Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) vs Secure Custom Fields (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
2.0M+ active installs
Free
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Secure Custom Fields has a higher user rating (4.7/5 from 59 reviews) while Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) leads in active installations (2.0M+ vs 70K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while Secure Custom Fields has 362K+. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a higher support resolution rate (43% vs 0%).
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) | Secure Custom Fields | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5/5 | ► | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 1,428 | ◄ | 59 |
| Active Installs | 2.0M+ | ◄ | 70K+ |
| Total Downloads | 69M+ | ◄ | 362K+ |
| Support Resolution | 43% | ◄ | 0% |
| Last Updated | 5 days ago | ◄ | 1 week ago |
| First Released | 2011 | 2024 | |
| Age | 15 years | 2 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.2+ | 6.2+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 6.8.0 | 6.8.2 |
Rating Breakdown
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Secure Custom Fields
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) averaged approximately 47,269 daily downloads while Secure Custom Fields averaged 1,850.
Recent Reviews
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) Reviews
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 👍
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.
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
Secure Custom Fields Reviews
Excellent plugin
Excellent plugin, works smoothly with the system, great with Elementor
do not use this plugin
The owners of this plugin used poor methods when they stole the plugin repository for ACF, and renamed it Secure Custom Fields, instead of forking and starting a new plugin. At the time they also too
Great fork
Yeah, it’s a fork. Yeah, it kills WP Engine’s business model. But that’s precisely why it’s necessary: WP Engine built a business for a very long time based on free software with truly useful extens
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.