Custom Post Type UI vs Pods
Updated 22 Oct 2026. 18 features compared side by side.
Free WebDevStudios plugin for registering custom post types and taxonomies from the admin; CPT UI Pro adds display blocks and admin tools.
Free, donation-funded framework for custom post types, taxonomies, fields, relationships, custom tables and templates, with optional Pods Pro add-ons.
Choose Custom Post Type UI if…
- You prefer the more widely used option
Choose Pods if…
- You need visual field group builder and repeater fields
- You also want wide range of field types and relationship fields
- You want the more complete feature set (89/100 vs 26/100)
- You weigh user ratings (4.8 vs 4.6 on WordPress.org)
Pods has 11 that Custom Post Type UI lacks, including Visual field group builder, Wide range of field types and Repeater fields. Both include 6 of the 18 features we track.
At a glance
Feature comparison
Click a screenshot to see both plugins side by side.
Custom Post Type UI PodsFields0/76/7
Registers post types and taxonomies only; no field groups.
Admin UI to create pods, groups and fields without code.
No custom field types; pair with a fields plugin.
20+ field types with 25+ input types, including predefined option lists.
No fields, so no repeaters.
Simple repeatable fields repeat one field; no repeating groups of sub-fields.
No flexible-content fields.
No flexible content or layout field.
No relationship fields.
Relationships to posts, terms, users, roles, comments or any database table.
No fields, so no conditional field logic.
Free conditional logic for showing or hiding fields.
No options pages.
Settings pages are a built-in content type.
Content modelling2/44/4
Core feature: register post types with full argument control.
Register custom post types from the Pods admin.
Core feature: register and attach custom taxonomies.
Register custom taxonomies from the Pods admin.
No user, term or comment fields.
Extend users, taxonomies, media and comments with fields.
Uses standard WordPress post and term tables.
Advanced Content Types and Table Storage keep data in custom tables.
Displaying data1/44/4
No field display; Pro blocks list posts but do not show custom fields.
Block Bindings API support since Pods 3.2, plus six Pods blocks.
No front-end submission forms.
Pods Forms let visitors add or edit content on the front end.
No builder dynamic data; builders read post types natively.
Elementor Pro and Bricks read Pods; free Beaver Themer add-on, Pro toolkit for others.
Paid CPT UI Pro add-on: block with 10 layouts and filter blocks.
Pods Templates, list blocks and shortcodes show content without PHP.
Developer features3/33/3
Show in REST and REST base for post types/taxonomies; no fields.
Fields can be exposed in the REST API; direct WPGraphQL integration.
Get Code exports PHP; docs snippet saves settings to theme JSON files.
Pods, groups and fields can be registered from JSON or YAML files in the theme (2.9+).
Copy-and-paste import/export of post types and taxonomies.
Migrate Packages component imports and exports configurations as JSON.
Statuses: Yes Pro Add-on Partial 3rd-party No ?
Pricing compared
Custom Post Type UI Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| CPT UI Pro | $99 one-off, 1 site |
Pods Freemium
| Free | $0 |
|---|---|
| Free | Free per year, Unlimited |
| Pods Pro Basic Pack | $49 per year, 1 site |
| Pods Pro Pro Pack | $79 per year, 1 site |
Downloads trend
Custom Post Type UI
34,828 downloads last week
Pods
3,584 downloads last week
Verdict
Pods scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 26/100) and includes visual field group builder, repeater fields and wide range of field types that Custom Post Type UI does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Biggest differences
Custom Post Type UI: not included. Pods: included. Admin UI to create pods, groups and fields without code.
Custom Post Type UI: not included. Pods: partial. Simple repeatable fields repeat one field; no repeating groups of sub-fields.
Custom Post Type UI: not included. Pods: included. 20+ field types with 25+ input types, including predefined option lists.
Custom Post Type UI: not included. Pods: included. Relationships to posts, terms, users, roles, comments or any database table.
Custom Post Type UI: not included. Pods: included. Block Bindings API support since Pods 3.2, plus six Pods blocks.
Custom Post Type UI: not included. Pods: included. Settings pages are a built-in content type.
Written from the feature, pricing and install data on this page, not from hands-on testing. How we compare.
Which would you choose?
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FAQ
Which is better, Custom Post Type UI or Pods?
Pods scores higher on our feature checklist (89/100 against 26/100) and includes visual field group builder, repeater fields and wide range of field types that Custom Post Type UI does not. Check the features you rely on in the table below before deciding.
Which has more features?
Pods includes 17 of the 18 features we track, against 6 for Custom Post Type UI. Feature count is only part of the picture; check which of the differences matter to you.
Is Custom Post Type UI free?
Custom Post Type UI has a free version on WordPress.org. Paid plans start at $99.
Is Pods free?
Pods 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 Custom Post Type UI or Pods. Some links are affiliate links. We may earn a commission at no cost to you; it never affects our data or rankings.