VORP vs RSGCore vs RedEM:RP vs QBCore: The Definitive RedM Framework Comparison (2026)

Choosing a framework is the most expensive decision you will make when starting a Red Dead Redemption 2 roleplay server. Every script you buy, every developer you hire, and every hour of configuration is locked to that choice.

Most comparison articles argue this on code quality alone. This one uses live adoption data pulled from the FiveStats API in August 2026: actual server counts for every RedM framework, alongside GitHub commit dates and primary sources.

The data produced one genuinely surprising result, and it is not the one the developer community talks about.

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The Headline: VORP Owns RedM

Here is the RedM resource adoption table. These are RedM-only figures (game=rdr3), not FiveM numbers.

Rank	Resource	Servers	Share of RedM
#1	oxmysql	1,652	78.3%
#6	vorp_core	1,277	60.5%
#8	vorp_inventory	1,267	60.0%
#9	vorp_character	1,224	58.0%
#17	ox_lib	1,008	47.7%
#45	redemrp_menu_base	556	26.3%
#53	ox_target	454	21.5%
#89	rsg-core	292	13.8%
#100	rsg-inventory	273	12.9%
#1,905	redem_roleplay	14	0.7%
#3,192	ox_inventory	7	0.3%
#4,348	qbr-core	4	0.2%

Percentages are against roughly 2,111 tracked RedM servers (Cfx.re data, 28 August 2026).

Filter that to frameworks only, and the market looks like this:

Framework	Servers	Market share	Gap vs VORP
VORP Core	1,277	80.5%	n/a
RSGCore	292	18.4%	4.4× smaller
RedEM:RP	14	0.9%	91× smaller
QBCore RedM	4	0.3%	319× smaller

VORP holds roughly four out of every five RedM servers running an identifiable framework. That is not a lead, it is a near-monopoly.

Three things worth pulling out before we go framework by framework:

1. VORP’s self-reported “1,000+ servers” claim is real, and conservative. The actual figure is 1,277.
2. A dead framework’s menu library is on more servers than the entire #2 framework. redemrp_menu_base sits at 556 servers, 1.9× more installed than rsg-core. More on that below, because it explains something important about RedM script compatibility.
3. QBCore RedM has four servers. Not four hundred. Four.

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How Big Is RedM, Really?

RedM is a much smaller ecosystem than FiveM, and that shapes script availability, developer supply, and support speed.

• RedM: roughly 2,100 active servers, ~10,740 average daily players (Cfx.re data via GTA BOOM, 28 Aug 2026)
• FiveM: roughly 33,050 tracked servers

RedM is about 6% the size of FiveM. That is not a reason to avoid it, roleplay quality is often higher and the market is far less saturated, but it does mean fewer free scripts, fewer developers for hire, and slower answers when you get stuck.

The ox stack won RedM, but only partly

On FiveM, the Overextended “ox” resources dominate: oxmysql (29,783 servers), ox_lib (27,225), ox_target (18,906), ox_inventory (17,083).

On RedM the picture is different, and this catches people out:

Resource	FiveM servers	RedM servers
oxmysql	29,783	1,652 ✅
ox_lib	27,225	1,008 ✅
ox_target	18,906	454 ⚠️
ox_inventory	17,083	7 ❌

oxmysql is universal on RedM. ox_inventory effectively does not exist there: seven servers total. RedM servers use vorp_inventory or rsg-inventory instead, because inventory is the one component that must be built against RDR2’s own item and prop systems.

If you are coming from FiveM, do not assume your ox_inventory knowledge transfers. It does not.

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VORP Core: The Market Leader

Platform: RedM · License: GPL-2.0+ · Repos: 62 · Servers: 1,277 (#6 on RedM) · GitHub: github.com/vorpcore

VORP is not merely the most popular RedM framework, it is the default. At 1,277 servers it outranks ox_lib in RedM adoption and sits sixth overall among all RedM resources.

The VORP stack ships as one unit

Look at the attach rates:

• vorp_inventory, 1,267 servers = 99.2% of VORP installs
• vorp_character, 1,224 servers = 95.8% of VORP installs

Almost nobody runs vorp_core standalone. When you adopt VORP you adopt the whole stack, which is worth knowing when you budget migration effort later.

History and architecture

VORP launched in June 2020, originally in C#, which is unusual in a Lua-dominated ecosystem. A Lua core came later and is now the standard path, though both txAdmin recipes still exist. Older tutorials insisting on the .NET runtime are describing the legacy route.

What you get:

• Multi-character system: database-driven, configurable character limit per user
• vorp_inventory-v2: item-registry inventory with weight limits, unique weapons carrying serial numbers and metadata, a stashes API, and item drops rendered as world props
• Jobs and groups with grades, exposed through exports and event listeners
• State bags for character data sync
• Menu API (vorp_menu) for NUI
• Config-driven economy: starting money, gold, RP currency, XP

The org also holds vorp_admin, vorp_banking, vorp_stores, vorp_metabolism, vorp_weaponsv2, vorp_crafting, vorp_hunting, vorp_fishing, vorp_lib, and the genuinely useful RDR3natives reference. vorp_core has ~46 stars and 87 forks, with commits into July 2026.

Why choose VORP

Network effects. With 80% market share, VORP has by far the largest catalogue of free and paid RedM scripts, the most tutorials, the most YouTube walkthroughs, and the largest pool of people who have already hit your exact error. If your concept needs bounty hunting, train robberies or a saloon minigame, the odds are highest someone already built it for VORP.

For a server owner who is not a developer, that advantage outweighs everything else in this article.

Why you might not

VORP carries well-documented governance complaints. The widely cited ViceFX/munafio comparison accuses the lead developer of arbitrary Discord bans, opaque rule changes, and distributing SQL updates through Discord rather than GitHub releases. It states that “many developers have faced bans for minor infractions or even for no reason at all… All of them switched to RSG.”

That is community sentiment, not established fact, and the adoption data suggests the exodus was smaller than the discourse implies. Still, the practical lesson stands: keep local backups of every script and SQL file you receive, and never rely on Discord as your only update channel.

Docs: docs.vorp-core.com · Discord: ~11,400 members

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RSGCore: The Developers’ Choice

Platform: RedM · License: GPL-3.0 · Servers: 292 (#89 on RedM) · GitHub: github.com/Rexshack-RedM

RSGCore is the framework experienced developers recommend. It is also, by the numbers, 4.4× smaller than VORP, a gap most articles (including earlier versions of this one) understate.

Both things are true at once, and you should weigh them honestly.

It is QBCore, ported properly

“The RSG framework, created by RexShack in early 2023, is a derivative of the popular QBCore from FiveM, specifically adapted for RedM.”

The lineage is visible in the code. RSGCore’s license header reads “RSG RedM Framework Copyright (C) 2015-2022 ESX (Jérémie N’gadi), Joshua Eger”, the same chain as qb-core. Its resources credit qbcore-redm-framework/qbr-* as “base inspiration,” and rsg-inventory is documented as “Converted from qb-inventory fully optimized for RedM.”

RSGCore is the living continuation of the QBCore-on-RedM idea that qbr-core started and abandoned. Given qbr-core sits at 4 servers and rsg-core at 292, RSGCore won that succession decisively.

Architecture

If you have written QBCore scripts, you already know RSGCore:

• A single consistent RSGCore object with uniform exports, events and callbacks
• QB-style shared/config structure
• Player data with metadata, plus jobs and gangs
• rsg-inventory with stashes, horse storage, and player trading with escrow (attach rate: 93.5% of RSG installs)
• Built on ox_lib, ox_target and oxmysql
• rsg-horses: horse ownership, XP and bonding, a genuine RedM-native standout

rsg-core has ~25 stars and 43 forks with commits into August 2026. Actively maintained.

Why choose RSGCore

• Cleanest codebase on RedM. Consistent patterns, modern dependencies, sane structure.
• Fastest onboarding for FiveM developers. A QBCore dev is productive in hours.
• Simplest install anywhere. One txAdmin recipe URL deploys the whole stack.
• Community reputation. Active and welcoming, without the governance friction.

The honest caveat

At 292 servers you are in a much smaller ecosystem. Fewer prebuilt scripts, fewer tutorials, a smaller pool of developers who already know it, and more situations where you will build something yourself rather than buy it.

If your team can write Lua, that is a fair trade for better architecture. If it cannot, it is a real cost, and the 4.4× adoption gap is the number to weigh it against.

Docs: rexshack-gaming.gitbook.io/rsg · Site: rsg-core.com

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RedEM:RP: Dead Framework, Living Legacy

Platform: RedM · License: GPL-3.0 / mixed · Servers: 14 (#1,905) · GitHub: github.com/RedEM-RP

RedEM launched in December 2019 by Kanersps, making it the original RedM roleplay framework. RedEM:RP is the roleplay layer, later maintained by Sinatra with contributors Ktos and amakuu.

redem_roleplay now runs on 14 servers. As a framework, it is finished.

But here is the surprising part

redemrp_menu_base is installed on 556 servers, rank #45 on RedM.

That is 26.3% of all RedM servers, and 1.9× more installations than rsg-core, the entire second-place framework.

The framework died; its menu library did not. Huge numbers of RedM scripts, including third-party and paid ones written years ago, were built against redemrp_menu_base, so server owners keep it loaded purely as a dependency. Many of them are running VORP and have no idea the file is a RedEM artifact.

This matters practically:

• If you install an older RedM script and it silently fails, check whether it expects redemrp_menu_base. It is one of the most common missing-dependency errors on RedM.
• It also explains why RedM script compatibility feels messier than FiveM’s: a substantial slice of the ecosystem still leans on a library whose parent framework has been abandoned for years.

Current status

The ViceFX/munafio comparison summarises RedEM:RP as “Script incompatibility between versions / Development seemingly abandoned / Community slowly migrating to alternatives.” Most repos last saw meaningful updates in 2023–2024, and it still uses esplugin_mysql and mysql-async rather than the now-universal oxmysql.

Where it still has value: the codebase is clean and readable, making it a reasonable way to learn RedM architecture. Do not launch a community on it.

The current maintainer now leads RPX, a newer framework offering compatibility wrappers for RedEM:RP, QBR-Core and VORP resources.

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QBCore RedM (qbr-core): Four Servers

Platform: RedM · License: GPL-3.0 · Repos: 35 · Servers: 4 (#4,348) · GitHub: github.com/qbcore-redm

Most comparison articles state flatly that “QBCore is FiveM-only.” That is wrong, QBCore has an official RedM port, and it is a substantial codebase. The real story is more interesting.

Origin

Announced on the Cfx.re forums on 11 August 2021 by Kakarot:

“I’m happy to announce that the FiveM QBCore framework is actively being ported over to the RedM platform! It’s definitely a work in progress with no estimated completion date but we are working as fast as we can!”

Two GitHub organisations

Org	Name	Repos	Notes
qbcore-redm-framework	QBCore RedM Edition	34	The original home
qbcore-redm	QBCore RedM	35	Newer org, official QBCore branding

The newer org carries the official QBCore identity, qbcore.org, discord.gg/qbcore, X @qbcore, YouTube @QBCoreFramework, and a contact address on the qbcore.org domain. Its profile README was published on 24 August 2026:

“QBCore RedM brings the QBCore development model to RedM… It provides open-source foundations and resources for community-run roleplay servers.”

What’s in it

All resources use the qbr-* prefix with the header “QBCore Framework Copyright (C) 2021 Joshua Eger”, identical lineage to qb-core and rsg-core.

Core and systems: qbr-core (Lua, 22★), qbr-inventory (JavaScript), qbr-multicharacter, qbr-target (fork of qbcore-fivem/qb-target), qbr-clothing, qbr-spawn, qbr-hud, qbr-menu, qbr-adminmenu, qbr-scoreboard, qbr-management, qbr-doorlock, qbr-smallresources, progressbar, PolyZone, safecracker

Jobs and economy: qbr-policejob, qbr-ambulancejob, qbr-banking, qbr-shops

RedM-native content: qbr-stable (horse purchasing), qbr-moonshine, qbr-mining, qbr-hunting, qbr-farming, qbr-contraband, qbr-interiors

There is even a working txAdminRecipe. On paper, a complete framework.

The catch

Repository	Last updated
qbr-core	4 January 2024
qbr-weapons	7 April 2024
qbr-inventory	31 January 2024
txAdminRecipe	11 December 2023
qbr-stable	29 May 2023

The core has not been updated since January 2024, roughly two and a half years of silence.

And the adoption data confirms what that produced: 4 servers. Against VORP’s 1,277, that is a 319× gap. Four servers is indistinguishable from a handful of test instances.

The August 2026 timestamps on qbr-target, qbr-adminmenu and .github coincide exactly with the new profile README going up, consistent with a migration and consolidation, not a revival. Supporting signals: 3 followers, no public members, and qbr-target’s description still reading “A better interaction system for FiveM”, an un-edited fork artifact.

Verdict

Consolidated but dormant. If you want QBCore’s design model on RedM in 2026, the answer is RSGCore: same lineage, same GPL-3.0 headers, same mental model, 73× the install base, and still shipping code.

Worth bookmarking github.com/qbcore-redm in case the 2026 consolidation precedes a revival, but do not build on it today.

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QBCore (FiveM): The Reference Point

Platform: FiveM / GTA V · License: GPL-3.0 · Servers: 7,097 · GitHub: github.com/qbcore-framework

QBCore proper is a GTA V framework, not a RedM one. It matters here because both RSGCore and QBCore RedM are ports of it.

qb-core has ~731 stars and ~987 forks, among the most-forked repos in the FiveM ecosystem, anchoring 200+ resources. FiveStats puts it at 7,097 servers (21.5% of FiveM).

The Qbox situation

QBCore is widely described as having stagnated. That frustration produced Qbox (qbx_core), a hard fork created 27 September 2022 by contributors aligned with the Overextended team. It targets Lua 5.4, defaults to ox_lib and ox_inventory, uses state-bag-driven sync, and ships a compatibility bridge running roughly 99% of well-written QB scripts unmodified. Already at 5,737 servers.

FiveM framework standings

• ESX (es_extended): 11,991 servers. Oldest, largest by history. Not script-compatible with QBCore.
• QBCore (qb-core): 7,097 servers. Biggest script library, slowing development.
• Qbox (qbx_core): 5,737 servers. Modern, faster, more secure. Recommended for new FiveM builds.

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Full Comparison Table

Dimension	VORP Core	RSGCore	RedEM:RP	QBCore RedM	QBCore (FiveM)
Live servers	1,277	292	14	4	7,097
RedM rank	#6	#89	#1,905	#4,348	n/a
Market share	80.5%	18.4%	0.9%	0.3%	n/a
Platform	RedM	RedM	RedM	RedM	FiveM
Released	June 2020	Early 2023	December 2019	August 2021	2021
Language	Lua (was C#)	Lua	Lua	Lua + JS	Lua
Lineage	Original	QBCore port	Original	QBCore port	ESX-derived
Database	oxmysql	oxmysql	esplugin_mysql	oxmysql	oxmysql
Inventory	vorp_inventory-v2	rsg-inventory	Built-in	qbr-inventory	qb-inventory / ox
Inventory attach rate	99.2%	93.5%	n/a	n/a	n/a
License	GPL-2.0+	GPL-3.0	GPL-3.0 / mixed	GPL-3.0	GPL-3.0
Repositories	62	40+	~20	35	200+
Last core update	Jul 2026	Aug 2026	2023–24	Jan 2024	Slowed
Actively developed	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	⚠️ Slowed
txAdmin recipe	✅ Yes	✅ One-paste	✅ Yes	⚠️ 2023-era	✅ Yes
Documentation	Good	Growing	Legacy	READMEs only	Extensive
Script library	🥇 Largest	🥈 Growing	Legacy	Frozen	Largest (FiveM)
Beginner friendly	High	Medium	Low	Low	High
2026 verdict	✅ Default choice	✅ For dev teams	❌ Avoid	❌ Avoid	FiveM only

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Which Framework Should You Choose?

You are a server owner, not a developer. → VORP Core. Browse our own VORP-compatible scripts to see the kind of catalogue that market share buys you. With 80% market share, the script library and tutorial coverage will save you more time and money than clean architecture ever will. Budget for paid scripts, keep local backups.

You have a competent Lua developer on the team. → RSGCore. Our RSG-compatible scripts run on it out of the box. Better architecture, modern dependencies, a healthier community. Go in knowing you are choosing a 292-server ecosystem over a 1,277-server one, and that you will build more yourself.

You already write QBCore scripts for FiveM. → RSGCore. Productive almost immediately. Do not reach for qbr-core because the name matches, it has 4 servers.

You specifically want “QBCore on RedM.” → RSGCore. qbr-core is the literal answer and the wrong one.

You are currently on RedEM:RP. → Migrate. VORP for maximum ready-made content, RSGCore for modern architecture. You are rebuilding scripts either way, so choose on long-term fit, not migration cost.

You are on a tight budget. → VORP Core. The largest pool of free scripts stretches limited funds furthest.

You are actually building on GTA V. → Qbox for a new server; QBCore only if you depend on QB-specific paid resources.

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If you want scripts that sidestep the whole dilemma, every RedMorrow script ships with VORP, RSG, RedEM:RP and standalone support in one resource, with the framework detected automatically at start-up.

Setting Up Your RedM Server

Requirements for every framework

• A legitimate copy of RDR2 on every connecting client
• FXServer artifacts: build_server_windows or build_proot_linux from runtime.fivem.net/artifacts
• A free Cfx.re license key from Keymaster
• txAdmin (bundled; web panel on port 40120)
• MySQL or MariaDB plus oxmysql (on 78.3% of RedM servers, effectively mandatory)
• Usually ox_lib (47.7%) and often ox_target (21.5%)
• Ports 30120 (TCP/UDP) and 40120 open
• Default OneSync supports 48 players; up to 1024 via Element Club

VORP install

1. Create your server folder and download the artifacts
2. Run FXServer and link txAdmin
3. Deploy the VORP txAdmin recipe (vorp_recipe.yaml, Lua or C# variant)

Manually: install oxmysql, set mysql_connection_string, place vorp_core in resources/[vorp], import the SQL, ensure oxmysql before vorp_core, load plugins after the core.

Common pitfalls: resource load order, and the required steam_webApiKey.

RSGCore install (easiest)

In txAdmin choose Remote URL deployment and paste:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Rexshack-RedM/txAdminRecipe/main/rsgcore.yaml

This auto-downloads rsg-core, rsg-inventory, rsg-multicharacter, rsg-appearance and the rest. Then install MariaDB, create the database, import the SQL, set credentials in config.lua.

QBCore RedM install

A txAdminRecipe exists, and the README directs you to start with qbr-core. Because the recipe dates from December 2023, expect to pin older FXServer artifacts and patch anything assuming a 2023-era environment. Not recommended for production.

RedEM:RP install

Legacy stack: esplugin_mysql and mysql-async rather than oxmysql. Create a redemrp database, then ensure redem followed by ensure redem_roleplay.

The dependency nobody warns you about

If an older RedM script fails silently, check whether it needs redemrp_menu_base. It runs on 556 servers (26.3% of RedM) despite its parent framework being dead, because so many scripts were written against it. This is one of the most common missing-dependency errors on RedM.

Hosting and costs

RedM is CPU-clock-sensitive: script execution is largely single-threaded and SQL round-trips dominate under load. Prioritise clock speed over core count.

Specialist hosts run from roughly £4.80/month, typically bundling txAdmin, one-click recipes, MariaDB and DDoS protection.

Self-hosting: modern high-clock CPU, NVMe storage, 8–16 GB RAM.

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Final Recommendations

1. Default choice: VORP Core. The adoption data is decisive: 80.5% market share, 1,277 servers, the largest script library on RedM. For anyone who is not writing their own code, this is the low-risk answer. Keep local backups of everything you receive.

2. Developer choice: RSGCore. Better architecture, modern dependencies, active maintenance, a healthier community. Choose it with clear eyes: you are accepting a 4.4× smaller ecosystem in exchange for code you will enjoy working in.

3. Do not start new servers on RedEM:RP (14 servers) or QBCore RedM (4 servers). Both are historically significant and both are finished.

4. “QBCore on RedM” means RSGCore in 2026: same lineage, 73× the install base, still shipping.

5. Watch for redemrp_menu_base dependencies when installing older scripts. 556 servers still load it.

6. Building on GTA V? Prefer Qbox for new servers.

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Server counts pulled from the FiveStats API on 28 August 2026 and change constantly. Framework percentages are calculated against ~2,111 tracked RedM servers. Market-share figures use the 1,587 servers running an identified framework.

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