A free setup can stop a lot of cheating if you use what FiveM already gives you: server settings, ACE permissions and checks in your own scripts. Open-source anticheats add more, but someone on your team has to maintain them. Leaked or cracked anticheats are the one free option to skip, because you can’t know what code they run.
What you can do for free today
FiveM ships with server settings that close common cheat routes. They cost nothing and live in server.cfg. Here are a few from the official server commands list.
- sv_scriptHookAllowed: keep it on false, the default, so players with Script Hook V can’t join. The docs say allowing it makes the server vulnerable.
- sv_pureLevel: level 1 blocks modified game files except audio and known graphics mods. Level 2 blocks all modified game files.
- sv_entityLockdown: strict stops players from creating entities. Relaxed blocks only script-owned entities created by players. The default, inactive, allows everything.
- sv_enableNetworkedSounds: set it to false to stop players sending sound events through the server. The docs say bad actors use this often.
- block_net_game_event: blocks one named game event, such as FIRE_EVENT, for the whole server.
Try each one on a test server first. Strict entity rules can break scripts that spawn props or cars from the player’s side.
Next, use ACE permissions so only staff can run staff commands. Then check every server event that pays out money or items. The Cfx.re security guide says checks on the player’s side are easy to override, so the server must check again.
Lock down your server.cfg step by step
Open-source anticheats: strengths and limits
FiveM’s resource FAQ says anticheat resources are allowed. It even asks owners to build server-side checks and maintain them together with the community. Open-source anticheats on GitHub grew out of that idea. You can read every line, and that matters a lot.
The limits are practical. Cheat makers can read public code too, and test their menus against it. Many projects stop getting updates when the author moves on. Checks tuned for one server can ban innocent players on another. Someone also has to merge fixes, tune limits and read the logs. If your developer enjoys that work, open source can serve you well.
Leaked and cracked anticheats
A leaked anticheat is a paid product someone shared without permission. A cracked one has its licence check removed. Both come from people you can’t hold to account. Both run on your server with wide access.
FiveM’s resource FAQ warns that a resource flagged for prohibited logic likely contains malicious code. It adds that one resource can infect others. The Cfx.re page on finding resources says to use them at your own risk. An anticheat is the worst place to take that risk, since it needs wide access to do its job. A backdoor hidden inside it gets the same access.
Updates are the second problem. Cheats change after FiveM updates and when new menus come out. A leaked copy stays frozen on the day it leaked. You keep its old weak spots and never get the fixes.
How to check your server for backdoors
What a paid anticheat should add
Paying only makes sense if you get things a free setup can’t give you. Ask for these before you buy.
- Regular updates, with a changelog you can read.
- Evidence on every ban, so staff can settle appeals quickly.
- Control over each check, so a new one can run without banning anyone.
- One ban list across all your servers.
- Support you can reach, and a refund window.
Daddy Shield is built around that list. Every ban carries a screenshot the anticheat takes itself. Each of its 40+ protections can be set to watch only, block, kick or ban. Bans apply on every server in your account, and they keep working if our panel goes offline.
How to choose a FiveM anticheat
The real cost: staff hours versus a monthly fee
Free tools cost time. To compare fairly, write down your own numbers for one month.
- A: hours staff spend spectating, handling reports and arguing appeals.
- B: hours a developer spends maintaining checks or an open-source anticheat.
- C: what one hour of that time is worth to you, even if staff are volunteers.
- Fee: the monthly price of the paid option.
Your free setup costs (A + B) × C each month. A paid anticheat costs the fee, plus whatever A and B are left. If the hours it saves, times C, are worth more than the fee, paid wins. If your staff rarely touch cheater reports, free probably wins. Players who leave because of cheaters are a cost too, even if they are hard to count.
When free is enough
Free is a fair choice for a small whitelisted server where you know every player. It also works when your developer writes secure events and likes running an open-source project. Start with server settings and ACE either way. A paid anticheat won’t fix an open event that pays out money.
Paid starts to make sense when cheaters arrive faster than staff can respond. It also helps when appeals turn into arguments, or when you run more than one server.
Free settings, open source, leaked or paid at a glance
- Server settings and ACE: free and maintained by Cfx.re. They close known routes, but they don’t watch what happens inside the game.
- Open-source anticheat: free and easy to audit. Cheat makers can read it too, and updates depend on volunteers.
- Leaked or cracked anticheat: free, with unknown code, wide server access, no updates and no support. Skip it.
- Paid anticheat: a monthly or one-time fee, with updates and support. Quality varies, so ask for evidence on bans and a refund policy.
Compare what to look for in an anticheat
Is a free anticheat from GitHub safe to use?
It can be. Read the code, check when it was last updated and run it on a test server first. Start with checks that only log, then turn on bans once you trust the results.
Do I still need server settings with a paid anticheat?
Yes. An anticheat watches players while they play. Server settings and secure events close the routes before a cheater can use them. The two work best together.
Can an anticheat ban my regular players?
Any anticheat can if its checks are too strict. Pick one that lets new checks run without banning anyone at first, and that keeps proof for every ban.
If you decide paid is right for you, Daddy Shield costs €24.99 a month, or €19.99 a month on the 6-month plan. Lifetime is €199.99, paid once. Your first payment has a 7-day refund. Prices exclude VAT and Whop fees, added at checkout.