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

ACF Flexible Columns

3(1)

20 active installs

Free

Updated 7 years ago
View ACF Flexible 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 20). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while ACF Flexible Columns has 4.3K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Flexible Columns3/5
Total Reviews
1,428Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Flexible Columns1
Active Installs
2.0M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Flexible Columns20
Total Downloads
69M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Flexible Columns4.3K+
Support Resolution
43%Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible ColumnsN/A
Last Updated
5 days agoAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
ACF Flexible Columns7 years ago
First Released
2011Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible Columns2016
Age
15 yearsAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible Columns10 years
WP Requires
6.2+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible Columns4.5+
PHP Requires
7.4+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible Columnsfalse+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible ColumnsFree
Latest Version
6.8.0Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF Flexible Columns1.1.7

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

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

ACF Flexible Columns

3/5(1 reviews)
5
0%
4
0%
3
100%
2
0%
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 Flexible Columns Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or ACF Flexible Columns more popular?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has 2.0M+ active installations while ACF Flexible Columns has 20. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or ACF Flexible Columns?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 4.5/5 rating from 1,428 reviews, while ACF Flexible Columns has a 3/5 rating from 1 reviews.
Are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) and ACF Flexible Columns free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is free and ACF Flexible Columns is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or ACF Flexible 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 Flexible Columns was last updated 7 years ago.

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