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Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) vs ACF Columns (2026)

Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

4.5(1,428)

2.0M+ active installs

Free

Updated 5 days ago
View Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
VS
ACF Columns

ACF Columns

4.5(10)

5.0K+ active installs

Free

Updated 1 year ago
View ACF Columns

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a higher user rating (4.5/5 from 1,428 reviews) and leads in active installations (2.0M+ vs 5.0K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while ACF Columns has 52K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Columns4.5/5
Total Reviews
1,428Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Columns10
Active Installs
2.0M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Columns5.0K+
Total Downloads
69M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Columns52K+
Support Resolution
43%Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF ColumnsN/A
Last Updated
5 days agoAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Columns1 year ago
First Released
2011Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Columns2017
Age
15 yearsAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Columns9 years
WP Requires
6.2+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Columns4.7+
PHP Requires
7.4+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Columnsfalse+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF ColumnsFree
Latest Version
6.8.0Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Columns1.2.5

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

4.5/5(1,428 reviews)
5
84%
4
2%
3
1%
2
1%
1
12%

ACF Columns

4.5/5(10 reviews)
5
80%
4
0%
3
10%
2
10%
1
0%

Recent Reviews

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) Reviews

by tyriqsuth

Must Have Tool

One of the best plugins I’ve used. Makes custom fields super easy to manage. Works smoothly and is very flexible. tnx to devs, really helped in my projects 👍

by albertowadsworth

Flexible Fields Tool

ACF really helps when adding custom fields to posts n pages. Setup is pretty simple and very flexible. Took a little time to learn at first, but works great once you get used to it. Tnkz devs.

by annafjmorris

I just want to display the content

The back-end set up is great and clearly this is a powerful plugin. However, this plugin requires either the paid version or custom PHP theme to display the content on the front end! There are no bloc

ACF Columns Reviews

by gavin310

Very useful plugin

I’ve used this plugin for years and it’s always worked great

by Joe Bloggs

Awesome little plugin!

Really great little plugin. Deserves to be looked after. Many thanks!

by charlybd

Simply do the job

Great plugin to organise ACF back-end !

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or ACF Columns more popular?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has 2.0M+ active installations while ACF Columns has 5.0K+. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or ACF Columns?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 4.5/5 rating from 1,428 reviews, while ACF Columns has a 4.5/5 rating from 10 reviews.
Are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) and ACF Columns free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is free and ACF Columns is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or ACF Columns?
Support resolution data is not available for all plugins. Check each plugin's WordPress.org support forum for current response quality.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) was last updated 5 days ago and ACF Columns was last updated 1 year ago.

Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.