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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
8252 fPsychology fPsychology Updated 3 months ago Classic 1★ (1) 40+
8253 Alante Engage Alante Engage Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
8254 Rudra Rudra Updated 4 months ago Classic 20+
8255 AyaGeek AyaGeek Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
8256 Siska Lite Siska Lite Updated 11 months ago Classic 10+
8257 Forever Lite Forever Lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 20+
8258 All Purpose All Purpose Updated 7 months ago Classic 30+
8259 Clean Lite Clean Lite Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
8260 Kitolms Kitolms Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+
8261 Jass Jass Updated 2 years ago Classic 1★ (1) 10+
8262 Vivex Vivex Updated 3 months ago Classic 40+
8263 Diarjo Lite Diarjo Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 40+
8264 Tromas Tromas Updated 5 months ago Classic 2★ (1) 20+
8265 Words Lite Words Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 10+
8266 Ekiline Ekiline Updated 6 months ago Classic 10+
8267 Venice Lite Venice Lite Updated 1 year ago Classic 5★ (1) 30+
8268 Tancho Tancho Updated 4 months ago Classic 20+
8269 Pikture Pikture Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
8270 Flexibled Flexibled Updated 6 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 20+
8271 Viandante Viandante Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+
8272 micologia che passione micologia che passione Updated 4 days ago Classic 20+
8273 Messaggero Messaggero Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+
8274 VideoStories VideoStories Updated 9 months ago Classic 5★ (2) 20+
8275 Sakala Sakala Updated 1 year ago Classic 10+
8276 Charging Station Charging Station Updated 3 weeks ago Classic 10+
8277 CFashionStore Lite CFashionStore Lite Updated 5 months ago Classic 20+
8278 fLibrary fLibrary Updated 3 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 20+
8279 Titiksha Titiksha Updated 5 months ago Classic 20+
8280 Dinero Dinero Updated 1 month ago Classic 5★ (1) 10+
8281 Intech-IT Intech-IT Updated 2 months ago Classic 10+
8282 Zigcy Baby Zigcy Baby Updated 1 year ago Classic 4★ (1) 20+
8283 Goshiki Goshiki Updated 4 months ago Classic 5★ (1) 20+
8284 Icon Arena Icon Arena Updated 6 months ago Classic 20+
8285 SKT Launch SKT Launch Updated 6 months ago Classic 30+
8286 Moneysite Moneysite Updated 2 months ago Classic 20+
8287 fMuzz fMuzz Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
8288 Chandi Chandi Updated 4 months ago Classic 20+
8289 Saraswati Saraswati Updated 4 months ago Classic 20+
8290 Wheelify Wheelify Updated 2 years ago Classic 5★ (1) 10+
8291 fPhotography fPhotography Updated 3 months ago Classic 30+
8292 Writing Board Writing Board Updated 2 years ago Classic 5★ (6) 30+
8293 Lekhak Lekhak Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
8294 ShogunLite ShogunLite Updated 3 months ago Classic 20+
8295 Ishta Ishta Updated 2 years ago Classic 10+
8296 Glamour World Glamour World Updated 6 months ago Classic 20+
8297 NewStone NewStone Updated 3 months ago Classic 40+
8298 MW Small MW Small Updated 1 year ago Classic 5★ (1) 30+
8299 Guto Lite Guto Lite Updated 2 years ago Classic 5★ (2) 10+
8300 BizzBee BizzBee Updated 2 weeks ago Classic 4.2★ (5) 30+
8301 FF Multipurpose Dark FF Multipurpose Dark Updated 3 months ago Classic 10+

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.