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Lightning

v15.42.0

by Hidekazu Ishikawa · updated 2 months ago

Lightning is a very simple & easy to customize theme which is based on the Bootstrap. It is also very friendly with custom post types and custom taxonomies. When you add a new one, the breadcrumbs will be adjusted and p…

Block editor stylesBlogCustom backgroundCustom colorsCustom logoCustom menuEditor styleFeatured imagesFooter widgetsFull width template
WordPress.org Save Track this theme
Rank
#28
No change0 vs yesterday
Active installs (est.)
≈ 150,000
100K+ reported · Low
Total downloads
3.3M
3,262,956 all-time
Rating
4.8/5
12 reviews
First released
Jul 24, 2015
11 years ago
Declining·Downloads -32.5% (30d)·Toward 90K+ · ETA ~37d

Lightning at a glance

Lightning is a WordPress theme by Hidekazu Ishikawa with 100K+ active installs, the #28 most popular theme on WordPress.org. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 478 times, 33% fewer than the month before. It’s rated 4.8 out of 5 from 12 reviews. Version 15.42.0 came out on Sep 9, 2026. Among the 11,066 themes tagged “Custom background”, it ranks #13. It was first released in 2015.

Chart time range

Applies to every chart below. History from Oct 9, 2026, 31 days.

Showing the last 30 days. Full history comes with any paid plan.See plans

Downloads over time

Download stats

20.1K downloads · the last 30 days

Downloads over time
Lightning Compare series
Downloads over time: 30 days across 1 series.01K2K3KOct 9Oct 14Oct 19Oct 24Oct 28Nov 2Nov 7
View as table
DateLightning
Nov 7, 2026251
Nov 6, 2026376
Nov 5, 2026437
Nov 4, 2026490
Nov 3, 2026323
Nov 2, 2026465
Nov 1, 2026300
Oct 31, 2026374
Oct 30, 2026791
Oct 29, 2026636
Oct 28, 2026717
Oct 27, 2026737
Oct 26, 20261,015
Oct 25, 2026637
Oct 24, 2026878
Oct 23, 20261,856
Oct 22, 20263,330
Oct 21, 20261,984
Oct 20, 2026554
Oct 19, 2026420
Oct 18, 2026244
Oct 17, 2026249
Oct 16, 2026391
Oct 15, 2026438
Oct 14, 2026427
Oct 13, 2026444
Oct 12, 2026333
Oct 11, 2026264
Oct 10, 2026254
Oct 9, 2026458

Unusual spikes are usually updates, not new installs.

Estimated installs

≈ 146,255 · +0.6% in the last 30 days

Estimated installs
Estimated installs: 12 days across 1 series.145.5K146KOct 27Oct 29Oct 31Nov 2Nov 4Nov 8
View as table
DateEstimated installs
Nov 8, 2026146,255
Nov 7, 2026146,259
Nov 5, 2026146,258
Nov 4, 2026146,251
Nov 3, 2026146,263
Nov 2, 2026146,273
Nov 1, 2026145,353
Oct 31, 2026145,364
Oct 30, 2026145,341
Oct 29, 2026145,356
Oct 28, 2026145,322
Oct 27, 2026145,395

Rank over time

#28 · down 3 in the last 30 days

Popular rank
Popular rank: 15 days across 1 series.#25#26#27#28Oct 16Oct 27Oct 31Nov 4Nov 8
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 8, 2026#28
Nov 7, 2026#28
Nov 6, 2026#28
Nov 5, 2026#27
Nov 4, 2026#28
Nov 3, 2026#27
Nov 2, 2026#27
Nov 1, 2026#27
Oct 31, 2026#27
Oct 30, 2026#27
Oct 29, 2026#27
Oct 28, 2026#27
Oct 27, 2026#27
Oct 17, 2026#25
Oct 16, 2026#25

Growth %

Average +0.05% a day in the last 30 days

Growth %, day over day
Growth %, day over day: 11 days across 1 series.-0.5%0%0.5%Oct 28Oct 30Nov 1Nov 4Nov 8
View as table
DateGrowth
Nov 8, 2026-0.00%
Nov 7, 20260.00%
Nov 5, 2026+0.01%
Nov 4, 2026-0.01%
Nov 3, 2026-0.01%
Nov 2, 2026+0.63%
Nov 1, 2026-0.01%
Oct 31, 2026+0.02%
Oct 30, 2026-0.01%
Oct 29, 2026+0.02%
Oct 28, 2026-0.05%

Active installs band

100K+ on WordPress.org

Active installs (rounded band)
Active installs (rounded band): 15 days across 1 series.95K100K105KOct 16Oct 27Oct 31Nov 4Nov 8
View as table
DateDaily snapshot
Nov 8, 2026100K+
Nov 7, 2026100K+
Nov 6, 2026100K+
Nov 5, 2026100K+
Nov 4, 2026100K+
Nov 3, 2026100K+
Nov 2, 2026100K+
Nov 1, 2026100K+
Oct 31, 2026100K+
Oct 30, 2026100K+
Oct 29, 2026100K+
Oct 28, 2026100K+
Oct 27, 2026100K+
Oct 17, 2026100K+
Oct 16, 2026100K+

Search rankings

Where it appears in WordPress.org search for the searches you track, checked every day.

See where Lightning ranks in search

Track this theme to check its position for the searches you choose, daily, with an alert when it moves.

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Change log

From our daily snapshot of WordPress.org

No changes yet. When this theme's name, short description, tags, “Tested up to” or version change, they show here with what happened to its rank next.

Ratings breakdown

4.8★★★★★12 reviews

  • 5 ★10 (83%)
  • 4 ★1 (8%)
  • 3 ★1 (8%)
  • 2 ★0 (0%)
  • 1 ★0 (0%)

About 9 more 5★ reviews would lift it to 4.9.

Requirements & info

Version history
Version
15.42.0
Requires WordPress
6.6
Requires PHP
7.4
First released
Jul 24, 2015
Last updated
Sep 9, 2026
Releases, last 12 months
…

Questions about Lightning

How many websites use Lightning?

Lightning is active on 100K+ WordPress sites, as WordPress.org reports it. WordPress.org rounds the number down, so the real count is somewhat higher. That makes it the #28 most popular theme on WordPress.org.

How many times has Lightning been downloaded?

3,262,956 times in total since 2015. On a typical day it’s downloaded about 478 times. See download stats

When was Lightning last updated?

Version 15.42.0 came out on Sep 9, 2026 (1 month ago). See every release

Does Lightning have known security vulnerabilities?

None that affect the current version. WPVulnerability’s database lists 1 older issue, fixed in earlier versions, so keep Lightning up to date. See its security record

Is Lightning still maintained?

Yes. Its last release was 1 month ago.

What rating does Lightning have?

4.8 out of 5 from 12 reviews on WordPress.org. 83% of them give 5 stars.

What are the best alternatives to Lightning?

The themes most like Lightning, by the tags they share, are Twenty Twenty (200K+), Inspiro (60K+) and Neve (200K+). Compare all alternatives

Compare with competitors

Add up to 1 competitor. No account needed.

Starter · 1 competitor
Lightning
Suggested:
Metric
Lightning
Estimated installs≈ 150,000
Reported installs100K+
Rating4.8
Reviews12
Total downloads3.3M
AuthorHidekazu Ishikawa
First releasedJul 24, 2015
Version15.42.0
Requires WP6.6
Requires PHP7.4
Last updatedSep 9, 2026

Alternatives to Lightning

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Side by side:Lightning vs Twenty TwentyLightning vs InspiroLightning vs Neve

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