Best WordPress Plugins for Creating Custom Fields and Post Types

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Custom Post Types and Custom Fields were the two features that really transformed WordPress from a simple blogging tool to a fully-fledged CMS. Many still think that custom post types and custom fields are hard to implement, but today I'm going to give you two plugins that will make you the master of CPTs and custom fields within 10 minutes max. Try them out!
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Custom Post Types and Custom Fields were the two features that really transformed WordPress from a simple blogging tool to a fully-fledged CMS. Many still think that custom post types and custom fields are hard to implement, but today I’m going to give you two plugins that will make you the master of CPTs and custom fields within 10 minutes max. Try them out!

Advanced Custom Fields

Advanced Custom Fields « WordPress Plugins

Advanced Custom Fields is the perfect solution for any wordpress website which needs more flexible data like other Content Management Systems.

  • Visually create your Fields
  • Select from multiple input types (text, textarea, wysiwyg, image, file, page link, post object, relationship, select, checkbox, radio buttons, date picker, true / false, repeater, flexible content, gallery and more to come!)
  • Assign your fields to multiple edit pages (via custom location rules)
  • Easily load data through a simple and friendly API
  • Uses the native WordPress custom post type for ease of use and fast processing
  • Uses the native WordPress metadata for ease of use and fast processing

Get Advanced Custom Fields

Types

Toolset types - custom post types, fields and taxonomy

Part of the Toolset, Types is a very easy plugin to use. It enables you to create custom post types and fields. Its real power shows when combined with the other components of Toolset.

Types lets you customize the WordPress admin by adding content types, custom fields and taxonomy. You will be able to craft the WordPress admin and turn it into your very own content management system.

Get Types

WordPress Creation Kit

With the WordPress Creation Kit plugin you can create repeater custom fields, custom post types and taxonomies and build your front-end templates directly from the WordPress admin interface.

The plugin will give you access to the following modules:

  • Advanced Repeater Custom Fields Creator
  • Custom Post Type Creator
  • Custom Taxonomy Creator
  • Swift Templates – for creating front-end templates without writing any PHP code
  • Front-end posting and editing
  • Options Page Creator

Get WordPress Creation Kit

Another new alternative we’ve covered here on WP Mayor is ACPT, which is worth a look.

Have you used any other plugins that you’d like to recommend?

Jean Galea

Jean Galea is an investor, entrepreneur, and blogger. He is the founder of WP Mayor, the plugins WP RSS Aggregator and Spotlight, as well as the Mastermind.fm podcast. His personal blog can be found at jeangalea.com.

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32 Responses

  1. Hi Jean,

    This is an old post but I just want to add Meta Box to the list. It’s the best custom fields plugin for developers 🙂

  2. If you’re a developer, Advanced Custom Fields is an outstanding tool. Great UI, powerful API, lot of fields, great support, …

  3. Hey, I’m a complete php and wordpress newbie and I’m trying to call a custom field on my post by adding this ID, ‘dpta_discounttype’, true); ?> to display a value on my WP product post and its just showing up as text.

    I did not at anything to function.php, I only added that line of code to the post content.

    How can I display the field on the UI? Thank you so much.

    1. Hi Jason, the code didn’t come true properly, are you using a plugin for custom post types?

  4. It’s great to have options, but Advanced Custom Fields gets my vote – the product is superb, and the latest version includes many useful new features like the map field being part of the standard package (not an add on).

    The support from Elliot is also great – I would pay for it if I had to, an amazing product and level of support.

  5. Surprised More Types, More Taxonomies and More Fields have not been mentioned on here. They are free and simple to use.

  6. I’m currently at work on a small plugin that simplifies the display of custom post types and fields. It’s called Custom Content Shortcode: .

    One shortcode displays content or fields from any post type, and another one performs query loops. Together, they can be used in a similar way to Views, to create layout templates.

    I find that Custom Posts UI and Advanced Custom Fields work together nicely, and for arranging the admin menus for created post types, Admin Menu Editor is very useful.

  7. While its not technically a plugin, Custom Meta Boxes and Fields deserves a mention: . I use it very regularly

    1. Best use of a spreadsheet I’ve seen lately 🙂 Many good plugins in there, I’ve gotten used to working with Toolset and I’m happy to recommend it, it’s a great set of plugins and probably the easiest to use.

  8. toolset is a great set of plugins, or may I say framework… or CMS!

    Seriously is great and is developing really fast.

    Didn’t tested the toolset using another CPT plugin…

    I must say that masterpress seems amazing… but the heart, muscle and soul of toolset is views.

  9. I have to say I never used Advanced Custom Fields, but I am an extremely happy customer of toolset. It was Jean himself who introduced me to them back last February when he and his girlfriend came to stay with us here in Thailand. Since then I have never looked back. Not only is toolset an absolutely astounding tool to have (I can hardly call it a plugin as its so much more) but just describing their support as ‘fantastic’ does not do them justice – their support, and specifically Emerson and Cardidaz is the best I have ever seen in my 12 years of working on web development. Thanks to toolset and the support provided I keep reducing the number of plugins I need to use because I can do it better with toolset. Simply fantastic guys. I am a BIG FAN

    1. That’s a glowing testimonial Marcel, and I’m so glad that my suggestion was useful. Big up to the Toolset team who keep going from strength to strength with their plugin set.

    2. Marcel,
      My name is Eyal and I am the CEO of OnTheGo Systems the makers of Toolset. I want to thank you very much for your wonderful testimonial.
      It touched the heart of all of us here.
      We will do our best to further improve Toolsets plugins (stay tuned for the next version of Views).

      Cheers,

      Eyal

  10. I can only recommend Advanced Custom Fields, it works like a charm and makes developing with flexible / custom field easy and beautiful.

    My recommendations for the list:

    – Pod Framework:

    – CustomPress:

    – MasterPress:

  11. I stopped using Types after repeatedly finding that the plugin loses settings after updating. Fields assigned to a particular taxonomy would be reassigned. The last time this occurred was for a version of Types from early 2013, so the authors may have corrected the flaw by now.

    1. Hi Scott,

      Obviously, this shouldn’t happen and we’re not seeing reports about it in our forum. We’re 7 months after the beginning of 2013, so some things have changed.

      Anyway, if you use Types again and see a similar problem, let us know in our forum.

    2. Hey Scott, I was one of the persons who had reported this bug some time back. A patch was released after two weeks to fix the issue and with Types 1.3.1 it was permanently fixed. Hope this helps.

  12. The Pods framework makes creating custom types and taxonomies dead easy. It also allows extending existing types, and can add fields to standard and custom types.

    1. +1 on Pods framework. I read yesterday on WPTavern that Matt Mullenweg is now sponsoring the plugin.

  13. I thought Repeater fields is a paid add-on with ACF (at least it was when I last checked)? It’s free with Types. I’ve been using Types recently and it works fine. And with Views, displaying WP values and custom fields is pretty easy.

    1. Views is not free though. So either way you’re going to pay for some functionality for either package (if you need that functionality)

      1. Yes, Views is not free, but the alternative companion solution for ACF does not exist.
        The comparison between individual plugins should be between Types and ACF.
        When you actually start creating a site, Types has a set of companion plugins (not free) that will save you time and money.

    2. Hi Sridhar,

      You may want to look into WCK as well:

      All WCK metaboxes are actually repeater fields, making it really simple to to add repeating fields that are tied to particular page, post or custom post type.

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