PluginSift

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) vs Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF (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
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF

Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF

0(0)

10 active installs

Free

Updated 7 years ago
View Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF

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 10). Both are free WordPress plugins. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has accumulated 69M+ total downloads while Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF has 1.2K+.

Detailed Comparison

Rating
4.5/5Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACFN/A
Total Reviews
1,428Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF0
Active Installs
2.0M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF10
Total Downloads
69M+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF1.2K+
Support Resolution
43%Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACFN/A
Last Updated
5 days agoAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
◄
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF7 years ago
First Released
2011Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF2018
Age
15 yearsAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF8 years
WP Requires
6.2+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF4.6+
PHP Requires
7.4+Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF5.2.4+
Business Model
FreeAdvanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACFFree
Latest Version
6.8.0Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF1.0

Rating Breakdown

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)

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

Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF

0/5(0 reviews)
5
0%
4
0%
3
0%
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

Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF Reviews

No reviews yet

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF more popular?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has 2.0M+ active installations while Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF has 10. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is the more widely-used plugin as of April 2026.
Which has better ratings — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) has a 4.5/5 rating from 1,428 reviews, while Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF has a 0/5 rating from 0 reviews.
Are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) and Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) is free and Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF is free. Both can be downloaded from the WordPress.org plugin directory.
Which plugin has better support — Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®) or Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF?
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 Native Custom Fields Meta Box and ACF was last updated 7 years ago.

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