PluginSift

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) vs Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields (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
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields

4.8(416)

100K+ active installs

Free

Updated 2 weeks ago
View Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields

Quick Verdict

As of April 2026, Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields has a higher user rating (4.8/5 from 416 reviews) while Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) leads in active installations (2.0M+ vs 100K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields has 5.1M+. Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields has a higher support resolution rate (95% vs 43%).

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
►
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields4.8/5
Total Reviews
1,428Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields416
Active Installs
2.0M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields100K+
Total Downloads
69M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields5.1M+
Support Resolution
43%Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
►
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields95%
Last Updated
5 days agoAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields2 weeks ago
First Released
2011Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields2008
Age
15 yearsAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields18 years
WP Requires
6.2+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields6.3+
PHP Requires
7.4+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields7.2+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Pods – Custom Content Types and FieldsFree
Latest Version
6.8.0Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields3.3.8

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

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

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields

4.8/5(416 reviews)
5
93%
4
3%
3
1%
2
0%
1
3%

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

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields Reviews

by James Monroe

So powerful I’ll barely scratch the surface

Thank you for this amazing plugin and for making it so robust. Prefer to support a totally open-source community project like this when possible rather than commercial projects. Thanks also for adding

by haas_ib

All in one solution

Great! All in one free solution for custom post type, fields, taxonomies

by digitronic

Great lightweight custom fields solution

Absolutely love PODS! I used it on quite a few sites, and the framework is as robust as it is ligthweight! Highly recommend id!

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields more popular?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has 2.0M+ active installations while Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields has 100K+. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 4.5/5 rating from 1,428 reviews, while Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields has a 4.8/5 rating from 416 reviews.
Are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) and Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is free and Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields?
As of April 2026, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 43% support resolution rate while Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields has a 95% rate.
Which plugin is updated more frequently?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) was last updated 5 days ago and Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields was last updated 2 weeks ago.

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