Best WordPress Custom Post Type Plugins in 2026

Data from WordPress.org Updated September 7, 2026 First published September 4, 2026 5 min read

Content types and taxonomies beyond posts and pages, without writing PHP.

A custom post type plugin lets you register new kinds of content, properties, recipes, staff, case studies, through a form instead of code. Paired with custom fields, this is how WordPress stops being a blog and starts being a database with an editor.

Together these 10 plugins run on more than 1,857,000 active WordPress sites. Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "custom-post-types", its tag listing and its search results.

On this page

Best for each measure
Quick comparison
The top 10
What moved
How to choose
Head-to-head
How this list is ranked
FAQ
Conclusion
Other rankings

Best Custom Post Type Plugin for each measure

One plugin per measure, taken from the same WordPress.org figures as the ranking. A measure with nothing behind it is left out rather than guessed.

Most installed: Custom Post Type UI
1 million+, active installs reported by WordPress.org
Highest rated: Pods
4.8 out of 5, from 418 reviews, counting only plugins with at least 50
Most reviewed: Pods
418 reviews, the largest body of feedback behind a score
Most recently updated: Meta Box
September 3, 2026, the latest release in this list
Longest established: Pods
October 8, 2008, first published on WordPress.org
Best support record: Pods
23 of 23 resolved, recent threads on the WordPress.org support forum

Custom Post Type Plugins compared: rating, reviews, installs

#	Plugin	Rating	Reviews	Active installs
1	Custom Post Type UI	4.6	276	1 million+
2	Custom Post Type Permalinks	4.8	71	200,000+
3	Pods	4.8	418	100,000+
4	Custom Post Type Widgets	4.8	14	10,000+
5	MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies	4.7	13	10,000+
6	WCK	4.7	97	10,000+
7	Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types	4.4	46	10,000+
8	Meta Box	4.8	165	500,000+
9	Post Types Unlimited	5.0	9	10,000+
10	Display Post Types	5.0	26	7,000+

The 10 best Custom Post Type Plugins, ranked by WordPress.org

Ranked from both WordPress.org orderings for "custom-post-types", its tag listing and its search results. Arrows show movement against the previous snapshot.

1.Custom Post Type UI

4.6 (276) 1 million+ active installs Updated Jul 14, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Admin UI for creating custom content types like post types and taxonomies

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
2.Custom Post Type Permalinks

4.8 (71) 200,000+ active installs Updated May 20, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Edit the permalink of custom post type.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
3.Pods

Pods – Custom Content Types and Fields

4.8 (418) 100,000+ active installs Updated Aug 31, 2026 Tested up to 7.1

Pods is a framework for creating, managing, and deploying customized content types and fields for any project.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
4.Custom Post Type Widgets

4.8 (14) 10,000+ active installs Updated Jun 2, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Custom Post Type Widgets plugin adds default custom post type widgets.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
5.MB Custom Post Types & Custom Taxonomies

4.7 (13) 10,000+ active installs Updated Aug 22, 2026 Tested up to 7.1

Create and manage custom post types and custom taxonomies with an easy-to-use UI in WordPress.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
6.WCK

Custom Post Types and Custom Fields creator – WCK

4.7 (97) 10,000+ active installs Updated Jul 15, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

A must have tool for creating custom fields, custom post types and taxonomies, fast and without any programming knowledge.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org
7.Gravity Forms + Custom Post Types

4.4 (46) 10,000+ active installs Updated Aug 4, 2026 Tested up to 7.0.4

Map your Gravity-Forms-generated posts to a custom post type and/or custom taxonomies.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
8.Meta Box
▲1

Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites

4.8 (165) 500,000+ active installs Updated Sep 3, 2026 Tested up to 7.1

Meta Box plugin is a powerful, professional developer toolkit to create custom meta boxes and custom fields for your custom post types in WordPress.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
9.Post Types Unlimited
▼1

5.0 (9) 10,000+ active installs Updated May 13, 2026 Tested up to 6.9.7

Create unlimited custom post types and custom taxonomies.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org Website
10.Display Post Types

Display Post Types – Post Grid, post list and post sliders

5.0 (26) 7,000+ active installs Updated Aug 23, 2026 Tested up to 7.1

Display list of posts, pages or any custom post types anywhere using block and widget. Show as grid, list or posts slider.

Stats and rankings WordPress.org

What changed in the Custom Post Type Plugins ranking

Meta Box #8 ▲1
Post Types Unlimited #9 ▼1

How to choose a Custom Post Type Plugin for WordPress

1
Decide between a type and a category
A new post type is right when the content has different fields and its own archive. If it only needs grouping, a taxonomy on existing posts is lighter.
2
Get the slug right the first time
The type slug is in every URL it produces. Changing it later means redirects for every item.
3
Prefer definitions you can export
Types registered only in the database do not move between environments. Look for export to PHP or a synced configuration file.
4
Know what happens when it is deactivated
The content stays in the database but the type disappears from the admin, so the items become invisible until it is registered again.

Custom Post Type Plugin comparisons: side by side

The top four against each other on installs, ratings, reviews and updates. Each measure names its own leader; there is no overall winner.

How we rank Custom Post Type Plugins

WordPress.org publishes two orderings for "custom-post-types" and neither is reliable alone. The tag listing covers every tag the directory files these plugins under, "custom-post-types", "custom-post-type", "post-types" and "cpt", and is sorted by active installs, which lets a large plugin carrying one of them loosely sit above the ones the category is about. Its search results are sorted by relevance and carry their own noise. So a plugin is placed here by where it sits across both lists: high in each one lifts it, high in only one does not. We fetch both every day at 03:00 UTC, keep every day's snapshot, and add nothing of our own. No plugin is inserted, removed or sponsored, and each entry shows its position in both lists on its own page. Full methodology.

Custom Post Type Plugins FAQ

What is the best Custom Post Type Plugin for WordPress?

On WordPress.org's own ranking for "custom-post-types", Custom Post Type UI is #1 as of September 7, 2026, with 1 million+ active installs and a 4.6 out of 5 rating. By rating, Pods scores 4.8 out of 5 from 418 reviews.

Which Custom Post Type Plugin has the most active installs?

Custom Post Type UI, with 1 million+ active installs reported by WordPress.org as of September 7, 2026. It ranks #1 in this list.

Which Custom Post Type Plugin has the highest rating?

Pods, rated 4.8 out of 5 by 418 reviewers on WordPress.org. Only plugins with at least 50 reviews are counted, so a single 5-star review does not win.

Which Custom Post Type Plugin was updated most recently?

Meta Box shipped its latest release on September 3, 2026. 7 of the 10 plugins in this list were updated in the last 90 days, which is the usual sign of active maintenance.

How many Custom Post Type Plugins are there on WordPress.org?

WordPress.org lists 516 plugins tagged "custom-post-types", "custom-post-type", "post-types" and "cpt" as of September 7, 2026. This page shows the top 10 in the directory's own order.

What happens to my content if the plugin is deactivated?

The posts stay in the database, but WordPress no longer knows the type exists, so they vanish from the admin and their URLs stop working. Nothing is deleted and re-activating brings them back. This is why plugins that can export the type definition to PHP are worth preferring: the registration can then live in a small theme or plugin of your own.

Should I use a custom post type or a category?

Use a post type when the content is genuinely different: its own fields, its own archive, its own editing screen. Use a category or a custom taxonomy when you only need to group and filter things that are otherwise the same. Reaching for a post type too early makes the admin harder to use for no gain.

Custom Post Type Plugins: the bottom line

As of September 7, 2026, Custom Post Type UI holds the #1 spot for "custom-post-types" on WordPress.org, followed by Custom Post Type Permalinks and Pods. If install base matters most, Custom Post Type UI leads with 1 million+ active installs. If ratings matter most, Pods scores 4.8 out of 5 across 418 reviews.