Simple CSV Importer
Alternative CSV Importer plugin. Simple and powerful, best for geeks.
Use with caution
Simple CSV Importer works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 40+ sites and was last updated 7 days ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
- Actively developed — last update 7 days ago
- Small user base (40+ active installs)
- Very few reviews so far
- Only tested up to WordPress 6.7 (latest is 7.1)
How does it stack up?
Side-by-side on installs, updates, ratings & supportDaily downloads
Download spikes usually follow a new release — each site that auto-updates counts as a download.
Rankings
Where Simple CSV Importer stands todayWordPress.org search rankings
Live position in the plugin search, top 100| Keyword | Position |
|---|---|
| acf | >100 |
| cfs | #29 |
| csv | >100 |
| custom posts | >100 |
| importer | >100 |
Version adoption
Share of active sites per release.
About Simple CSV Importer
From the official readme · v1.0.2Description
Alternative CSV Importer plugin. Simple and powerful, best for geeks.
- Category support
- Tag support
- Custom field support
- Smart Custom Fields support
- Custom Field Suite support
- Advanced Custom Fields support
- Custom Taxonomy support
- Custom Post Type support
- Filter hook for dry-run-testing
- Filter hooks for customize csv data before importing to database
- Action hook for update post data after importing to database
You can get example CSV files in /wp-content/plugins/simple-csv-importer/sample directory.
Available column names and values:
IDorpost_id: (int) post id.
This value is not required. The post ID is already exists in your blog, importer will update that post data. If the ID is not exists, importer will trying to create a new post with suggested ID.post_author: (login or ID) The user name or user ID number of the author.post_date: (string) The time of publish date.post_content: (string) The full text of the post.post_title: (string) The title of the post.post_excerpt: (string) For all your post excerpt needs.post_status: (‘draft’ or ‘publish’ or ‘pending’ or ‘future’ or ‘private’ or custom registered status) The status of the post. ‘draft’ is default.post_password: (string) The password to protect the post. The password is limited to 20 characters.post_name: (string) The slug of the post.post_parent: (int) The post parent id. Used for page or hierarchical post type.menu_order: (int)post_type: (‘post’ or ‘page’ or any other post type name) (required) The post type slug, not labels.post_thumbnail: (string) The uri or path of the post thumbnail.
E.g. http://example.com/example.jpg or /path/to/example.jpgpost_category: (string, comma separated) slug of post categoriespost_tags: (string, comma separated) name of post tagstax_{taxonomy}: (string, comma separated) Any field prefixed withtax_will be used as a custom taxonomy. Taxonomy must already exist. Entries are names or slugs of terms.{custom_field_key}: (string) Any other column labels used as custom fieldcfs_{field_name}: (string) If you would like to import data to custom fields set by Custom Field Suite, please add prefixcfs_to column header name.scf_{field_name}: (string) If you would like to import data to custom fields set by Smart Custom Fields, please add prefixscf_to column header name.comment_status: (‘closed’ or ‘open’) Default is the option ‘default_comment_status’, or ‘closed’.
Note: Empty cells in the csv file means “keep it”, not “delete it”.
Note: To set the page template of a page, use custom field key of _wp_page_template.
Note: If providing a post_status of ‘future’ you must specify the post_date in order for WordPress to know when to publish your post.
Note: If the post_type value is attachment, you can use post_thumbnail field to define media URL or path.
Advanced Custom Fields plugin integrate
If advanced custom field key is exists, importer will trying to use update_field function instead of built-in add_post_meta function.
How to find advanced custom field key: Finding the field key
Installation
- Upload All files to the
/wp-content/plugins/directory. - Activate the plugin through the ‘Plugins’ menu in WordPress.
- Go to the Import page under Tools menu.
- Click CSV link, read the notification, then just upload and import.
Frequently asked questions
Should I fill all columns of post data?
No. Only columns which you want to update.
Can I update existing post data?
Yes. Please use ID field to specify the existing post.
Can I insert post with specific post id?
Yes. Please use ID field to specify the new post ID.
Can I import custom field/custom taxonomy of the post?
Yes. You can use column names same as wp_post table, but if the column name does not match, it creates a custom field (post meta) data. Importing custom taxonomy is a bit more complicated, “tax_{taxonomy}” means, “tax_” is prefix, and {taxonomy} is name of custom taxonomy (not labels). Here is an example. csv file “post_title”,”singer”,”genre”,”released_date” “Shape of You”,”Ed Sheeran”,”Pop”, “06-01-2017” imported post data Post Title: Shape of You Custom field “singer”: Ed Sheeran Custom field “genre”: Pop Custom taxonomy “released_date”: 06-01-2017
Why should I quote text cells when I save csv file?
Because PHP cannot read multibyte text cells in some cases. Locale setting is taken into account by this function. If LANG is e.g. en_US.UTF-8, files in one-byte encoding are read wrong by this function.
Can I insert multiple values to CFS or ACF fields like Select or Checkbox?
Yes. Please create additional plugin and use simple_csv_importer_save_meta filter to make array data.
Changelog
Fixes a fatal error that broke CSV import entirely. Update is strongly recommended.
1.0.2
- Fix: Fatal error on every CSV import caused by a class name mismatch (code referenced
RS_CSV_Helper/RSCSV_Import_Post_Helper, which don’t exist; the actual classes areSimple_CSV_Helper/SCSV_Import_Post_Helper). - Fix: Removed premature/duplicate
load_plugin_textdomain()calls to avoid the “translation loaded too early” notice introduced in WordPress 6.7. Translations for this plugin are loaded automatically by WordPress.org based on the Text Domain header, so no manual call is needed. - Added
Requires PHPheader field.
1.0.0
- Fresh copy
For developers
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Best Simple CSV Importer alternatives
All acf plugins →FAQ
Simple CSV Importer: quick answers
Straight answers, pulled from live WordPress.org data.
Live data from WordPress.org · checked Sep 29, 2026
Is Simple CSV Importer free?
Yes. Simple CSV Importer is free to download and use from the official WordPress.org plugin directory.
Is Simple CSV Importer safe to use in 2026?
Simple CSV Importer works, but test it on a staging site before relying on it in 2026. It runs on 40+ sites and was last updated 7 days ago, and scores 49/100 on our health check.
How many websites use Simple CSV Importer?
Simple CSV Importer is active on 40+ WordPress websites and has been downloaded 2,566 times since it launched in November 2021. It was downloaded 141 times in the last 30 days.
Does Simple CSV Importer work with WordPress 7.1?
Simple CSV Importer is officially tested up to WordPress 6.7.9, while the latest release is 7.1.2. It may still work, but try it on a staging site first.
What PHP version does Simple CSV Importer need?
Simple CSV Importer requires PHP 7.4 or higher. Most hosts run PHP 8.x today, so it works on any modern WordPress hosting.
When was Simple CSV Importer last updated?
The latest version, 1.0.2, was released on September 22, 2026 (7 days ago).
Who makes Simple CSV Importer?
Simple CSV Importer is developed and maintained by Apsara Aruna.
What are the best alternatives to Simple CSV Importer?
The most popular alternatives to Simple CSV Importer are Advanced Custom Fields (ACF… (2M+ installs), ACF Content Analysis for Yo… (100K+ installs) and Advanced Custom Fields: Ext… (100K+ installs).
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