Tebex vs Direct Sales for FiveM Scripts
If you're planning to start selling FiveM scripts, maps, systems, or other digital assets, one of the first decisions you'll have to make is where you're actually going to sell them.
For most FiveM developers, that conversation starts with Tebex.
And personally, that's where I think it should start.
My recommendation for most developers is simple:
If you're building original FiveM resources and want the easiest route into the FiveM ecosystem, use Tebex.
But Tebex isn't necessarily the perfect solution for every store or every business model.
There are situations where you may want more control over your storefront, payments, delivery system, and overall business. That's where alternatives such as SellAuth become interesting.
So which one should you actually use?
Why I Recommend Tebex First
Tebex is the platform I would recommend to most people starting a FiveM development store.
It's already deeply established within the FiveM ecosystem, customers recognize it, and it removes a lot of the infrastructure you'd otherwise have to manage yourself.
More importantly, FiveM developers have access to the Cfx.re Asset Escrow ecosystem for protecting eligible resources.
If you're selling a premium script that took weeks or months to develop, code protection matters.
You don't want to spend months building something just to send the complete source files to every customer and hope nobody redistributes them.
That's one of the biggest reasons I still prefer Tebex for a traditional FiveM script business.
You're Paying for Convenience
It's easy to look at platform fees and immediately think:
"Why should I give a percentage of every sale away?"
That's a fair question.
But you also have to consider what you're getting in return.
With a managed platform, you're reducing the amount of work required to operate the business side of your store.
Instead of focusing on building an entire ecommerce infrastructure, you can focus on:
• Developing your scripts
• Creating documentation
• Producing showcase videos
• Supporting customers
• Improving existing products
• Building new products
When you're just starting, those things are usually far more important than squeezing every possible percentage point out of your payment processing.
The Problem: Tebex Isn't Right for Everything
This is where things become more complicated.
Tebex operates under its own policies and acceptable-use requirements.
That means you can't simply assume that every product you want to sell will be appropriate for the platform.
This is particularly important in the FiveM community because developers are constantly inspired by systems they've seen on major roleplay servers.
NoPixel, Prodigy RP, EchoRP and other large projects have influenced the wider FiveM ecosystem enormously.
There's nothing unusual about seeing an interesting gameplay concept and thinking:
"I want to build my own version of that."
But there's an important distinction between being inspired by an idea and copying somebody else's intellectual property.
Building your own original implementation of a gameplay concept is very different from taking somebody else's code, branding, artwork, UI assets, proprietary files, or other protected material and reselling it.
And changing your ecommerce platform does not change that.
So Where Does SellAuth Come In?
If you want a more independent digital storefront, SellAuth is the alternative I personally recommend looking at.
SellAuth isn't specifically a FiveM marketplace.
It's a broader ecommerce platform designed for digital products, licenses, subscriptions, and other online goods.
That difference can actually be useful.
Instead of building your business entirely around one gaming ecosystem, you have considerably more control over how your store operates.
SellAuth currently advertises 0% platform transaction fees, although your chosen payment processor can still charge its normal processing fees.
It also supports a wide range of payment methods and processors.
Want to try SellAuth?
Create your store using my referral link:
https://dash.sellauth.com/register?ref=14J3FQ
Disclosure: This is my referral link. I may receive a referral benefit if you register through it.
What I Like About SellAuth
The biggest advantage is control.
SellAuth provides the tools needed to operate a proper digital storefront without forcing you to build the entire ecommerce infrastructure yourself.
Depending on your plan and configuration, you can access features for digital products, payment integrations, fraud protection, API integrations, custom storefront functionality, subscriptions, affiliates and more.
For somebody trying to build an actual development brand rather than simply listing a couple of scripts, that's attractive.
You're getting a proper ecommerce platform while maintaining considerably more control over how your business operates.
Your Payments, Your Accounts
This is another major difference.
With supported payment processors, SellAuth lets you connect your own accounts and payment infrastructure.
That gives you more direct control over how you're getting paid.
But more control also means more responsibility.
Depending on your processor, location and business structure, things such as refunds, disputes, chargebacks, taxes and payment-account compliance may become more directly your responsibility.
That's why I wouldn't tell every new developer to immediately abandon Tebex just because another platform may be cheaper.
Sometimes convenience is worth paying for.
SellAuth's Digital Delivery
SellAuth also isn't just a payment page.
It provides digital-delivery functionality for things such as files, license keys and more advanced integrations.
That's particularly useful if you're building your own licensing or delivery infrastructure.
An experienced development team, for example, may want purchases to communicate with its own backend and automatically provide customers with access to products.
That opens up possibilities that aren't necessarily tied specifically to FiveM.
But There's an Important Asset Escrow Difference
This is where I think FiveM developers need to be careful.
SellAuth's digital-delivery features should not be confused with Cfx.re Asset Escrow.
They're different things.
If your business depends heavily on distributing protected FiveM resources through the established Cfx.re ecosystem, Tebex may still make considerably more sense.
This is why I don't recommend choosing a platform based purely on fees.
Imagine saving money on every transaction but creating a significantly worse protection or delivery system for your most valuable scripts.
That isn't necessarily a saving.
For premium closed-source FiveM resources, protection can be worth considerably more than a few percentage points in transaction costs.
What About NoPixel, Prodigy or Echo-Inspired Scripts?
This deserves its own section because it's something I see developers misunderstand.
There's a massive difference between:
"I saw a cool mechanic on a popular server and built my own system around that idea."
and:
"I copied their code, branding, artwork or proprietary assets and I'm selling them."
Those aren't the same situation.
If your goal is to create your own original implementation of gameplay concepts you've seen around FiveM, you still need to make sure that what you're selling is actually yours to sell.
SellAuth gives sellers flexibility, but it isn't a loophole for intellectual-property infringement.
So don't think:
"Tebex won't accept this, therefore I'll put it on SellAuth."
Think:
"Is this actually my product, and do I have the right to sell everything included in it?"
If the answer is yes and you simply need a more independent ecommerce setup, that's where I think SellAuth becomes worth considering.
Tebex or SellAuth: What Would I Choose?
Here's how I personally look at it.
If You're Just Starting a FiveM Store
Tebex.
Don't overcomplicate it.
Your biggest problem when you're starting probably isn't transaction fees.
It's getting people to actually want your scripts.
Build something good first. Get customers. Learn how support works. Build your reputation.
Then worry about optimizing everything else.
If You're Selling Premium Protected FiveM Scripts
I'd still lean toward Tebex.
Especially if Cfx.re Asset Escrow is an important part of how you're protecting and distributing your resources.
For expensive or complex scripts, protection matters more to me than simply finding the platform with the lowest fee.
If You Want More Control Over Your Store
This is where I'd look at SellAuth.
Maybe you want your own payment setup.
Maybe you're selling more than just FiveM resources.
Maybe you're building your own licensing backend.
Maybe you need webhooks or API-based delivery.
Maybe you want subscriptions, affiliates, custom pages or greater control over your storefront.
SellAuth becomes much more interesting in those situations.
If You're Building Resources Inspired by Popular Servers
First, make sure what you're selling is actually your work.
If you've independently developed an original resource around a gameplay concept, evaluate Tebex normally.
If Tebex isn't suitable for your legitimate product or business model and you need a more independent storefront, then SellAuth is the alternative I'd personally investigate.
But don't use another platform as an excuse to copy protected work.
That's a completely different issue.
Can You Use Both?
Yes — and I actually think this is underrated.
You don't necessarily have to choose one platform and use it for everything forever.
An established development business can use different sales channels for different products.
You might keep your core FiveM resources within the ecosystem that makes the most sense for their distribution and protection while using an independent storefront for other digital products, services, subscriptions or products requiring your own delivery infrastructure.
That's not indecisive.
It's just using the right tool for the right product.
Don't Choose Based Only on Fees
This is probably the biggest mistake developers make when comparing platforms.
They calculate:
Revenue − Platform Fee = Money Lost
But that's incomplete.
You also need to assign value to:
• Code protection
• Payment infrastructure
• Fraud protection
• Customer convenience
• Store management
• Delivery infrastructure
• Your time
• Development effort
• Brand control
A cheaper platform isn't automatically better.
And an expensive platform isn't automatically providing enough value to justify its cost.
The question should always be:
What does my particular business actually need?
My Recommendation
If somebody came to me today and said:
"I'm opening my first FiveM development store. What should I use?"
I'd tell them:
Start with Tebex.
For a traditional FiveM script store, it's still my preferred starting point.
Don't spend weeks building complicated sales infrastructure before you've even proven people want your products.
Focus on creating good resources.
Focus on documentation.
Focus on customer support.
Focus on your brand.
Once your business becomes established, then start asking whether you need something more flexible.
And if you reach the point where you want greater control over payments, storefront customization, subscriptions, affiliates, APIs or your own digital-delivery infrastructure, SellAuth is the alternative I'd recommend checking out.
Ready to Try SellAuth?
If you've decided that an independent storefront makes more sense for your business, you can create your SellAuth store using my referral link:
https://dash.sellauth.com/register?ref=14J3FQ
SellAuth is worth considering if you want greater control over your storefront, payment setup and digital-delivery infrastructure without building an ecommerce platform completely from scratch.
Disclosure: The link above is a referral link. I may receive a referral benefit if you create an account through it.
At the end of the day, don't let your storefront become the project.
Build something worth buying first. Then choose the infrastructure that makes the most sense for selling it.
