How Much Does Native Custom Fields Slow Down WordPress? We Measured It

Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields - MakeWPFast

Native Custom Fields is a WordPress plugin. Our 3-context benchmark shows it barely registers (-9ms TTFB on activation).

B+

Measured Speed Score

How is this scored?

Our Benchmark Methodology

Every speed score on MakeWPFast is based on real performance measurements, not estimates. We install each plugin on a clean WordPress 6.9 setup (PHP 8.3, MariaDB, GeneratePress theme) and measure two key metrics:

PHP Memory Usage — how much additional memory the plugin consumes per request. Each doubling of memory overhead costs 10 points. High memory usage can cause crashes on shared hosting and limits how many plugins you can safely run together.

Database Queries — how many extra SQL queries the plugin runs per page load. Each 10x increase in query overhead costs 25 points. More queries mean more database work, slower pages, and harder scaling.

The score uses a logarithmic scale — the first few extra queries or megabytes matter more than going from 100 to 110 queries. This reflects real-world impact: the jump from 4 to 14 queries is far more noticeable than 100 to 110.

Grade	Score	What it means
A	90–100	Negligible impact. Safe to install on any hosting.
A-	80–89	Very light impact. Minimal overhead on any setup.
B+ / B / B-	65–79	Light impact. Adds some overhead but manageable on most setups.
C+ / C / C-	50–64	Moderate impact. May noticeably slow down budget hosting.
D+ / D	35–49	Heavy impact. Will affect page load times. Consider alternatives.
F	0–34	Severe impact. Significant resource usage that hurts performance.

Plugins marked "Not Yet Tested" have not been benchmarked yet. We do not estimate or guess scores — if there is no measured data, there is no grade.

Note: Benchmarks measure a plugin in isolation on a clean install. Real-world impact varies based on your hosting, other plugins, and how the plugin is configured.

Context	TTFB	Memory	Queries
⚡Activation	+-9 ms	+0 MB	+4
🏠Homepage	+0 ms	+0 MB	+4
⚙️WP Admin	+26 ms	+2 MB	+6

Low impact

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Plugin Overview

Active Installs10

Tested Up ToWP 6.9.4

Requires PHP7.4+

Last UpdatedMar 18, 2026

Downloads277

AuthorKadim Gültekin

WP.orgView on WordPress.org

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Native Custom Fields Speed Score - MakeWPFast

Performance Analysis

Performance Impact

Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields receives an estimated speed score of based on our heuristic analysis of plugin metrics including update frequency, PHP requirements, active installs, and feature scope.

This plugin may have a significant performance impact. Consider lighter alternatives if speed is a priority for your site.

Maintenance Status

Last updated: 2026-03-18. Requires PHP 7.4+. Trusted by 10 active installations.

Note: Speed scores are estimated from plugin metrics. Real-world performance varies depending on your server configuration, other active plugins, and how you use the plugin.

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Alternatives to Native Custom Fields

Plugin	Speed Score	Active Installs
LiteSpeed Cache	B+	7M+
Site Kit by Google	B-	5M+
Jetpack	B	3M+

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the actual cost of running Native Custom Fields?

Our 2026 benchmark recorded a -9ms TTFB increase and a memory delta of around 0MB on activation. The composite speed score of B+ is based on those measurements across three contexts.

Is Native Custom Fields a good fit for high-traffic WordPress sites?

Native Custom Fields earned a B+ on our composite scoring. With page caching (Cloudflare, WP Rocket, LiteSpeed Cache), the -9ms TTFB delta we measured rarely shows up on cached responses — most visitors won't notice it.

Does Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields slow down WordPress?

Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields has an estimated speed score of . It may noticeably affect your site speed. Consider alternatives if performance is critical.

Is Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields still maintained?

Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields was last updated on 2026-03-18. It has 10 active installations, indicating it is a functional plugin with a dedicated user base.

What are the best alternatives to Native Custom Fields – Custom Content Types and Meta Fields?

Check our plugin reviews in the Performance category for alternatives. We compare plugins side-by-side on speed, features, and user ratings to help you find the best fit.