ox_inventory vs qb-inventory: Full Comparison for 2026

Choosing the wrong inventory system is the most disruptive migration you can do on a live FiveM server — every script that touches items needs to be verified, and player inventory data needs database migration. Make this decision once. Here is the complete 2026 comparison.

qb-inventory Overview

qb-inventory ships with QBCore by default and has been the de facto standard on QBCore servers since 2021. It is stable, well-documented and every native QBCore script expects it to be present.

• Slot-based inventory (default: 41 slots, 120 weight)
• Stashes, trunks, shops built in
• No item metadata support — items cannot carry additional data
• UI: functional grid layout, limited customisation without modifying source files
• Active development: slowing in 2025 as ox_inventory adoption grows

ox_inventory Overview

ox_inventory is an open-source framework-agnostic inventory that has become the de facto standard on both ESX and QBCore by 2026. It was designed for item metadata from the ground up — items can carry arbitrary data (a weapon's serial number, a phone's contact list, tool durability).

• Slot-based with full metadata support per item
• Shops, stashes, crafting and weapon components built in
• Framework-agnostic: works on ESX, QBCore, QBox and standalone
• UI: actively maintained, polished, React-based NUI
• Community: largest active contributor base of any FiveM inventory in 2026

Feature Comparison

• Item metadata: ox_inventory ✓ — qb-inventory ✗
• Framework agnostic: ox_inventory ✓ — qb-inventory ✗ (QBCore only)
• Crafting system: ox_inventory ✓ — qb-inventory ✗
• Weapon components: ox_inventory ✓ — qb-inventory limited
• Drop-in QBCore support: both ✓
• Existing QBCore script compatibility: qb-inventory ✓ — ox_inventory ✓ (via bridge)

Performance

Both inventories perform similarly at typical server loads. ox_inventory has a slight edge on servers with 80+ concurrent players performing constant inventory interactions, due to better SQL query batching and a more efficient item update event system.

Migration Considerations

Migrating from qb-inventory to ox_inventory on a live server requires:

1. A database migration script to convert item data format
2. Testing every resource that uses exports['qb-inventory'] calls
3. Verifying weapon component data carries over correctly
4. A server-down maintenance window of 2–4 hours minimum

Run the migration on a copy of the production database first and test for 48 hours before doing it live.

Our Verdict

New servers: ox_inventory. The metadata system future-proofs your item design and the community and documentation are better.

Existing qb-inventory servers: migrate only during a planned rebuild. The disruption is not worth it for a stable live server.

FiveMotive scripts expose a config flag for both inventories — no code changes required regardless of which system you use.