QBCore vs ESX: which FiveM framework should you use?

If you are starting a FiveM roleplay server, the framework is the biggest decision you will make. It shapes which scripts you can use, how your data is stored and how easy your server is to build on. The two names you will hear most are ESX and QBCore. Both are free, both are open source, and both run thousands of servers. This guide explains how they differ so you can choose with confidence.

What a framework actually does

On its own, FiveM gives you multiplayer GTA V and a way to run scripts. It has no idea what a job, a bank account or an inventory is. A roleplay framework adds that layer: characters, money, jobs, items, and a shared set of functions that other scripts can call.

That last part is the important bit. Scripts are written for a specific framework, because they call that framework's functions to check a player's job or take money from their bank. A police job built for ESX will not work on QBCore without changes, and the other way round. So when you pick a framework, you are really picking an ecosystem of scripts.

ESX in brief

ESX has been around since the early days of FiveM roleplay, and it is the framework many long-running servers were built on. The actively maintained version is called ESX Legacy.

• Huge back catalogue. Years of community scripts have been written for ESX, so there is a resource for almost everything.
• Database driven. Jobs and job grades live in database tables, so a lot of setup happens in SQL.
• Familiar to many developers. If you hire a developer or buy scripts, ESX support is very common.
• Mixed quality in older scripts. Because the catalogue is so large, a lot of old resources were written for earlier ESX versions and may need updating for ESX Legacy.

QBCore in brief

QBCore arrived later and grew very quickly. It was designed as a complete, consistent roleplay base, and it comes with a large set of its own resources for jobs, housing, vehicles, phones and more.

• Batteries included. The official resources cover a lot of what a new city needs, and they are designed to work together.
• Shared config files. Jobs, gangs and items are defined in Lua files inside the core, which many people find easier to read and edit than database rows.
• Gangs built in. QBCore has a gang system alongside jobs, which is handy for criminal roleplay.
• Very popular with newer servers and paid script developers, so modern resources often support it out of the box.

The key differences

• Player data. ESX scripts usually work with an xPlayer object from ESX.GetPlayerFromId, while QBCore scripts use QBCore.Functions.GetPlayer and its PlayerData. The ideas are similar, but the code is not interchangeable.
• Where things are defined. ESX has traditionally kept jobs and items in the database. QBCore keeps them in shared Lua files.
• Out-of-the-box content. QBCore ships with more ready-made gameplay. ESX Legacy is leaner and leans more on the wider community.
• Script availability. Both have enormous libraries. Many paid scripts support both, often with a small bridge or config switch, but always check before you buy.
• Database access. Both commonly use oxmysql to talk to MySQL or MariaDB, so the database side is very similar.

Which one is faster?

You will find strong opinions online, but in practice neither framework is the reason a server is slow. Performance problems almost always come from individual scripts: loops that run every frame, heavy database queries, or resources that never clean up after themselves. A tidy ESX server will beat a bloated QBCore server, and the other way round.

What matters more is choosing well-written scripts, keeping them updated and running on hardware with strong single-thread performance. Our guide on how much RAM a FiveM server needs goes into what actually drives resource use.

What about Qbox, vRP and standalone?

ESX and QBCore are not the only choices. Qbox is a community project built on top of QBCore that aims to modernise it while keeping compatibility with many QBCore scripts. vRP is an older framework that some communities still prefer, though you will find fewer new scripts for it. And if you are running a race, drift or freeroam server, you may not need a framework at all: a standalone server with a handful of scripts is simpler and lighter.

Whichever you look at, check that it is actively maintained. A framework that has not been updated in a long time can leave you stuck when FiveM or your favourite scripts move on.

How to choose

• You want a complete city quickly, with lots working on day one: QBCore is a strong choice.
• You are moving an existing ESX server, or you already own a lot of ESX scripts: stay on ESX Legacy.
• You have a developer on the team who already knows one framework well: use the one they know.
• You plan to buy a specific set of paid scripts: check which frameworks they support, and let that decide.
• You are building a race or freeroam server: consider going standalone.

If none of those apply and you are starting from scratch, try both. Spin up a test server with each, walk around, open the config files and see which one makes more sense to you. An evening of testing now can save you months of frustration later.

Check these before you commit

Whichever framework you lean towards, a little homework up front will save you a lot of pain later. Before you settle on one, run through this list:

• Is it actively maintained? Look at when the core was last updated and whether issues are being answered.
• Do the scripts you really want support it? Make a list of the jobs, phone, inventory and housing scripts you have in mind, and check each one.
• Is the documentation clear enough for you? Read the getting started pages for each framework and see which one you follow more easily.
• Is there an active community? A busy Discord or forum makes it much easier to get help when something breaks.
• Can your team work with it? If someone on your staff will be writing or editing scripts, let them look at the code first.

It is also worth thinking about the long term. The scripts you add in your first month will probably still be running a year later, so pick a base you are happy to live with.

Switching later is hard

Moving a live server from one framework to another is a big job. Scripts need replacing or rewriting, and player data such as money, vehicles and inventories has to be converted between different database layouts. It can be done, but most communities that switch end up wiping and starting fresh. Pick one, commit to it, and put your energy into building the city.

Getting started with either

You do not need to install either framework by hand. txAdmin, which comes with every one of our FiveM servers, has ready-made recipes for both ESX Legacy and QBCore. The recipe downloads the framework, sets up the database tables and writes your server.cfg for you. Our guide to setting up your FiveM server walks through it step by step, and our free MySQL databases work with either framework.

The bottom line

There is no wrong answer between QBCore and ESX. Both are mature, both have huge communities and both can run a great city. QBCore gives you more out of the box and suits new servers that want to get going quickly. ESX Legacy suits communities with existing ESX scripts or developers who know it well. Choose based on the scripts you want and the people you have, not on forum arguments about which one is better.