ESX, QBCore or QBox in 2026: which one to choose

01The short answer

• ESX: the largest script library and the oldest community, especially in French-speaking roleplay.
• QBCore: a clean structure that set the standard, and a very large catalogue of "QB" scripts.
• QBox: the successor of QBCore, rebuilt on the ox suite and compatible with most QBCore resources.

02ESX: the largest script library

ESX is the oldest of the three frameworks still maintained. It carried a large part of the roleplay scene: thousands of servers have run on it, and it shows everywhere. Jobs, shops, phones, heists, garages: for almost any need, an ESX script already exists, free or paid, often with a tutorial and developers who know it inside out. That is a real advantage, and neither of the other two matches it today.

The maintained branch is called ESX Legacy. It has modernised the core considerably and benefits from the ox ecosystem too. The flip side of such a long history is inconsistency: many scripts in circulation target versions older than ESX Legacy and need fixing, quality varies enormously from one author to the next, and jobs and their grades live in SQL tables, which means a query or an external tool for every grade you add.

03QBCore: the structure that set the standard

QBCore came later with a simple idea: a clear, predictable structure. Player data lives in a single object, jobs, gangs, items and vehicles are declared in shared Lua files, and the base resources (inventory, phone, multicharacter) were designed to work together. That consistency won people over, especially in English-speaking communities, and a huge number of scripts are published "for QB".

On its state in 2026, sources contradict each other: some say it is alive and well, others feel its pace has slowed. Rather than trusting a comparison, this one included, open its official repository and check three things: the date of the latest changes, the date of the latest release, and how many issues are waiting for an answer. That tells you whether it will still be maintained two years from now.

04QBox: the successor of QBCore, rebuilt on ox

QBox, whose core is called qbx_core, was created on 27 September 2022 as the successor of QBCore. Its authors kept the spirit of QBCore and rebuilt the foundations on the ox suite: ox_lib for shared functions, ox_inventory for the inventory, oxmysql for the database. The core requires OneSync Infinity, runs on Lua 5.4, and ships with multicharacter, multi-job and a queue for full servers out of the box.

Its decisive strength is its bridge: QBox presents itself to other resources as qb-core and answers most scripts written for QBCore without changing them. You keep access to the QB catalogue while starting from a more recent core. Its limits are real: a smaller community than ESX, fewer scripts written for it alone, and fewer tutorials.

05ESX vs QBCore vs QBox: the comparison in one table

None of the three is "the fastest" in absolute terms: on a real server, the installed scripts make the performance difference far more than the core does. Be wary of comparisons that show numbers without saying how they were measured.

06The best FiveM framework in 2026 depends on where you start

• You already run an ESX server with purchased scripts: stay on ESX, or plan a proper migration. Switching frameworks means rewriting or replacing those scripts.
• You run a QBCore server: look at QBox. The bridge runs most of your resources, and you start again on a more recent core.
• You are starting from scratch: QBox is the most consistent choice today, with a recent core and access to the QB catalogue.
• Your team can only develop for ESX: available skills matter as much as technology. A framework nobody can maintain is a bad choice, even if it looks better on paper.
• You do not want to develop at all: then the framework matters less than the next question, who is going to maintain it.

The guide on how to start a FiveM roleplay server walks through every step, from choosing a framework to opening to players.

07What no framework does for you

ESX, QBCore and QBox are foundations, not ready-to-play servers. Whatever you choose, you still have to find a machine, install the core and dozens of resources, set every job, salary and item in files or in the database, then keep up with updates to FiveM, the framework and every script. That is where most projects give up, and where most of the cost of a FiveM server goes.

It is also why server packs sell so well: they skip the installation, but freeze one version of the framework on the day you buy. The risks are covered in the guide on FiveM server packs.

08Why Nova is built on QBox

When we chose the foundation of the Nova base, three reasons tipped the balance towards QBox.

1. A recent, consistent core: the ox suite, Lua 5.4 and OneSync Infinity, a sound base for cities of 64 to 256 players, the sizes of our plans.
2. QBCore compatibility: the bridge keeps most QB scripts working, without having to reinvent a whole catalogue.
3. A core we do not need to rewrite: Nova ships QBox as its authors publish it, with a single fix, declared in its notice. Everything we add lives in our own modules, which keeps QBox upgrades easy to follow.

On top of it, Nova adds 67 modules shipped and updated together (police and justice, medical, economy, phone, vehicles, properties, gangs, radio) and an in-game admin panel with 40 screens. Jobs, grades, salaries, items and permissions are set by typing /admin, instead of editing a Lua file or an SQL table. Before any change that affects players, the panel lists everyone concerned, online or not.

The ox ecosystem resources also answer under their usual names (ox_target, ox_inventory): a script that calls them finds them. ox_lib is provided by nova_lib, and no ox_lib folder exists on disk: in the fxmanifest of a script, the @ox_lib/init.lua line must be replaced with @nova_lib/shared/lib_init.lua, or the console shows "Failed to load script". Finally, Nova Studio integrates each new QBox version, tests it and ships it. It applies at your server’s next restart, with nothing to download.

09Switching frameworks: what carries over

Coming from QBCore is the simplest case: most of your scripts go into the resources/[client] folder from your account area, then get tested in game. Coming from ESX takes more work, because a script written for ESX does not run on QBox without being adapted.

10Run a QBox server without installing anything

If QBox suits you but installing, hosting and updating do not, Nova takes care of them. One subscription per server, hosting, updates and support included: €99 a month for 64 players (NOVA), €149 for 128 players (NOVA+) and €229 for 256 players (NOVA INFINITY). Yearly billing charges ten months for twelve.

The pricing page shows which plans are open today and what each one includes. If you are still weighing it up, the FiveM roleplay framework page presents Nova in detail.

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