Smart Custom Fields vs Gallery Custom Links (2026)
Detailed side-by-side comparison of two WordPress plugins, based on real-time data from WordPress.org.
Quick Verdict
As of April 2026, Smart Custom Fields has a higher user rating (4.9/5 from 20 reviews) and leads in active installations (50K+ vs 30K+). Both are free WordPress plugins. Smart Custom Fields has accumulated 346K+ total downloads while Gallery Custom Links has 948K+.
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Smart Custom Fields | Gallery Custom Links | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.9/5 | ◄ | 4.7/5 |
| Total Reviews | 20 | ► | 205 |
| Active Installs | 50K+ | ◄ | 30K+ |
| Total Downloads | 346K+ | ► | 948K+ |
| Support Resolution | N/A | 0% | |
| Last Updated | 2 weeks ago | ◄ | 1 month ago |
| First Released | 2014 | 2018 | |
| Age | 12 years | 8 years | |
| WP Requires | 6.4+ | 6.0+ | |
| PHP Requires | 7.4+ | 7.4+ | |
| Business Model | Free | Free | |
| Latest Version | 5.0.7 | 2.2.9 |
Rating Breakdown
Smart Custom Fields
Gallery Custom Links
Download Trends
Over the past 30 days, Smart Custom Fields averaged approximately 451 daily downloads while Gallery Custom Links averaged 188.
Recent Reviews
Smart Custom Fields Reviews
very simple and great
very simple and great
Great simple product but needs update
This is a great, simple product, but it hasn’t been updated for four months. At this time it has a critical vulnerability and needs to be updated.
image
How can we display image field, like ACF: <?php $image = get_field(‘hero_image’); ?> ” alt=”<?php echo $image[‘alt’]; ?>” /> SCF: <?php echo SCF::get(‘img’)[0]; ?> isn’t work.
Gallery Custom Links Reviews
One of the most useful plugins!
This plugin covers a shortfall in what should really be part of the way WP gallery works. It’s SO common with my clients to want to link an image to something other than a bigger version of itself tha
TOP
Todo perfecto… recomendable!
Fantastic plugin!
I love this plugin! I was using SiteOrigin to post images of other books related to a book page, and it kept failing with each new “update.” This plugin makes the tools I already have so very useful a
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Frequently Asked Questions
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Plugin data sourced from WordPress.org. Comparison and analysis by PluginSift.