Top 10 WordPress Custom Fields Plugins

Custom fields or advanced custom fields allow you to add extra pieces of data or metadata to content entries beyond the default fields. For example, if you have a blog, the default fields may include the post title, body content, author, and date. With custom fields introduced in WordPress development, you could add extra fields like a featured image, excerpt, content rating, video embedding, etc. With the flexibility to structure your content types exactly how you want, they allow for richer content experiences and more purposeful data display. The best custom fields plugins make it easy to create new fields of different types (text, rich text, numbers, dates, etc.) and assign them to specific content types. They integrate these fields seamlessly into the content editing screens so authors can fill them out. And they provide ways to retrieve and display this custom field data on the front-end of your website or app.

Why Do You Need Custom Fields Plugins?

Custom fields make it really easy to add extra data to your content. They help you build out your content exactly how you want in a user-friendly way. The best custom field plugins make creating, editing, and displaying this extra data super smooth with the following advantages:

• Flexible content setup: Custom fields let you add any additional data fields you need for your content, not just titles and body text.
• Better front-end displays: This extra structured data allows you to create more engaging content presentations on your website.
• Easy editing: The top plugins seamlessly integrate custom field editing into the normal content editing screens for convenient data entry.
• Powerful output: They provide robust ways to query, filter, and output your custom field data through templates or APIs for use on the front-end.

Also Read: Best Monthly WordPress Website Maintenance Plans for Your Business

Top Custom Fields Plugins

Check out the best Custom Fields Plugins to level up your WordPress site’s features and customization options.

Advanced Custom Fields

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) is a popular WordPress plugin used by over 1 million users. It allows you to add custom fields to your WordPress site easily, enhancing the way you manage and display your content. With ACF, you can add various types of fields to your posts, pages, and other content types, creating more dynamic content for it.

Key Features

• Wide Range of Field Types: Supports many different field types, from basic text fields to advanced options like date pickers.
• Ease of Use: Simple and user-friendly, requiring only basic knowledge of form fields.
• Pro Version Enhancements: Offers additional field types and advanced features in the pro version.
• Flexible Display Options: Custom fields can be displayed by editing template files or using page builder plugins like Elementor, Divi Builder, and Brizy.

Field Types Offered by ACF

ACF provides a comprehensive list of field types to suit various needs:

• Text Fields: Text, Text Area, Email, URL, Password
• Selectors: Select, Checkbox, Radio Button, Button Group, True/False
• Media: Image, File, oEmbed, WYSIWYG Editor
• Dates and Times: Date Picker, Date Time Picker, Time Picker
• Advanced: Range, Google Map, Post Object, Page Link, Relationship, Taxonomy, User
• UI Elements: Color Picker, Message, Accordion, Tab Group

If you need more specialized field types, such as an image gallery, you can upgrade to the pro version, which also offers additional advanced features.

Displaying Custom Fields

There are two main methods to display the custom fields you create with ACF:

• Editing Template Files: You can manually edit your theme’s template files, like single.php, to include your custom fields.
• Using Page Builders: Plugins like Elementor (pro version), Divi Builder, and Brizy (pro version) support ACF, allowing you to add dynamic content like videos and star ratings.

Pro Version Features

Upgrading to the pro version of ACF unlocks more capabilities, including:

• 14+ New ACF Fields: Expanded selection of field types.
• Advanced Fields Validation: Enhanced validation options for custom fields.
• Flexible Content as Page Builder: Use flexible content fields to create complex page layouts.
• Performance Mode: Optimize your site’s metadata.
• ACF Forms Manager: Manage forms created with ACF.
• Options Pages / Block Types Manager: Additional management tools for options pages and block types.
• Multilingual Support: WPML & Polylang support for multilingual sites.

With ACF, you can greatly enhance the functionality and user experience of your WordPress site, making it a powerful tool for both beginners and advanced users.

Read a Review: Bricks Builder Review: Is it a Better Site Builder than Elementor?

Pods

Pods is an excellent choice for WordPress users who need a powerful yet easy-to-use tool for custom content management. With its wide range of supported field types and integration capabilities, Pods can help you build a more dynamic and customized WordPress site. It is a versatile WordPress plugin offering manifold solutions for creating custom post types and custom field groups. Whether you want to enhance an existing post type or create a new one from scratch, Pods makes it easy and efficient. 

Key Highlights

• Custom Post Types and Fields: Create and manage custom post types and custom fields with ease.
• Flexible Field Group Assignment: Assign custom field groups to existing post types or create new ones.
• Integration with Other Plugins: Works seamlessly with plugins like YARPP, Polylang, Elementor Pro, and Brizy Pro.

Supported Field Types

Pods supports a wide range of field types to accommodate various needs:

• Text Fields: Plain Text, Plain Paragraph Text
• Contact Information: Website, Phone, E-mail
• Secure Fields: Password
• Editors: WYSIWYG Editor, Code (syntax highlighting)
• Date and Time: Date/Time, Date, Time
• Numeric Fields: Plain Number, Currency
• Media and Relationships: File, Relationship, oEmbed
• UI Elements: Checkbox, Color Picker

Pricing: Pods is completely free to use!

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JetEngine

JetEngine is a powerful WordPress plugin developed by Crocoblock, designed specifically for use with Elementor. This versatile plugin goes beyond creating custom fields, offering a range of features to enhance your WordPress site. With JetEngine, you can create custom post types, custom forms, dynamic content, and more, making it an essential tool for advanced WordPress website development.

Key Highlights

• Versatile Customization: Create custom fields, custom post types, and custom forms to suit your specific needs.
• Dynamic Content: Add dynamic content to your Elementor pages, including dynamic calendars and maps.
• Listing Website Capability: Ideal for creating listing websites like property listings or car rental sites.

Supported Field Types

When creating a custom field group with JetEngine, you can add a variety of field types, including:

• Basic Fields: Text, Text Area, Number
• Date and Time: Date, Time, Date Time
• Media: Media, Gallery
• Editors: WYSIWYG Editor
• Selectors: Checkbox, Radio, Select, Switcher, Icon Picker, Color Picker
• Advanced: Repeater

Pricing: JetEngine is a paid plugin, costing $26 per year.

Read More: Learn How to Create Custom Post Type in WordPress Easily

Meta Box

Meta Box is a popular WordPress plugin used by over 500,000 users for creating custom fields. It operates as a freemium plugin, meaning it offers both free and paid versions. Unlike other custom field plugins, Meta Box requires you to use an online custom field builder for the free version. After creating your custom fields online, you get a PHP code snippet to paste into your theme’s functions.php file.

Key Highlights

• Extensive Field Types: Supports a wide variety of field types to cater to different needs.
• Online Field Builder: Use the online builder to create custom fields, then integrate them into your WordPress site via PHP code.
• Advanced Options: The paid version unlocks additional features and more convenient ways to manage custom fields directly from the WordPress dashboard.

Supported Field Types

Meta Box offers a broad range of field types, including:

• Basic Fields: Text, Text Area, Number, URL, Email, Password
• Selectors: Checkbox, Checkbox List, Radio, Select, Select Advanced, Autocomplete
• Media and Content: Image, Image Advanced, Video, File, File Advanced, File Input, WYSIWYG Editor, oEmbed
• Date and Time: Date, Date Time, Time
• Special Fields: Google Maps, Color Picker, Slider, Range, Fieldset Text, Text List, Post, Taxonomy, Taxonomy Advanced, User
• UI Elements: Button, Hidden, Divider, Heading

Pricing

Meta Box is available as a freemium plugin, with a free version offering basic features and a premium version providing advanced functionalities. The premium version is priced starting at $49 per year.

Keep Reading: How to Seamlessly Edit and Customize Headers in WordPress?

Toolset

Toolset is a powerful WordPress plugin designed to create custom fields, custom post types, and custom forms. Unlike other plugins mentioned, Toolset is exclusively a paid plugin with no free version available. This makes it particularly suitable for web agencies and professionals who develop websites for clients, offering a comprehensive set of features for advanced site customization.

Key Highlights

• Comprehensive Customization: Allows you to create custom fields, custom post types, and custom forms, providing a versatile tool for web development.
• Professional Grade: Ideal for web agencies and professionals, ensuring robust and reliable functionality for client projects.
• User-Friendly Interface: Despite its powerful features, Toolset is designed to be user-friendly, making it accessible for users with varying levels of technical expertise.

Pricing

Toolset is a paid plugin, with pricing starting at $69 per year.

Custom Field Suite

Custom Field Suite (CFS) is a free and simple WordPress plugin that allows you to create custom fields for your website. It supports 13 different field types and lets you assign custom field groups to default post types, pages, or custom post types, providing flexibility and ease of use.

Key Highlights

• Free to Use: Offers robust functionality at no cost, making it accessible for all users.
• Variety of Field Types: Supports 13 field types, covering a wide range of content customization needs.
• Flexible Assignment: Easily assign custom field groups to posts, pages, or custom post types.

Supported Field Types

Custom Field Suite supports the following field types:

• Basic Fields: Text, Text Area, WYSIWYG Editor, Date, Color
• Selectors: Checkbox (True/False), Select
• Relationships: Relationship, Term, User
• Media and Structure: File Upload, Loop, Tab

Pricing

Custom Field Suite is completely free to use.

WCK Custom Fields Creator

WCK Custom Fields Creator is a user-friendly WordPress plugin that provides a graphical interface for setting up custom meta boxes with custom fields for your posts, pages, or custom post types. It uses standard custom fields to store data, and you can display these custom fields using code or the Swift Templates module.

Key Highlights

• Easy Custom Field Creation: Quickly create custom fields for any post type with support for various input types such as text, textarea, select, checkbox, radio, WYSIWYG editor, upload, and more.
• Repeater Fields: Support for Repeater Fields and Repeater Groups, with drag-and-drop functionality to sort the fields.
• Advanced Targeting: Ability to target specific page templates, custom post types, and unique IDs, making it highly flexible.

Supported Field Types

WCK Custom Fields Creator supports the following field types:

• Basic Fields: Text, Textarea, Select, Checkbox, Radio, Number, HTML, Time-picker, Phone, Currency select, Color picker, Heading
• Advanced Fields: WYSIWYG Editor, Upload (Image/File via WordPress Media Uploader)

Custom Post Types and Taxonomies

• Custom Post Types: Create and edit custom post types from the admin UI with advanced labeling options.
• Custom Taxonomies: Create and manage custom taxonomies, and attach them to both built-in and custom post types.

Pricing

WCK Custom Fields Creator is a paid plugin, providing advanced features and support at a premium price of $150.

Smart Custom Fields

Smart Custom Fields is a straightforward plugin designed to help you manage custom fields on your WordPress site efficiently. It offers an easy way to add various types of custom fields to your posts, pages, or custom post types, enhancing the way you handle and display your content.

Key Highlights

• Field Group Loop Support: Easily manage repeated groups of fields, making it simple to handle complex data structures.
• Meta Data Revision Support: Keep track of changes made to meta data with revision support, ensuring you can always revert to previous versions if needed.
• Meta Data Preview Support: Preview meta data before saving, helping you ensure that everything looks correct before making it live.

Supported Field Types

Smart Custom Fields supports a variety of field types to cover different content needs:

• Basic Fields: Text, Textarea, Radio, Select, Checkbox
• Editors and Media: WYSIWYG Editor, Image, File
• Relationships: Related Posts, Related Terms
• Selectors: Color Picker, Date Picker, Datetime Picker, Boolean
• Others: Message

Pricing

Smart Custom Fields is free to use.

Woocommerce Custom Product Addons

WooCommerce Custom Product Addons is a lightweight plugin that simplifies the process of adding custom fields to your WooCommerce product pages. Using an easy-to-use custom form builder, you can quickly add extra product options, making your product pages more personalized and versatile.

Key Highlights

• Easy Customization: Personalize WooCommerce product pages with custom fields and options using a drag-and-drop form builder.
• Enhanced Order Details: Extra form data submitted by customers is displayed in the backend and included in order details.
• Versatile Use Cases: Ideal for collecting additional information from customers, such as notes, dates, colors, and personalized texts.

Supported Field Types

WooCommerce Custom Product Addons includes a variety of form elements to enhance product pages:

• Text Field: Collect text data.
• Number Field: Accept numeric input.
• Radio Field: Select one option from multiple choices.
• Checkbox Field: Select multiple options.
• Select Field: Drop-down list for selection.
• Textarea Field: Input longer text details.
• Date Field: Custom date picker and HTML5 default date picker.
• Color Field: HTML5 color picker (browser-dependent).
• Hidden Field: Admin-only hidden input.
• Password Field: Collect passwords securely.
• Email Field: Validate email addresses.
• Grid Layout: Two-column grid layout for fields.
• Conditional Fields: Show or hide fields based on other field values.

Additional supported HTML tags:

• Paragraph (p) Tag: Set instructions on the product page using HTML.
• Header (h) Tag: Use HTML header tags (h1, h2, h3) on the product page.

Pricing

WooCommerce Custom Product Addons is free to use, with additional features available in the premium version.

Read More: Best WooCommerce Support and Help Services & Sources

Easy Post Type and Fields

Easy Post Types and Fields simplifies the process of adding custom post types, custom fields, and taxonomies to any WordPress website. Whether you’re creating your own custom content types or enhancing existing ones, this plugin offers flexibility and customization options to structure and organize your content effectively.

Key Highlights

• Create Custom Post Types: Generate an unlimited number of custom post types, each with its own section in the WordPress admin for easy management.
• Add Custom Fields and Taxonomies: Extend existing post types or create new ones with custom fields and taxonomies, tailoring your content structure to suit your needs.
• Enhance WooCommerce Products: Easily add custom fields to WooCommerce products, including text, image, and file uploads, for a more interactive shopping experience.

Pricing

Easy Post Types and Fields is available for free, providing powerful customization features at no cost.

Conclusion

Unlock the true potential of your WordPress site by implementing custom fields plugins. Look for options that offer a wide range of field types, intuitive editing interfaces, and seamless integration with popular page builders. For e-commerce sites, prioritize plugins that allow you to easily add custom fields to product pages, enhancing the shopping experience. Carefully evaluate features like revision tracking, field group management, and flexible output capabilities to streamline your workflow. With the right custom fields solution, you can create engaging, personalized content experiences that captivate your audience and drive better results.