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Advanced Custom Fields VS Admin Columns

Compare Advanced Custom Fields VS Admin Columns and see what are their differences

Advanced Custom Fields logo Advanced Custom Fields

Custom field and custom content plugin for WordPress

Admin Columns logo Admin Columns

Admin Columns is a Wordpress plugin that lets users to create an editing environment in minutes.
  • Advanced Custom Fields Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-08-02
  • Admin Columns Landing page
    Landing page //
    2023-10-16

Advanced Custom Fields features and specs

  • Flexible Field Management
    Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) allows users to add a wide variety of custom fields to WordPress edit screens, providing flexibility in managing content based on specific needs.
  • User-Friendly Interface
    ACF offers a clean, intuitive interface that makes it easy for users to create and manage custom fields without needing advanced coding skills.
  • Extensive Field Types
    ACF supports numerous field types including text, textarea, image, file, and more, enabling detailed customization of content and layouts.
  • Integration with WordPress
    Seamlessly integrates with WordPress, making it easy to extend the functionality of a WordPress site without significant alterations to existing systems.
  • Active Development and Community
    Regular updates and a strong community behind ACF ensure that new features are constantly being added and bugs are promptly addressed.

Possible disadvantages of Advanced Custom Fields

  • Performance Overhead
    Implementing numerous custom fields can potentially lead to performance issues due to increased database queries, especially on larger sites.
  • Learning Curve
    While the interface is user-friendly, users who want to deeply integrate ACF into their custom themes or plugins may face a learning curve.
  • Cost for Pro Features
    Many of the more advanced features, such as repeater fields, are only available in the Pro version, requiring a paid license.
  • Dependence on Updates
    Frequent updates require developers to regularly maintain their setups to ensure compatibility and security, especially on customized installations.
  • Limited to WordPress
    Since ACF is specifically designed for WordPress, its functionality is not transferable to other CMS platforms without significant adaptation.

Admin Columns features and specs

  • Customization
    Admin Columns allows users to customize the WordPress admin columns extensively, providing the ability to add, remove, and rearrange columns within various admin screens. This boosts productivity by allowing users to organize information according to their needs.
  • Ease of Use
    The plugin offers a user-friendly interface with drag-and-drop functionality, which makes it accessible to users of all technical levels without requiring coding skills.
  • Compatibility
    Admin Columns is compatible with various custom post types and fields, ensuring that it works well with a wide range of themes and plugins, including popular ones like WooCommerce and Yoast SEO.
  • Enhances Search and Filtering
    The plugin enhances search and filtering capabilities within the admin area, making it easier to find specific entries and improving the overall efficiency of managing large sets of data.
  • Support and Documentation
    Admin Columns offers comprehensive documentation and responsive support, helping users to quickly resolve any issues and make the most of the pluginโ€™s features.

Possible disadvantages of Admin Columns

  • Premium Features
    While Admin Columns offers a free version, many of its most advanced features are only available in the premium version, which may not be feasible for users with a limited budget.
  • Complexity for Beginners
    For users who are not familiar with WordPress, the extensive customization options can feel overwhelming, and it may take some time to fully understand all the potential functionalities.
  • Potential for Conflicts
    As with any WordPress plugin, there is a potential for conflicts with other plugins or themes, which can cause unexpected behavior in the admin interface.
  • Performance Impact
    Adding numerous custom columns, especially with active filtering and sorting, can potentially impact the performance of the WordPress admin interface, particularly on sites with large databases.

Analysis of Admin Columns

Overall verdict

  • Admin Columns is a solid, well-established WordPress plugin for customizing the admin list tables (posts, pages, users, custom post types). It's good if you need to manage and display more relevant data directly in your WP dashboard without digging into custom code.

Why this product is good

  • Allows adding, removing, and reordering columns in WordPress admin list views without coding
  • Supports custom fields from ACF, Pods, and other popular plugins out of the box
  • Enables inline editing of column values directly from the list view, saving time
  • Offers sorting and filtering by custom columns, improving content management efficiency
  • Has a mature track record with regular updates and compatibility with current WordPress versions
  • Provides both free and premium (Pro) versions, so you can start free and upgrade as needs grow
  • Good documentation and support for a plugin-focused business

Recommended for

  • WordPress site administrators managing large numbers of posts, pages, or custom post types
  • Agencies and developers building client sites that need customized, efficient admin dashboards
  • Site owners using ACF or Pods who want those custom fields visible in list tables
  • E-commerce or membership sites with WooCommerce or user-heavy data needing quick-glance admin views
  • Teams needing bulk inline editing to speed up content workflows without touching code

Advanced Custom Fields videos

Advanced Custom Fields Allow You To Add Extra Fields To Your Posts, Pages Or Custom Post Types

More videos:

  • Tutorial - Advanced Custom Fields Tutorial: Create a WordPress Movie Review Website
  • Review - Using Advanced Custom Fields And Custom Post Types Together The Right Way

Admin Columns videos

Admin Columns Pro Review

More videos:

  • Review - Admin Columns 4 - A Major Update of Admin Columns Pro
  • Review - Admin Columns Pro Review

Category Popularity

0-100% (relative to Advanced Custom Fields and Admin Columns)
WordPress Plugins
100 100%
0% 0
Security & Privacy
0 0%
100% 100
WordPress
79 79%
21% 21
Form Builder
100 100%
0% 0

User comments

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What are some alternatives?

When comparing Advanced Custom Fields and Admin Columns, you can also consider the following products

WP Rocket - WP Rocket offers a caching plugin for Wordpress.

Adminimal - WordPress plugin that enables a minimalist front-end toolbar

WPforms - Drag & drop WordPress form builder

AdminLTE - Web-based admin dashboard & control panel template. Highly customizable and easy to use.

Typeform - Create beautiful, next-generation online forms with Typeform, the form & survey builder that makes asking questions easy & human on any device. Try it FREE!

Yoast - Yoast offers plugins to improve SEO and optimize web sites and blogs.