Advanced Custom Fields vs Secure Custom Fields (October 2026)
Updated October 22, 2026 · Data from WordPress.org, refreshed daily · How this works
Both rank in the WordPress.org Custom Field Plugins top 10: Advanced Custom Fields at #1 and Secure Custom Fields at #3. Advanced Custom Fields leads on 4 of the 6 measures we track. Every number below comes straight from WordPress.org and is refreshed every day.
Advanced Custom Fields
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF®)
ACF helps customize WordPress with powerful, professional and intuitive fields. Proudly powering over 2 million sites, WordPress developers love ACF.
Secure Custom Fields
Secure Custom Fields boosts content management with custom fields and options. It deactivates Advanced Custom Fields to prevent duplicate code errors.
Who leads on what
Advanced Custom Fields leads on 4 of the 6 measures we track.
Advanced Custom Fields ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #3 in Custom Field Plugins.
Advanced Custom Fields has more users: 2 million+ active installs against 100,000+.
Secure Custom Fields is rated higher: 4.8 out of 5 from 69 reviews, against 4.5 from 1,440 reviews.
Advanced Custom Fields has more reviews behind its score: 1,440 against 69.
Secure Custom Fields was updated more recently, on October 21, 2026; Advanced Custom Fields on September 10, 2026.
Advanced Custom Fields was downloaded more in the last 30 days: 484,097 times against 85,121.
Which one to pick
Each plugin is the better answer for the measure it actually leads on. Nothing here is a recommendation we invented.
Advanced Custom Fields
Pick Advanced Custom Fields if you go by where WordPress.org itself puts them, you want the plugin more sites already run, you want the score backed by more reviews or you want the one being installed faster right now.
Secure Custom Fields
Pick Secure Custom Fields if the review score matters most to you or you want the one shipping releases most recently.
Advanced Custom Fields vs Secure Custom Fields side by side
| Advanced Custom Fields | Secure Custom Fields | |
|---|---|---|
| Custom Field Plugins ranking | #1 | #3 |
| Rating | 4.5 | 4.8 |
| Reviews | 1,440 | 69 |
| Active installs | 2 million+ | 100,000+ |
| Total downloads | 77,327,691 | 850,792 |
| Downloads, last 30 days | 484,097 | 85,121 |
| Last updated | Sep 10, 2026 | Oct 21, 2026 |
| First published | Mar 25, 2011 | Nov 21, 2024 |
| Tested up to WordPress | 7.1.3 | 7.1.3 |
| Requires PHP | 7.4 | 7.4 |
| Pricing | Free on WordPress.org | Free |
Downloads per day, last 48 days
Advanced Custom Fields ratings
Secure Custom Fields ratings
How we compare these two
Every figure here is pulled from the WordPress.org plugin API every day at 03:00 UTC, for both plugins in the same run, so the two are always read on the same day. We compare only what the directory reports: active installs, the rating and how many reviews stand behind it, the last release date and, once we have a month of history, downloads over the last 30 days. Ratings are only called a win above 50 reviews each, because a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence. Nothing is weighted into an overall score, no measure is worth more than another, and neither Advanced Custom Fields nor Secure Custom Fields can pay to appear here: the pair exists only because both plugins reached the Custom Field Plugins top 10. Full methodology.
Advanced Custom Fields vs Secure Custom Fields: common questions
Is Advanced Custom Fields better than Secure Custom Fields?
Advanced Custom Fields leads on 4 of the 6 measures we track. Neither is better at everything, and the answer depends on which measure you weigh. Advanced Custom Fields ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #3 in Custom Field Plugins.
Which has more users, Advanced Custom Fields or Secure Custom Fields?
Advanced Custom Fields ranks higher on WordPress.org: #1 against #3 in Custom Field Plugins.
Which is rated higher, Advanced Custom Fields or Secure Custom Fields?
Advanced Custom Fields has more users: 2 million+ active installs against 100,000+.
Are Advanced Custom Fields and Secure Custom Fields free?
Both are free to install from WordPress.org. Advanced Custom Fields may also sell a paid version or add-ons. Secure Custom Fields is a community plugin with no paid version.
Alternatives to Advanced Custom Fields and Secure Custom Fields
Plugins that score close to both in the same WordPress.org rankings and tags.
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What moved this week
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