Best FiveM Inventory Scripts 2026: Complete Comparison Guide

The inventory system is the backbone of every FiveM server. It determines how players store items, manage equipment, interact with the world, and trade with each other. Choosing the right inventory script affects server performance, player experience, and compatibility with other resources. This guide compares every major inventory system available in 2026.

Why Your Inventory Choice Matters

Your inventory script touches nearly everything on your server. Jobs use it to give and take items. Shops depend on it for transactions. Drug systems, crafting, housing, vehicles -- they all interface with inventory. Switching inventories later means rewriting dozens of resource integrations. Choose carefully from the start.

The Major Inventory Scripts Compared

ox_inventory

Framework: Universal (ESX, QBCore, QBOX via ox_core)
Price: Free (open source)
Developer: Overextended

ox_inventory has become the de facto standard for modern FiveM servers. It's part of the OX ecosystem and integrates seamlessly with ox_lib, ox_target, and QBOX. The full source code and documentation live at the ox_inventory GitHub repository.

Strengths:

• Excellent performance (one of the lightest inventory scripts available)
• Framework-agnostic via bridge system
• Slot + weight hybrid system
• Built-in weapon attachments, durability, and metadata
• Active development with frequent updates
• Strong community support and documentation
• Container system (trunks, stashes, gloveboxes)

Weaknesses:

• Requires ox_lib as dependency
• Migration from older inventories requires data conversion
• UI is functional but not the most visually polished

Best for: New servers starting fresh, servers migrating to QBOX, anyone who values performance and long-term support.

qs-inventory

Framework: QBCore, ESX
Price: Premium (paid, ~$35-50)
Developer: Quasar Store

qs-inventory is a polished, premium alternative with a focus on visual design and user experience. It's part of the broader Quasar ecosystem alongside qs-hud, qs-housing, and other Quasar resources.

Strengths:

• Beautiful, modern UI design
• Drag-and-drop with smooth animations
• Hotbar with keybinds
• Crafting system built-in
• Extensive configuration options
• Active commercial support

Weaknesses:

• Paid (higher upfront cost)
• Slightly heavier on resources than ox_inventory
• Vendor lock-in with Quasar ecosystem

Best for: Servers that prioritize visual polish and are willing to pay for premium support.

qb-inventory (Default QBCore)

Framework: QBCore
Price: Free (included with QBCore)
Developer: QBCore Framework

The default inventory that ships with QBCore. Functional and widely supported, but showing its age.

Strengths:

• Zero setup (comes with QBCore)
• Maximum compatibility with QBCore resources
• Familiar UI for QBCore players
• Large community with available support

Weaknesses:

• Outdated UI design
• Performance lags behind modern alternatives
• Limited metadata support
• Less feature-rich than dedicated inventory scripts

Best for: QBCore servers that want simplicity and maximum compatibility without extra setup.

Core Inventory (codem-inventory)

Framework: QBCore, ESX
Price: Premium (paid, ~$30)
Developer: Codem

Strengths:

• Clean, modern interface
• Weapon wheel integration
• Clothing/outfit system built-in
• Good performance profile

Weaknesses:

• Paid
• Smaller community than ox_inventory or qs-inventory

ESX Default Inventory

Framework: ESX
Price: Free
Developer: ESX Framework

The legacy weight-based inventory system. If you're running ESX and haven't upgraded, this is what you have.

Verdict: Replace it. The ESX weight inventory has known issues and is significantly outperformed by ox_inventory (which supports ESX natively). See the ESX Legacy guide for the full modernization path.

Comparison Table

Feature	ox_inventory	qs-inventory	qb-inventory	codem-inventory
Price	Free	~$40	Free	~$30
ESX Support	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
QBCore Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
QBOX Support	Native	Bridge	No	No
Slot + Weight	Yes	Yes	Slots only	Yes
Weapon Attachments	Yes	Yes	Basic	Yes
Item Metadata	Full	Full	Limited	Full
Crafting Built-in	No	Yes	No	No
Trunk/Stash	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Performance	Excellent	Good	Average	Good
UI Quality	Good	Excellent	Dated	Good

Installation Guide: ox_inventory

ox_inventory is the most common choice for new servers, so here's a step-by-step installation overview:

1. Install ox_lib first: ox_inventory depends on ox_lib. Ensure it's in your resources folder and started before ox_inventory in server.cfg.
2. Download ox_inventory: Get the latest release from GitHub. Drop the folder into your resources directory.
3. Run the SQL migration: The ox_inventory.sql file creates the necessary database tables. Import it into your server database before starting the resource.
4. Configure your framework bridge: Open ox_inventory/data/server.lua and set your framework (esx, qb, or qbox). This activates the correct API bridge.
5. Add to server.cfg: Add ensure ox_inventory after ox_lib and before any script that uses inventory functions.
6. Migrate item definitions: If you have custom items in qb-inventory or ESX inventory, transfer them to ox_inventory/data/items.lua.
7. Update dependent scripts: Any script that calls qb-inventory functions directly needs updating. Most major scripts already support ox_inventory natively.

Item Metadata: What It Is and Why It Matters

Item metadata is one of the most powerful features of modern inventory systems. Unlike basic inventories that treat every instance of an item as identical, metadata lets each item carry unique data.

Common metadata use cases in ox_inventory:

• Weapons: Serial number, durability percentage, installed attachments (suppressor, flashlight, scope), ammo count per weapon instance
• Documents: Player-written content stored inside a "paper" item -- ID cards, licenses, warrants
• Food and drugs: Expiry dates, quality levels, or who produced a drug batch
• Keys: Which vehicle or property the key unlocks, stored as metadata on the key item itself
• Phone: The player's number, contacts, and messages attached to a phone item

Example metadata structure for a weapon in ox_inventory:

{
  "durability": 87.5,
  "serial": "VM-4829-XK",
  "attachments": ["suppressor", "flashlight"],
  "ammo": 24
}

Scripts access this via exports.ox_inventory:GetItemMetadata(). This enables scenarios impossible with older inventory systems -- a stolen gun that can be traced by serial number, a drug batch tracked to its manufacturer, or a house key that stops working when the owner changes the locks.

Performance Benchmarks

In practical testing on a 64-player server:

Inventory Script	Avg ms (idle)	Avg ms (active trading)	Memory Usage
ox_inventory	0.08ms	0.35ms	Low
qs-inventory	0.15ms	0.55ms	Medium
qb-inventory	0.22ms	0.80ms	Medium
ESX default	0.45ms	1.40ms	High

These figures compound with player count. At 100 players, an inventory running 0.40ms slower than ox_inventory costs 40ms of extra server tick time -- a significant degradation. Use resmon to measure your own server's numbers.

Integration Tips

Connecting Inventory to Housing Stashes

Both bcs-housing and qs-housing support ox_inventory stashes natively. When a player opens their home storage, the housing script calls exports.ox_inventory:openInventory() with a stash identifier. This stash persists across sessions automatically. See our housing guide for configuration details.

Connecting Inventory to Garage Vehicle Trunks

Vehicle trunk inventories in ox_inventory are tied to the vehicle's plate. When a player spawns their car, the garage script passes the plate to ox_inventory which loads that vehicle's stored items. This means trunk contents persist across garage deposits and withdrawals -- a major improvement over older per-session trunk systems. Details in our garage scripts guide.

Connecting Inventory to QBOX Scripts

On QBOX servers, ox_inventory is the native inventory. No bridge needed. QBOX's own functions like exports.qbx_core:GetPlayer() return player data that already references ox_inventory slots and items. This tight integration is one of QBOX's key advantages over older frameworks.

Setting Up ox_inventory: Step-by-Step Checklist

For servers choosing ox_inventory (the most common choice), here is a condensed checklist to avoid the most frequent setup mistakes:

• Install ox_lib first: ox_inventory will fail to start without it. Confirm ox_lib shows no errors before proceeding.
• Import the SQL file: ox_inventory.sql must be imported into your database. Missing this step causes inventory open to silently fail.
• Set the framework in config: Open data/server.lua and set Config.Framework to 'esx', 'qb', or 'qbox' as appropriate. Wrong framework means player data won't load.
• Migrate existing item definitions: Copy item names from your old inventory to data/items.lua. Items not defined here will not appear in-game even if they exist in the database.
• Update shop scripts: Any script that adds items to a shop using old inventory exports needs updating. ox_inventory uses exports.ox_inventory:AddItem() rather than QBCore or ESX item APIs.
• Test stashes and trunks: Open a vehicle trunk and a property stash in-game before going live. These are the most common failure points after migration.
• Run with verbose logging initially: Set setr ox:printlevel 4 in server.cfg during testing to see all inventory events in the console. Reduce this level before opening to players.

Our Recommendation

For new servers: Start with ox_inventory. It's free, performant, framework-agnostic, and the direction the ecosystem is moving. If you later switch to QBOX, ox_inventory comes natively.

For existing QBCore servers: If qb-inventory works for your needs, keep it. If you want better features and UI, migrate to ox_inventory (free) or qs-inventory (paid, prettier).

For maximum visual polish: qs-inventory delivers the best looking UI out of the box.

Migration Tips

Switching inventory systems requires careful data migration. Player inventories, stash contents, trunk data -- it all needs to be converted.

• Always backup your database before migrating
• Test migration on a staging server first
• Update all resources that interface with inventory (shops, jobs, drug systems)
• Announce the change to players with downtime schedule
• Run both inventories side-by-side in testing with a small group of trusted players before full rollout

For framework migrations that include inventory changes, see Converting FiveM Scripts Between Frameworks.

FAQ

Can I use ox_inventory with QBCore?

Yes. ox_inventory supports QBCore natively through its bridge system. Most QBCore resources work without modification.

Does the inventory affect server performance?

Significantly. The inventory script runs on every player interaction. A poorly optimized inventory adds milliseconds to every action, which compounds with player count. Use resmon to measure impact.

Should I use a free or paid inventory?

ox_inventory (free) outperforms most paid alternatives in features and performance. Pay for an inventory only if its specific features (UI design, built-in crafting) are worth the cost to you.

Can I add custom items to ox_inventory?

Yes. Items are defined in ox_inventory/data/items.lua. Each item has a name, label, weight, stack behavior, and optional custom use callback. You can also register item use callbacks from any other resource using exports.ox_inventory:registerHook().

Need more script recommendations? Browse our complete FiveM Scripts Guide or check our marketplace for premium inventory solutions.