Meta Box – A Framework for Dynamic Websites

87 Quality Score

Active Installs

26/30

With 500,000 active installs, Meta Box is widely used but sits behind ACF (2,000,000) and Custom Post Type UI (1,000,000) in raw reach.

Update Freshness

25/25

Last updated on 2026-07-14 and tested against WordPress 7.0.1 with a 6.6 minimum, the plugin shows excellent, current maintenance activity.

User Rating

14/15

A 96 out of 100 from 164 reviewers indicates strong, consistent user satisfaction, even with a modest number of total ratings.

Support Health

8/15

Only 2 support threads exist, with just 1 resolved (50%), giving a low-confidence picture of support responsiveness despite the high rating.

WP Compatibility

15/15

Scoring 100/15 for compatibility, Meta Box meets modern WordPress 7.0.1 and PHP 7.4 requirements with no red flags reported.

Scores higher than 98% of indexed plugins

About

Meta Box plugin is a powerful, professional developer toolkit to create custom meta boxes and custom fields for your custom post types in WordPress.

Active Installs 500k+

Rating ★★★★½ 4.8/5

Last Updated 2026-09-17 8:33am GMT

Requires WordPress 6.7+

Tested Up To 7.1.1

Requires PHP 7.4+

Security History

8 known vulnerabilities, all patched

4 High 4 Medium

Most recent: August 2, 2026

View details ▸

Meta Box < 5.13.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Insecure Direct Object Reference Medium

August 2, 2026 Patched in ["5.13.1"] CVE-2026-15248

Meta Box <= 5.11.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Arbitrary File Deletion High

April 13, 2026 Patched in ["5.11.2"] CVE-2026-39468

Meta Box <= 5.11.1 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Arbitrary File Deletion High

March 6, 2026 Patched in ["5.11.2"] CVE-2025-14675

Meta Box – WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 5.9.10 - Missing Authorization to Information Exposure Medium

August 9, 2024 Patched in ["5.9.11"] CVE-2024-43235

Meta Box – WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 5.9.3 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Information Exposure via Post Meta Medium

March 25, 2024 Patched in ["5.9.4"] CVE-2024-1204

Meta Box – WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 5.9.2 - Authenticated (Contributor+) Stored Cross-Site Scripting Medium

February 5, 2024 Patched in ["5.9.3"] CVE-2023-6526

Meta Box - WordPress Custom Fields Framework <= 4.16.2 - File Deletion via attachment_id Parameter High

February 2, 2019 Patched in ["4.16.3"] CVE-2019-14793

Meta Box <= 4.16.1 - Mishandling of File Upload High

February 1, 2019 Patched in ["4.16.2"] CVE-2019-14794

What It Does

Meta Box is a developer-oriented framework for building custom meta boxes, custom fields, and custom post types directly inside WordPress. It provides a large library of field types and an API that lets you register, display, and save structured data on any post, page, or custom content type. In practice, it acts as the backend engine for sites that need more than the default WordPress editor can hold.

Who It's For

This plugin is best for developers and technically comfortable site builders who need fine-grained control over custom content structures, such as real estate listings, directories, product catalogs, or bespoke landing pages. It suits agencies and freelancers who want a reusable, code-driven solution rather than a click-only GUI. Non-technical bloggers and small personal sites rarely need this level of functionality.

Who Should Skip It

If you only need a handful of simple custom fields and prefer a point-and-click interface, ACF or a lighter plugin will save you time. Users who are not comfortable writing PHP and editing theme files will find the learning curve steep and should look at fully visual alternatives.

The Bottom Line

Meta Box earns an 87.42/100 quality score, landing just behind Custom Post Type UI but ahead of Pods and ACF in our ranking. It is a top-tier developer tool with current maintenance, strong ratings, and a proven install base. The only weak signal is the tiny support thread count, which makes long-term responsiveness hard to judge from public data alone.

Related Plugins

Custom Post Type UI 88/100

Pick this if you only need to register custom post types and taxonomies through the admin without touching code.

Checkout Field Editor (Checkout Manager) for WooCommerce 87/100

Pick this if your custom field needs are limited specifically to WooCommerce checkout and order data.

Pods - Custom Content Types and Fields 86/100

Pick Pods if you want an all-in-one framework with stronger content modelling and built-in relationship handling.

Post Type Switcher 86/100

Pick Post Type Switcher for the narrow task of moving existing posts between registered post types.

Advanced Custom Fields (ACF) 85/100

Pick ACF if you want the largest community, the most tutorials, and a friendlier GUI for non-developers.