ACF Columns
by dreihochzwo · Uncategorized
Also makes 5 other plugins · 14.3K+ installs across the portfolio →
With the ACF Columns plugin it is possible to arrange ACF fields in column groups in the post editor.
Try it live opens a temporary test site in your browser, which can take about 20 seconds to load. Plugins that rely on outside services or a full server may not work completely there.
Health
C 57/100
Stale
Active installs
4K+
≈4.6K estimated
Momentum
+47%
downloads vs prior 30d
Biggest opportunity: “acf”, “advanced custom fields” and “column” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
57 health vs 58 average across 25,737 Uncategorized plugins
Install conversion
How it's measured →7.2%
of downloads still active
At least 4K of 55.2K lifetime downloads are still running, above its category: the median Uncategorized plugin keeps 0.6%, across 17,770 plugins.
Downloads count every update, not just first installs, so older and more frequently released plugins read lower. Compare against other Uncategorized plugins, not across the directory. wp.org reports active installs as the bottom of a band, so the real rate is this or higher.
Details
Directory ranking optimization
How it's scored →How well this listing is tuned to rank in WordPress.org search, on the factors an owner controls. Not popularity, optimization.
Well optimized
Most to gain: Update recency
Updated 678 days ago, past the ~180 days where wp.org starts discounting
Tested up to WordPress 6.7.11; the current branch is 6.8
4.5★ over 10 reviews, smoothed to 4.17★ and held back under 25 reviews
4 of 5 tags set · short description in place
To rank higher: Last updated 678 days ago — ship an update; wp.org decays a listing's search weight after ~180 days.
Get the full rank-higher report →Search visibility
How it's tracked →Directory searches this plugin turns up in, and which way each one is moving. WordPress.org publishes no history of search positions, so this starts the day we first tracked a keyword and never backfills.
Not enough tracked days yet to call a direction. Momentum needs at least three keywords measured a week or more apart.
wp.org is where the directory puts the plugin for that search. On merit is where it would sit if results were ranked on rating, support and updates, without the install boost. The last column is how far the wp.org position moved, from our first reading in the last 90 days to the latest.
| Keyword | wp.org | On merit | wp.org move, 90 days |
|---|---|---|---|
| acfpro your tag | #3 | #3 | 0 |
| acf your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| advanced custom fields your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
| column your tag | Not in the top 24 | ||
1 search this plugin appeared in over the last 90 days. 3 of its tags aren't in the top 24 for their own search.
What to do about it
- “acf”, “advanced custom fields” and “column” aren't earning a slot. You list them, but you're not in the first 24 results for those searches. WordPress.org counts only your first five tags, so free the slot for a search you can win.
Daily downloads
Since 5 Oct 2022 · 1,488 days · wp.org + Plugin Pulse archive
30-day downloads
Rolling 30-day volume · peak 4.6K · peaks are release surges
Directory rank vs rivals
wp.org popularity rank over time · higher is better · when a rival's line climbs above yours, they've overtaken you
Rating trend
Star average over time · dips mark rough releases
Health trend
Composite health score, snapshotted daily
Update activity
How busy the existing users are, measured as downloads in the last 30 days for every 1,000 active sites. A spike means a new release everyone's pulling; a long, slow decline means an aging user base that updates less.
Release cadence
No release in a yearHow often this plugin actually ships. A steady rhythm is the maintenance signal a single "last updated" date can't show.
0
releases in the last 12 months
1.9y ago
latest release · v1.2.5 · 22 Dec 2024
8
tagged releases on record
Recent releases
What its installed base runs
via wordpress.orgShare of active installs on each version of this plugin · 100% run the current release. Green is the current release; a big slice on older versions is a user base that has stopped updating.
Estimated active installs
The public count shows “4K+”. Our estimate pins where the real number sits.
Crossed into this band 5 months ago; a band this size takes about a year or more to cross, which places it about 62% of the way through.
Install history since 25 Jun 2017
Latest updates
via wp.org changelogRecent releases and news for this plugin
- — Version 2.5 PHP 8 Support 2.5
- — Version 2.3 Minor CSS changes 2.3
- — Version 2.2 Minor CSS changes 2.2
- — Version 2.1 Added support for RTL languages 2.1
- — Version 2.0 Added compatibility for ACF 5.7 and newer 2.0
- — Version 1.0 Added CSS styling to support the new ACF Accordion field type (new in ACF 5.6.6) in columns Changed class name to prevent future conflicts with ACF 1.0
Behavioral tests
via WP HiveAutomated install-time checks, tested on PHP 8.1.12 · WP 6.3
Languages
via translate.wordpress.orgTranslated into 12 languages, 11 at 90% or more
AI assistants
How it's measured →Whether ChatGPT and Claude name this plugin when asked the category question, and whether the readme gives them something to quote.
Not measured yet for this plugin’s topics. Its tracked searches are not among the measured topics. See the topics measured so far.
Readme readiness
2 of 8 pass · checked 28 Oct 2026Can an assistant quote this readme? Eight deterministic checks over the wp.org listing, no model involved.
- ! Says what it does Short description names no action; say what the plugin does for the site.
- ! Has a FAQ Only 1 question in the FAQ; 3 or more gives an assistant something to match.
- ! FAQ asks real questions 1 of 1 FAQ entries are headings, not questions ("ACF conditional logic doesn’t works across different columns").
- ! Names who it is for Never says who the plugin is for or what they use it for.
- ✓ Names what it works with Mentions ACF.
- ! Headings and lists 1 heading and 1 list; assistants quote headed sections and bullet lists, not paragraphs.
- ! Enough to quote 503 characters of description; under 1,000 there is little to quote.
- ✓ Tags match the text 2 of 4 tags appear in the text; "acfpro", "advanced custom fields" do not.
Growth timeline
Install-tier crossings we have observed, and how long each tier took to outgrow
- 2026-06-15 5K+ → 4K+ down after 305 days in tier
- 2025-08-14 6K+ → 5K+ down after 3 days in tier
- 2025-08-11 5K+ → 6K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-08-10 6K+ → 5K+ down after 10 days in tier
- 2025-07-31 5K+ → 6K+ up after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-30 6K+ → 5K+ down after 1 days in tier
- 2025-07-29 5K+ → 6K+ up after 2 days in tier
- 2025-07-27 6K+ → 5K+ down after 165 days in tier
Competes with
The plugins that solve the same job, ranked by shared tags then reach, closest match first. The letter on the right is each plugin's health grade (A best, F worst).
-
ACF Tooltip 1K+ installs · 4.2★ · 3 shared tags C -
ACF Simple Tooltip 100+ installs · 4.0★ · 3 shared tags D -
ACF Content Analysis for Yoast SEO 100K+ installs · 4.0★ · 2 shared tags B -
Advanced Custom Fields: Font Awesome Field 90K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Table Field Add-on for ACF and SCF 50K+ installs · 4.7★ · 2 shared tags A -
Advanced Custom Fields: Gravity Forms Add-on 30K+ installs · 4.1★ · 2 shared tags B
Embed this report card
Drop a live Pulse card for ACF Columns into a readme, a review or a deck. It updates itself.
<iframe src="https://plugins.wpmayor.com/embed/acf-columns" width="480" height="300" style="border:0" loading="lazy" title="ACF Columns — Plugin Pulse"></iframe> ACF Columns: 4K+ active installs, 4.5★ (10 reviews). Plugin Pulse (WP Mayor), as of 2026-10-31. https://plugins.wpmayor.com/plugin/acf-columns
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