated 6 months ago Classic 50+
6656 Abel Abel Updated 3 months ago Classic 70+
6657 JetBlack Construction JetBlack Construction Updated 3 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 80+
6658 Project Management Project Management Updated 4 days ago Classic 30+
6659 Renden eShop Renden eShop Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
6660 VW Pet Shop VW Pet Shop Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 3.7★ (3) 100+
6661 Hair Spa Salon Hair Spa Salon Updated 23 hours ago Classic 30+
6662 High Life High Life Updated 2 months ago Block 30+
6663 Refrigerator Repair Refrigerator Repair Updated 2 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 60+
6664 Puro Puro Updated 1 year ago Classic 4.4★ (7) 100+
6665 Rockers Rockers Updated 5 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 200+
6666 Film Celebrity Film Celebrity Updated 2 days ago Classic 30+
6667 Unseen Blog Unseen Blog Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 50+
6668 Masonry Masonry Updated 2 years ago Classic 100+
6669 Sayre Sayre Updated 4 days ago Classic 40+
6670 Builders Lite Builders Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 70+
6671 Luxury Interior Luxury Interior Updated 1 month ago Classic 3★ (2) 70+
6672 SAAS Agency SAAS Agency Updated 3 days ago Classic 10+
6673 Personify Personify Updated 3 months ago Classic 100+
6674 fGreen fGreen Updated 3 months ago Classic 100+
6675 Experon grid Experon grid Updated 6 months ago Classic 60+
6676 DigiPress DigiPress Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 60+
6677 kidsworld kidsworld Updated 2 years ago Classic 30+
6678 Marsh Construction Marsh Construction Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
6679 Makeup Lite Makeup Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 90+
6680 Spa Skincare Spa Skincare Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 20+
6681 Shuttle Core Shuttle Core Updated 1 year ago Classic 20+
6682 FSE Agency FSE Agency Updated 2 weeks ago Block 40+
6683 Kalin Kalin Updated 2 years ago Block 20+
6684 SKT Gym SKT Gym Updated 6 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 100+
6685 Relief Relief Updated 1 year ago Classic 3.7★ (3) 100+
6686 Online Marketing Agency Online Marketing Agency Updated 2 months ago Classic 50+
6687 Gutenify Blog Gutenify Blog Updated 3 months ago Block 60+
6688 Wooden Furniture Wooden Furniture Updated today Classic 30+
6689 ST Spa ST Spa Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
6690 Paira Paira Updated 1 year ago Classic 50+
6691 portifolio-infocus portifolio-infocus Updated 10 months ago Block 30+
6692 Full Page Full Page Updated 6 months ago Classic 100+
6693 Anexa Anexa Updated 4 weeks ago Classic 80+
6694 SKT Towing SKT Towing Updated 6 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 100+
6695 Adore Business Adore Business Updated 1 year ago Classic 60+
6696 Celexo Celexo Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 60+
6697 Pet Food Shop Pet Food Shop Updated 3 months ago Classic 1★ (1) 60+
6698 Sublime Business Sublime Business Updated 23 hours ago Classic 60+
6699 Designer Boutique Shop Designer Boutique Shop Updated 23 hours ago Classic 30+
6700 Krystal Shop Krystal Shop Updated 2 years ago Classic 100+
6701 Vulture Vulture Updated 2 months ago Block 40+

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.