Custom fields plugins allow you to add important structured data to the posts & pages on your website. But what does this mean, exactly?
Well, let’s say that you run an automotive website – with each vehicle, there’s a whole host of additional information that you’ll want to include, like the price, specific brand and model, and age of the vehicle.
This can be included on the page, but adding structured data makes it easier to categorize your website, which can also make it easier to search & navigate your website too.
It also adds this valuable data for search engines, so they can use the structured data in your appearance in their search results (this is useful not just for automotive sites, but also local websites that want their reviews and opening hours to appear in Google & other search engines).
You could do all of this manually, of course, but it would take a great deal of time & development skills to do so, which is why most WordPress users choose a custom field plugin to make the whole process simpler.
5 Best Custom Field Plugins for WordPress Websites
Advanced Custom Field Pro
Advanced Custom Fields is the most well known and used custom fields plugins available, and it’s widely considered the gold standard in the WordPress community – for good reason, too. It’s been a favorite of developers for many years, and was acquired by WP Engine back in 2022, though they haven’t needed to make many changes to the plugin.
The free version of ACF gives you 12 field types (text, textarea, number) but it’s worth upgrading to the full Pro version if you want more functionality, including flexible content fields, and repeater fields, which can be used to duplicate specified fields and repeat them again and again. You also have the option to create custom options pages on your WordPress site, which can be used to create custom admin pages for those with access.
As mentioned, ACF is known for being the choice of many developers, mainly due to its simplicity. If you need more dynamic content features (like custom post types, taxonomies, and complex queries all in one package), you might be better off going for something more advanced. But for most people that are looking for straightforward custom field management, this is the #1 choice.
JetEngine WordPress Advanced Custom Fields Plugin
Talking of plugins that come with a lot more complex fields, JetEngine WordPress Advanced Custom Fields, part of Crocoblock, has all of the basic features that you get with any advanced custom fields plugin.
However, it also allows you to create custom post types, establish dynamic visibility rules, set up conditional content, build relationships between content pieces, and integrate with Rest API. It’s also easily integrated with WooCommerce, Yoast SEO, Rank Math SEOPress and more.
JetEngine is actually part of a much bigger ecosystem of plugins, which you gain access to for as little as $43 per year (and you can get access to an even bigger ecosystem of Jetplugins for $199 annually, though you may not need all of them).
Whether you’re building a complex e-commerce site, a membership portal, or a content-rich blog, JetEngine gives you a way to add more elements to your website without diving into custom code.
Toolset
Toolset is another suite of plugins that can add a lot of functionality to your workflow, and one of its core features is the ability to create and manage custom fields.
Toolset’s Types component gives you a clean interface to create and manage custom fields with 20+ field types including text, number, date, image, file, repeatable fields, and relationships. It’s easy to choose where to display those fields too, as you may only want them to show on specific post types, taxonomies, or user roles.
If you’re looking for a way to add custom field data to a website using Elementor Page Builder, this could be a good option. It integrates seamlessly with Elementor, as well as many other popular page builders like Beaver Builder and Gutenberg.
The learning curve can be a bit steep at first, but the documentation is comprehensive, and the time investment pays off quickly when you see how much custom functionality you can add without hiring a developer.
Pods
Pods is described as a framework more than a plugin; and to the average user it can seem a little overwhelming at first. If you take a little time to learn how to use it, it’s actually quite user-friendly.
Pods allows you to create and extend various content types including Custom Post Types, Custom Taxonomies, and Advanced Content Types (which get their own custom database tables). With Pods, you can add custom fields to any content type, organize them into sections, and display them anywhere using blocks, shortcodes, widgets, or templates.
There’s over 25 different input types across 20+ field types, and beyond basic content creation, Pods includes features that extend WordPress even further, like Templates, Markdown Syntax support, Advanced Relationships, and customizable Roles and Capabilities.
It integrates with Elementor Pro and Bricks Builder, but also language plugins like Polylang and WPML too. As mentioned, it can take a little while to get the hang of it, but once you do, you’ll have a flexible framework that allows you to add custom fields with ease.
Custom Field Template
If you want the absolute basics with a custom field plugin that doesn’t come with a whole host of other features, you may want to go with the Custom Field Template plugin. It’s a simple enough WordPress Custom Fields plugin that doesn’t over complicate things – you can check the manual out here.
It includes support for TinyMCE and media buttons in textareas, multiple fields with the same key, PHP code integration, access level restrictions, and shortcode functionality to display custom fields in posts. There’s pretty extensive customization options like date pickers, file uploads, and search capabilities, while supporting over 20 languages.
So, if all you need is the ability to create custom fields and multiple custom field templates that can be switched between when writing or editing content, this is the right plugin for you.
Conclusion
Most of the plugins mentioned here are capable of adding custom fields, and actually, much more than that. As you feel more comfortable with the plugin, you can then start to use some of the more advanced features available. But when it comes to choosing the right Custom Fields Plugin for your WordPress site, the list above should hopefully give you a little clarity on your decision.
