PluginSift

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) vs Show Hidden Post Meta (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
Show Hidden Post Meta

Show Hidden Post Meta

4.3(6)

300 active installs

Free

Updated 6 years ago
View Show Hidden Post Meta

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 300). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while Show Hidden Post Meta has 8.2K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Show Hidden Post Meta4.3/5
Total Reviews
1,428Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Show Hidden Post Meta6
Active Installs
2.0M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Show Hidden Post Meta300
Total Downloads
69M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Show Hidden Post Meta8.2K+
Support Resolution
43%Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post MetaN/A
Last Updated
5 days agoAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Show Hidden Post Meta6 years ago
First Released
2011Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post Meta2014
Age
15 yearsAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post Meta12 years
WP Requires
6.2+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post Meta3.2+
PHP Requires
7.4+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post Metafalse+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post MetaFree
Latest Version
6.8.0Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Show Hidden Post Meta1.0.1

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

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

Show Hidden Post Meta

4.3/5(6 reviews)
5
83%
4
0%
3
0%
2
0%
1
17%

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

Show Hidden Post Meta Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Show Hidden Post Meta more popular?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has 2.0M+ active installations while Show Hidden Post Meta has 300. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Show Hidden Post Meta?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 4.5/5 rating from 1,428 reviews, while Show Hidden Post Meta has a 4.3/5 rating from 6 reviews.
Are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) and Show Hidden Post Meta free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is free and Show Hidden Post Meta is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Show Hidden Post Meta?
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 Show Hidden Post Meta was last updated 6 years ago.

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