How to Monetize a FiveM Server Legally (Cfx.re ToS Guide 2026)

Server monetization is the topic that gets the most server owners in trouble. The rules look simple on paper, get fuzzy in practice, and the enforcement is uneven — meaning servers can break the rules for months until one report wakes up the Cfx.re moderation team and suddenly everything ends overnight.

The good news: doing it right is straightforward once you understand the framing. The whole Cfx.re ToS for monetization can be reduced to one principle, with everything else flowing from there.

The one principle

Read this twice:

What's allowed (the green list)

• Priority queue / skip queue — letting paying players join faster when the server is full.
• Cosmetic vehicles — paid skins, paint jobs, custom plates. The car has to drive identically to the free version.
• Cosmetic clothing / character customization — paid clothing packs, accessories. No stat bonuses.
• Server-wide cosmetic effects — paid emote packs, custom death sounds.
• Custom plates / names / IDs — vanity stuff.
• Additional character slots — within reason. 4-6 slots is normal, anything more starts looking like P2W.
• Custom housing slots — extra apartments. Same houses, just owning more of them.
• Discord roles tied to donation — VIP role, custom color. Out-of-game perks are fine.
• Recurring donation packages — €5/month VIP that bundles the above.

What's forbidden (the red list)

Sell any of these and you risk losing your server:

• In-game currency for real money — the cardinal sin. You cannot sell $10,000 in-game for €10 real money. Players have to earn it.
• Better weapons / armor / vehicles than free players have access to — performance must be identical.
• Paid-only jobs or factions — if free players literally cannot access a job, it's P2W.
• Boost packages — "2x XP for VIPs," "double income," "faster crafting." All forbidden.
• Selling existing in-game items — you can't sell crates, keys, or items that drop in the game economy.
• Anything that makes paying players harder to kill — extra HP, extra armor, longer regen, immunity windows.
• Cosmetic items with hidden stats — looks like a normal jacket but gives +20 armor. Common trap; gets servers banned.

The gray zone (proceed with caution)

These aren't explicitly banned but get servers reported:

• Paid garage slots — usually OK if "slots" is just storage. NOT OK if more slots = own more vehicles than non-paying players can.
• Custom housing — fine if it's purely cosmetic. NOT OK if VIP houses come with extra storage/safes.
• "Priority support" — fine as a phrase. Not fine if it means faster admin response to in-game issues (counts as advantage).
• Custom vehicles with "racing variants" — common P2W gateway. The "racing variant" always ends up faster.
• Whitelist applications — selling whitelist is allowed if approval criteria are unchanged. Selling guaranteed approval is selling whitelist.

The Tebex requirement

Since 2022, Cfx.re requires monetization to flow through Tebex (now Overwolf-owned). Cash app, PayPal direct, Patreon, Stripe — all banned for FiveM monetization. The reasoning is that Tebex has integrations that Cfx.re can audit, so they can enforce the rules.

What this means in practice:

• You sign up at tebex.io as a FiveM creator
• You list your packages there (VIP tier, cosmetic packs, queue priority)
• Players buy on your Tebex page
• Tebex notifies your FiveM server (via webhook or polling) about the purchase
• Your server grants the perk in-game

Setting up Tebex correctly

1. Create the Tebex store

Sign up at tebex.io with your server's email. Pick "FiveM" as the platform. Tebex charges a 4.95% transaction fee on top of payment processor fees (typically Stripe's 2.9% + €0.25). Plan for ~8% total processing cost when pricing packages.

2. Get your secret key

From Tebex dashboard: Settings → Server / Setup. Copy the secret key. This goes into your FiveM script.

3. Install a Tebex integration script

The official Tebex script (tebex-fivem) handles command execution. When a player buys a package, Tebex sends a webhook to your server, which runs commands you've predefined (give VIP role, grant item, etc).

For simple setups this is enough. For complex monetization (database-tracked subscriptions, tier-aware access, expiring perks), most servers use a custom integration. devCon VIP Check for example exposes shared exports so any of your scripts can gate features by tier without each one re-implementing Tebex polling.

4. Define your packages

Start with 2-3 tiers. More than that confuses buyers. The "good / better / best" model works:

BRONZE - €5/month
  Priority queue (mid-tier)
  3 extra character slots
  Custom plate colors
  VIP Discord role

SILVER - €10/month
  Everything in Bronze
  Top-tier priority queue
  6 extra character slots
  Custom plate text
  10 cosmetic vehicle skins
  Custom death sound

GOLD - €25/month
  Everything in Silver
  Personal Discord channel
  Custom phone wallpaper
  Founder badge in-game
  Beta access to new scripts

Notice what's NOT in any tier: more in-game money, better weapons, faster cars, exclusive jobs. Everything tier-locked is cosmetic, queue, or out-of-game.

Pricing strategy

Pricing is harder than ToS compliance. A few rules:

• The €5/month entry tier is psychological gold. Most subscribers cluster here. Make it good enough that they don't feel ripped off.
• The top tier exists for whales. 1-2% of paying players will pay 5x the base price for status. Make it €25-50, deliver the cosmetics, no in-game advantage.
• One-time cosmetic packs convert better than subscriptions. €15 for a one-time vehicle pack has lower friction than €5/month forever.
• Don't discount aggressively. 50%-off sales train customers to wait for sales. Use seasonal events (Halloween cosmetic pack) instead.
• Refund policy: state it explicitly. "Digital goods, no refunds after delivery" is the standard. EU customers can claim consumer protection for 14 days unless they explicitly waive — Tebex handles the waiver UI.

Revenue expectations (be realistic)

Approximate revenue ranges from servers in our network:

• 30-50 active players: €100-300/month gross. Maybe break-even with hosting + script costs.
• 100-150 active players: €500-1500/month gross. Hobby-sustainable.
• 250-400 active players: €2000-6000/month gross. Possible to pay one or two part-time devs.
• 500+ active players: €8000-25000+/month gross. Real business territory.

The conversion rate (paying vs free players) tends to sit around 8-15% on healthy servers. Below 5%, your packages aren't compelling enough. Above 25%, you're probably edging into P2W territory.

Out-of-game perks: the underrated lever

Some of the most engaging VIP perks aren't in the game at all:

• Discord-only channels — private VIP lounge, dev sneak-peek channel, suggestion direct-to-staff channel.
• Beta access — new scripts roll out to VIPs first.
• Early polls / vote weight — VIPs get advance say on planned changes.
• Founder credits — name in the loading screen scroll, founder tag in-game UI.
• Annual swag — actual physical T-shirt for top-tier subscribers. Surprisingly effective for retention.

These bypass all P2W concerns because they don't affect gameplay. They reward community membership instead of paying for power.

Handling the legal side (EU / German servers)

If your server's main audience is in Germany or the EU:

• You need an Impressum. If you're selling subscriptions, you're commercial. Both Tebex page and Discord server need an Impressum link with your business name + address.
• Privacy policy covering Tebex data collection, your server's data collection, Discord OAuth if you use it.
• Right of withdrawal (Widerrufsbelehrung) — 14 days for EU customers, or explicit waiver at checkout for digital goods.
• VAT (Mehrwertsteuer) — at €22k/year EU-wide revenue you have to charge VAT. Tebex handles VAT calculation if configured.
• Kleinunternehmer status — under €22k/year you can opt out of VAT in Germany. Tell Tebex this in your tax settings.

Worth saying out loud: this guide is not legal advice. If you're making real money, talk to an actual Steuerberater (tax advisor) — they're worth the €200/year for peace of mind.

What gets servers banned (real examples)

Things we've actually seen happen:

• "Donate €50 get a Bugatti." Cfx.re banned the server. The car wasn't cosmetic — it was a vehicle other players couldn't buy in-game.
• "VIP players get 2x payday." The server got reported, banned within 48h. Boost = P2W.
• "Skip the queue for €5 — also gets you €5000 in-game starter cash." The starter cash was the problem. Selling currency = ban.
• "Patreon supporters get exclusive role." Patreon was the problem; the role was fine. Server got license-restricted until they migrated to Tebex.
• "VIP tier comes with a custom job." The job had no free-player equivalent. Counts as paid content gating.

Common questions

"Can I sell access to a whitelisted server?"

Yes, if everyone goes through the same application/approval process. Charging for the application itself is OK. Charging for guaranteed acceptance is selling whitelist — banned.

"Can I sell in-game houses?"

Tricky. Selling an additional house slot (the customer still has to furnish, pay rent, etc) is generally accepted. Selling a specific high-value property with unique features (like a casino apartment) walks the line. Selling for in-game-currency-equivalent value is closer to ToS violation.

"Can I run a server with no monetization at all?"

Of course. Many of the most respected RP servers run purely on volunteer hosting and Discord donations. If your goal is community-first rather than business, skip the monetization layer entirely — it's actually a recruiting advantage ("no P2W ever").

"Tebex takes too big a cut. Can I use a custom processor?"

No. The 8% total cost is the price of compliance. Going outside Tebex risks the entire server. The math is: lose 8% to fees vs. lose 100% of your server to ban.

The TL;DR

1. Sell convenience, cosmetics, and out-of-game perks. Never sell power or paid-only content.
2. Run everything through Tebex. Patreon, direct PayPal, Stripe — banned.
3. Start with 2-3 simple tiers (€5 / €10 / €25). Don't overcomplicate.
4. Plan for 8% revenue loss to processing fees.
5. If you're EU-based, get an Impressum, Privacy Policy, and clear withdrawal terms.
6. Don't chase quick revenue with gray-zone packages. One report kills the whole server.
7. Out-of-game perks (Discord channels, beta access, swag) are often the highest-engagement value.

Done right, FiveM monetization can sustain a server, pay for hosting + scripts, and even fund part-time developers. Done wrong, it kills the server. The difference is mostly discipline: every package goes through the "would Cfx.re object?" filter before going live.

Related reading

• Best ESX scripts 2026: the must-have list
• FiveM server security: backdoor detection & hardening
• How to set up your own FiveM server