Block Theme Development Has Outpaced Block Theme Adoption

# Block Theme Development Has Outpaced Block Theme Adoption Developers have moved to block themes; users have not. Ciorici's 2026 State of WordPress Themes report shows block themes are 44.2% of *new* submissions to WordPress.org — but only 8.3% of non-default installs, against 91.7% for classic. Among non-default block themes, only Extendable has crossed 100,000 installs, while classic themes (Astra, GeneratePress, OceanWP, Hello Elementor) each sit at 500k–1M+. The FSE transition is real on the production side and nearly invisible on the adoption side, and the gap is the story: shipping block themes faster doesn't move users who are still choosing classic.  ## Scope & conditions The install figures that show the gap are for *non-default* themes — excluding the bundled Twenty Twenty-X defaults, which are block themes shipped with core and therefore over-counted in any "block vs classic" tally that includes them. That exclusion is exactly what reconciles this with the earlier read that "block themes are overtaking classic in install share": that view leaned on the default themes sharing the 1M+ tier. Strip the defaults and classic still dominates real user choice. Scope: WordPress.org directory installs, 2026 snapshot; says nothing about premium/off-directory themes (Divi, Avada) or page-builder usage. ## Why This Matters It's a DevRel/Themes-team signal that "we built it" ≠ "they adopted it" — a supply-side win read as an ecosystem win. It's a specific instance of [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/WordPress Market Share Is a Lagging Indicator That Trails Momentum Loss]] (production metrics lead, adoption lags), and it sharpens [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/The CMS Decision Turns on How a Site Is Edited Not What It Contains]]: users pick the theme whose editing model they already know, so classic persists on familiarity even as core invests in blocks. For Courtney's own block-theme work (Ollie / courtneyr-child), it's the adoption headwind to design around, not away from. ## Counterpoints to Hold - **Install lag is expected during a transition.** New submissions today become installs over years; 8.3% is a snapshot of a moving front, not a ceiling. - **Directory installs undercount block-theme reality.** Much block-theme adoption happens via custom/agency themes and starter kits that never appear in .org install counts. - **"Adoption" conflates new builds and legacy inertia.** The 91.7% classic figure is dominated by the huge installed base; new-build share of block themes is likely higher than the stock suggests. ## Links - [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/Zet · Block themes are overtaking classic themes in install share]] — the earlier, contrasting read; reconciled here by the default-vs-non-default distinction (that note counted bundled Twenty Twenty-X defaults). - [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/WordPress Market Share Is a Lagging Indicator That Trails Momentum Loss]] — the general pattern: production/dev metrics lead, adoption metrics lag. - [[3. Resources/Permanent Notes/The CMS Decision Turns on How a Site Is Edited Not What It Contains]] — why users stay on classic: editing familiarity governs the choice. - [[WordPress Platform Design MOC]] — the gap between what the platform supports and what sites actually run ## Open Questions - What share of *new builds this year* (not the total install base) use block themes — the number that would actually show the transition's real pace? - Does the adoption gap close on its own as defaults propagate, or does it need a deliberate migration/onboarding push from the Themes team? ## Source - [Reader: The State of WordPress Themes Report Reveals a Gap Between Block Theme Development and Adoption (wp-content.co, on Pavel Ciorici's report)](https://read.readwise.io/read/01kwhrmmqn9y8502t9zeqn6f3t) — block = 44.2% of new submissions but 8.3% of non-default installs; classic 91.7%; only Extendable (non-default block) past 100k. - See also: [[DevRel MOC]], [[Open Source Governance MOC]]