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Secure Custom Fields
Free fork of ACF maintained under WordPress.org, including repeater, flexible content, options pages and blocks at no cost.
Free installs100K+WordPress.org, active
Rating4.8/569 reviews
Price fromFreeFree
Last updated21 Oct 2026Version 6.9.7
Overview
Secure Custom Fields (SCF) is a custom fields plugin published on WordPress.org under the WordPress.org account rather than a commercial vendor. It is a fork of Advanced Custom Fields: in October 2024, during a legal dispute between WP Engine and Automattic, the WordPress.org team forked ACF, stating that it removed commercial upsells and fixed a security issue, and temporarily placed the fork on the ACF directory listing. After a US court granted WP Engine a preliminary injunction in December 2024, the original ACF listing was returned to WP Engine and SCF continued as a separate plugin with its own slug. Opinions in the community about the fork differ; this page only describes what the plugin does.
Because SCF started from the ACF codebase, it works the same way: you build field groups in the admin, set location rules, and display values with ACF-style functions. Existing ACF field groups and stored data carry over, and on activation SCF deactivates ACF and ACF PRO to avoid conflicts.
What is included
- Around 36 documented field types, including Repeater, Flexible Content, Gallery and Clone, which are paid ACF PRO features in ACF.
- Options pages, custom post types and taxonomies registered from the plugin UI.
- ACF-style PHP blocks and a UI for connecting block attributes to fields through Block Bindings.
- Front-end forms, Local JSON, REST API output and WP-CLI JSON commands.
Everything is free; there is no paid tier, licence or upsell. Development happens in the open on GitHub, and recent 6.9 releases focused on security hardening, stricter REST and AJAX permission checks and experimental features such as Abilities API integration and JSON-LD output behind flags.
Limitations
The ecosystem is smaller than ACF’s: page builders and third-party add-ons document ACF and may not list SCF explicitly, even though the APIs are largely the same. There is no paid support channel, data is stored in the standard meta tables, and support is through the WordPress.org forums. SCF suits site owners and developers who want ACF-style fields, including layout fields, without a licence, and who are comfortable testing builder integrations themselves.
Best for: Developers and site owners who want ACF-style custom fields, including repeaters and flexible layouts, completely free.
SCF delivers ACF PRO-level field types without a licence and is actively maintained, which makes it a strong free option. Check that your page builder and add-ons work with it before switching, and weigh the smaller ecosystem against the cost saving.
Pros
- Repeater, Flexible Content, Gallery, Clone and options pages at no cost
- Works with existing ACF field groups and template code
- Block Bindings UI for connecting core blocks to fields
- Frequent releases with a strong focus on security hardening
- No licence keys, upsells or site limits
Cons
- Smaller ecosystem; builders and add-ons document ACF rather than SCF
- No commercial support option
- Cannot run alongside ACF or ACF PRO on the same site
- Its origin in the WP Engine and Automattic dispute makes some agencies cautious
Key features
What Secure Custom Fields highlights on its WordPress.org page and its own website, split by version.
Free version WordPress.org
- Visual field group builder
- About 36 field types
- Repeater and Flexible Content fields
- Gallery and Clone fields
- Options pages
- Register post types and taxonomies
- ACF-style PHP blocks
- Block Bindings UI for core blocks
- Front-end forms
- Local JSON and WP-CLI sync
- Fields in REST API responses
- Compatible with ACF field groups
Feature checklist
15 of 18 features we track in Custom Fields & Post Types, feature score 88/100
Fields 7/7
Visual field group builder Key
Create field groups and assign them to content without code.
Visual builder for field groups with location rules, no code needed.
Included
Wide range of field types Key
Text, image, gallery, date, select, file, colour, map and more.
About 36 documented field types including Google Map, colour and icon picker.
Included
Repeater fields Key
Repeating rows of sub-fields.
Repeater field is included free.
Included
Flexible content layouts
Choose from layouts of fields to build page sections.
Flexible Content field included free, with renameable and disableable layouts.
Included
Relationship fields Key
Link posts, users or terms to each other.
Post object, page link, user and taxonomy fields link content together.
Included
Conditional logic
Show fields based on other field values.
Inherited ACF conditional logic for showing fields based on other values.
Included
Options & settings pages
Global fields on admin settings pages.
Options pages are supported free of charge.
Included
Content modelling 3/4
Custom post types Key
Register post types from the admin.
Post types are registered from the SCF interface.
Included
Custom taxonomies
Register taxonomies from the admin.
Taxonomies are registered from the SCF interface.
Included
User, term & comment fields
Fields on users, taxonomy terms and comments.
Fields on users, taxonomy terms, media and comments.
Included
Custom database tables
Store field data in custom tables for speed.
Uses the standard meta tables; no custom table storage.
Not included
Displaying data 2/4
Blocks & block bindings Key
Show fields in the block editor or build ACF-style blocks.
ACF-style PHP blocks plus a UI to bind block attributes to fields.
Included
Front-end forms
Let users create or edit content from the front end.
Front-end form functions are documented in the code reference.
Included
Page builder dynamic data
Use field values in Elementor, Bricks, Breakdance or similar.
Builders document ACF, not SCF; compatibility depends on the builder.
Not verified
Listings & views without code
Build lists, grids or templates of content without PHP.
No built-in listing or template builder.
Not included
Developer features 3/3
REST API & GraphQL support
Expose fields through the REST API or WPGraphQL.
Field values appear in REST responses, with tightened permission checks in 6.9.
Included
Fields in code or JSON
Register or sync field groups in code or JSON files for version control.
Local JSON plus WP-CLI 'scf json' commands for syncing.
Included
Import & export
Move field groups and post types between sites.
Inherited JSON import and export tools for field groups, post types and taxonomies.
Included
Pricing
Free
$0On WordPress.org
Free
Freeper yearUnlimited
All features, including Repeater, Flexible Content, options pages and blocks. No paid version.
Prices are list prices from the vendor's site, checked 22 Oct 2026. Many vendors discount the first year.
How many sites use Secure Custom Fields?
Free installs from WordPress.org, the vendor's own claim, and our estimate of paid installs.
Free version (WordPress.org)
100K+
Active installations reported by WordPress.org.
Vendor claim
—
The vendor does not publish a total.
Estimated Pro / paid installs
n/a
There is no paid version.
Stats & health
Weekly downloads
25,288 downloads last week, 912.1K all time
Rating breakdown
| Version | 6.9.7 |
|---|---|
| Last updated | 21 Oct 2026 (13 days ago) |
| Tested up to | WordPress 7.1.4 |
| Requires | WordPress 6.2+, PHP 7.4+ |
| Support threads (2 months) | 1 of 5 resolved |
| On WordPress.org since | 21 Nov 2024 |
Company & policy
| Founded | 2024 (source, 22 Oct 2026) Forked from ACF by WordPress.org on 12 October 2024. |
|---|
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FAQ
Is Secure Custom Fields free?
Yes. Secure Custom Fields has a free version on WordPress.org.
How many sites use Secure Custom Fields?
WordPress.org reports 100K+ active installations of the free version.
Does Secure Custom Fields have visual field group builder?
Yes: included. Visual builder for field groups with location rules, no code needed.
Does Secure Custom Fields have wide range of field types?
Yes: included. About 36 documented field types including Google Map, colour and icon picker.
Does Secure Custom Fields have repeater fields?
Yes: included. Repeater field is included free.
Does Secure Custom Fields have relationship fields?
Yes: included. Post object, page link, user and taxonomy fields link content together.
Does Secure Custom Fields have custom post types?
Yes: included. Post types are registered from the SCF interface.
Does Secure Custom Fields have blocks & block bindings?
Yes: included. ACF-style PHP blocks plus a UI to bind block attributes to fields.
Is Secure Custom Fields the same as ACF?
It began as a fork of ACF in October 2024 and keeps the same way of working and similar functions, but it is now a separate plugin maintained under WordPress.org, while ACF is developed by WP Engine.
Is SCF completely free?
Yes. Repeater, Flexible Content, Gallery, Clone, options pages and blocks are all included, with no paid tier.
Can I switch from ACF to SCF?
SCF reads existing ACF field groups and data and deactivates ACF on activation. Test on a staging site first, especially if you rely on ACF PRO features or builder integrations.
Does SCF work with page builders?
Builders document ACF integration and may not mention SCF. Because the APIs are largely the same many integrations may work, but check with your builder before relying on it.
Last updated 22 Oct 2026. Spotted something wrong? Suggest an edit.