QBCore vs ESX — Which FiveM Framework Should You Use?

For a new server in 2026, QBCore is the recommended starting point. Its codebase is modern, actively maintained, and built with TypeScript support from day one — making scripts easier to debug and extend. The QBCore ecosystem has grown to rival ESX in script availability, covering every common server feature: jobs, police, housing, economy, inventory, and more. ESX Legacy remains an excellent alternative if your team already has ESX experience, if you need a specific script that only exists for ESX, or if you're inheriting an existing ESX server. Both frameworks are production-ready and power thousands of successful roleplay servers. The real decision factor is your starting point: fresh build favors QBCore; migration or existing ESX expertise favors ESX Legacy. Either choice gives you access to the ox_lib, ox_inventory, and oxmysql shared ecosystem.

Yes, most ESX scripts can be converted to QBCore with moderate effort, and many popular scripts already have official QBCore ports available. The core concepts are identical — jobs, inventory, player data, vehicle ownership — but the function names, exports, and data structures differ between frameworks. For example, ESX uses ESX.GetPlayerData() while QBCore uses QBCore.Functions.GetPlayerData(). Conversion involves updating these API calls, remapping database column names where they differ, and testing each script after migration. Some scripts that depend on ESX's internal vehicle or money systems need more significant rewrites. Before converting manually, always check the script's GitHub repository or the QBCore resource hub — a community port may already exist. Standalone scripts using only ox_lib, ox_inventory, or no framework at all require no conversion and run on either framework.

QBCore and ESX have a similar learning curve for most developers. QBCore's official documentation at qbcore.gitbook.io is well-structured and covers the most common development patterns clearly. ESX has a larger volume of tutorial content available on YouTube and community forums due to its longer history. For beginners with no prior FiveM experience, ESX tutorials may be easier to find, but QBCore's cleaner codebase often makes the actual development patterns more intuitive once you understand the framework structure. Both require Lua knowledge as a foundation. QBCore's TypeScript support gives it an edge for developers coming from web development backgrounds. The most important factor is not which framework is easier, but which one has better resources available for the specific scripts you plan to develop or install.

A growing number of modern FiveM scripts support both QBCore and ESX through shared compatibility layers or multiple release variants. The most important cross-framework resources are ox_lib (utility functions, UI components, callbacks), ox_inventory (inventory system), ox_target (interaction system), and oxmysql (database layer). These run independently of the framework and integrate with both. Many premium script developers on FiveMX publish framework-specific variants — look for compatibility labels on each product listing. Standalone scripts — those handling vehicle spawning, weather, server events, or administrative functions — typically require no framework-specific code and run on any server. When evaluating a script for cross-framework use, check whether it imports from ESX or QBCore core functions directly, or only from shared libraries. Shared-library-only scripts are the safest bet for framework flexibility.