ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types vs Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
Updated 22 Oct 2026. 18 features compared side by side.
Premium all-in-one content modelling plugin: post types, taxonomies, 60+ field types, flexible content, custom tables, forms and builder integrations.
Long-standing custom fields plugin by WP Engine: build field groups visually, register post types, and add repeaters, blocks and options pages with ACF PRO.
Choose ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types if…
- You need page builder dynamic data and custom database tables
- You also want listings & views without code
- You want the more complete feature set (98/100 vs 90/100)
- You want the lower entry price ($29/yr vs $49/yr)
Choose Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) if…
- You want to start with a free version
- You prefer the more widely used option
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types includes 3 features that Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) lacks, including Custom database tables, Page builder dynamic data and Listings & views without code. Both include 15 of the 18 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)Fields7/77/7
Visual field manager with location rules for field groups.
Field groups built in the admin with location rules for where they appear.
60+ field types incl. gallery, map, colour, date and currency.
30+ field types in the free plugin; Gallery and the layout fields are PRO.
Repeater and group fields for nested data.
Repeater field with unlimited rows of sub-fields is a PRO feature.
Flexible content layouts for building page sections.
Flexible Content field for building pages from layouts is PRO-only.
Bidirectional, one-to-many and taxonomy-to-post relationships.
Relationship, post object, user and taxonomy fields, with optional bidirectional sync.
Conditional logic built into the field manager.
Free conditional logic shows or hides fields based on other field values.
Option pages with fields exposed via REST or PHP.
Options pages (UI since PRO 6.2, or acf_add_options_page in code) need PRO.
Content modelling4/43/4
Unlimited custom post types in all plans; also in Lite.
Post types can be registered from the ACF interface in the free plugin.
Hierarchical or flat taxonomies; also in Lite.
Taxonomies are registered from the same free ACF interface.
Field groups can target taxonomies, users, attachments and option pages.
Fields can be attached to users, taxonomy terms, media and comments.
Custom content types are custom DB tables with REST endpoints.
Values are stored in the standard WordPress meta tables; no custom table option.
Displaying data4/42/4
Dynamic Gutenberg blocks; fields appear in the Block Bindings panel.
ACF Blocks and full Block Bindings support (PRO 6.8.1+) are in ACF PRO.
Drag-and-drop form builder for front-end submissions.
acf_form() renders field groups on the front end to create or edit posts.
Elementor, Bricks, Breakdance, Divi and Oxygen integrations.
Elementor Pro, Bricks, Breakdance and others read ACF fields through their own integrations.
No own listing builder; works with Bricks query loops.
No built-in listing builder; add-ons such as Advanced Views provide this.
Developer features3/33/3
REST API dashboard and WPGraphQL support.
Per-group 'Show in REST API' setting (since 5.11); WPGraphQL via the free WPGraphQL for ACF plugin.
PHP functions register post types, taxonomies and field groups in code.
Local JSON saves field groups to the theme, with sync and WP-CLI commands.
Import and export in JSON, YAML or XML formats.
Field groups, post types and taxonomies can be exported and imported as JSON.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types Premium
| Personal | $29 per year, 1 site |
|---|---|
| Business | $49 per year, 5 sites |
| Agency | $99 per year, Unlimited |
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Personal | $49 per year, 1 site |
| Freelancer | $149 per year, 10 sites |
| Agency | $249 per year, Unlimited |
Downloads trend
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types
378 downloads last week
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)
111,103 downloads last week
Verdict
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 90/100) and includes page builder dynamic data, custom database tables and listings & views without code that Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) does not. Only Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types: paid version (Business). Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): third-party. Elementor, Bricks, Breakdance, Divi and Oxygen integrations.
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types: included. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): not included. Custom content types are custom DB tables with REST endpoints.
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types: partial. Advanced Custom Fields (ACF): third-party. No own listing builder; works with Bricks query loops.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
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FAQ
Which is better, ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types or Advanced Custom Fields (ACF)?
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types scores higher on our feature checklist (98/100 against 90/100) and includes page builder dynamic data, custom database tables and listings & views without code that Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) does not. Only Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) has a free version. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types includes 18 of the 18 features we track, against 15 for Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types free?
ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types is premium only. Paid plans start at $29/yr.
Is Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) free?
Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $49/yr.
Feature data last changed 22 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit to ACPT – Advanced Custom Post Types or Advanced Custom Fields (ACF). Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.