PluginSift

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) vs CMB2 (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
CMB2

CMB2

5(91)

300K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 years ago
View CMB2

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, CMB2 has a higher user rating (5/5 from 91 reviews) while Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) leads in active installations (2.0M+ vs 300K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while CMB2 has 5.0M+. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a higher support resolution rate (43% vs 0%).

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
►
CMB25/5
Total Reviews
1,428Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
CMB291
Active Installs
2.0M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
CMB2300K+
Total Downloads
69M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
CMB25.0M+
Support Resolution
43%Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
CMB20%
Last Updated
5 days agoAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
CMB22 years ago
First Released
2011Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
CMB22014
Age
15 yearsAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
CMB212 years
WP Requires
6.2+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
CMB23.8.0+
PHP Requires
7.4+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
CMB27.4+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
CMB2Free
Latest Version
6.8.0Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
CMB22.11.0

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

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

CMB2

5/5(91 reviews)
5
99%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
1%

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

CMB2 Reviews

by suiramus

Super useful!

Thank you for your hard work!One of the best plugin for developers. Simple and effective.

by paknejad

Simple and free and much better than advance custom fields

Simple and free and much better than advance custom fields

by Aditya Thok

Powerfull

Powerfull, Simple and Clean

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or CMB2 more popular?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has 2.0M+ active installations while CMB2 has 300K+. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or CMB2?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 4.5/5 rating from 1,428 reviews, while CMB2 has a 5/5 rating from 91 reviews.
Are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) and CMB2 free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is free and CMB2 is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or CMB2?
As of April 2026, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 43% support resolution rate while CMB2 has a 0% rate.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) was last updated 5 days ago and CMB2 was last updated 2 years ago.

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