OSRS Money Making Guide: F2P to Mid-Game Methods by Account Stage

Quick summary

• No method is "best" for long. Profit follows Grand Exchange prices, so treat any GP/hour figure, including the ones here, as a dated estimate. The OSRS Wiki's live money-making table is the place to compare today.
• Free-to-play start: collect 10,000 coins from the first three levels of the Stronghold of Security, then collect cowhides, mine rune essence (after Rune Mysteries), or process cheap items with low-level Magic or Crafting.
• Members: set up recurring runs first (herb runs, bird houses, saplings, Miscellania, Zaff's battlestaves). The OSRS Wiki rates many of them above 1 million "effective" coins per hour of actual playtime.
• Mid-game ladder: Blast Furnace and Tempoross → Barrows and Slayer → Zulrah, Vorkath, Corrupted Gauntlet, or demonic gorillas. Each has a quest gate, listed below.
• Factor in the GE: a 2% sales tax (capped at 5 million per item), 4-hour buy limits, and 3 offer slots in F2P vs 8 for members.

Know how the Grand Exchange affects profit

Rule (OSRS Wiki)	What it means for you
2% tax on most sales, capped at 5 million coins per item (raised from 1% on May 29, 2025)	Subtract it when you compare methods. Some low-value items are exempt
Buy limits on many items, reset every 4 hours	Processing methods (buy, craft, sell) can stall when you hit the limit
3 offer slots for free players, 8 for members	Free players can only trade free-to-play items
Prices move daily	Check volume as well as price before a big investment

The OSRS Wiki's hourly table ignores buy limits and the time it takes to buy, so a processing method can look better on paper than it is.

Example: a method shows a good profit per item, but its input has a small buy limit. You can only process one limit's worth every four hours, so your real hourly profit is a fraction of the table's.

Free-to-play: build your first bank

Method	Requirement	Risk	Notes
Stronghold of Security	None (works at combat level 3)	None	2,000 + 3,000 + 5,000 coins from the first three levels, plus boots at the end (OSRS Wiki). Do it first
Collect cowhides and bones	None	None	Cow field east of Lumbridge. Sell the hides, or tan them for more value
Mine rune essence	Rune Mysteries	None	Teleport via Aubury in Varrock. Sells in bulk
Pick bananas	30 coins for the boat to Karamja	None	Musa Point plantation. Slow but zero-skill
Enchant sapphire rings	7 Magic, starting coins	Price risk	Make rings of recoil. Margins change, so test a small batch
Gather while training	Your current levels	None	Sell ores, logs, and fish you'd collect anyway
Wilderness pickups (Bone Yard)	None	High: other players can kill you	Bring nothing you can't lose

Don't grind gold for a membership bond in F2P.

Members: start recurring runs

Recurring methods take a few minutes and run on timers, so you can stack them between other activities. "Effective profit" is the OSRS Wiki's figure for profit divided by the time you actively spend. Snapshot from October 13, 2026:

Method (OSRS Wiki)	Profit per run	Time	Effective profit/hour	Repeat every	Key requirement
Buying battlestaves from Zaff	98,000	30 seconds	11,750,000	24 hours	Varrock Diary (more staves at higher tiers)
Managing Miscellania	38,000	30 seconds	4,585,000	24 hours	Throne of Miscellania
Planting Celastrus saplings	52,000	45 seconds	4,142,000	13 hours 20 minutes	85 Farming
Exchanging mole parts	92,000	1.5 minutes	3,664,000	4 hours	None
Opening herb boxes	106,000	2 minutes	3,176,000	24 hours	Nightmare Zone points
Bird house trapping	61,000	1.4 minutes	2,606,000	50 minutes	Bone Voyage (Fossil Island). Hunter 5+
Growing coral	115,000	3 minutes	2,310,000	2 hours 40 minutes	28 Farming or higher
Farming ranarr weed	200,000	6 minutes	1,995,000	1.5 hours	32 Farming
Growing magic saplings	326,000	10 minutes	1,959,000	4 hours	Farming, plus Humidify from Dream Mentor
Farming snapdragon	184,000	6 minutes	1,845,000	1.5 hours	62 Farming
Farming toadflax	175,000	6 minutes	1,748,000	1.5 hours	38 Farming
Brewing chef's delight (m)	618,000	25 minutes	1,483,000	48 hours	54 Cooking

How to read this: effective profit is high because the time is short, not because you earn that much in an hour of play. You can't repeat a run before its timer is up. The OSRS Wiki suggests skipping any run whose effective profit is below what you'd normally earn.

Example: you play an hour after work. Start with a bird house run and an herb run, then train or do Slayer. Collect both before you log out, and add Zaff and Miscellania once a day.

Members: active skilling methods

Method	Requirement (OSRS Wiki)	Style	Notes
Blast Furnace	Started The Giant Dwarf. Foreman fee below 60 Smithing	Active	Needs half the usual coal. You pay into a coffer while working
Tempoross	35 Fishing	Semi-active	Fishing XP plus a reward pool that improves at higher Fishing levels
Hallowed Sepulchre	Sins of the Father. Floors at 52, 62, 72, 82, and 92 Agility	Active	Agility XP plus coffin loot. Higher floors pay more
Monkfish	62 Fishing, Swan Song	AFK	—
Amethyst	92 Mining	AFK	—
Pickpocketing vyres	82 Thieving, Sins of the Father	Active	—
High Alchemy	55 Magic	AFK	Only profitable on items whose alch value beats the GE price plus a nature rune

Before any processing method, check input and output prices and test a small batch.

Mid-game: bossing and Slayer

Combat methods usually pay more but need stats, gear, and practice. Expect to lose trips while learning.

Method	Requirement (OSRS Wiki)	Notes
Barrows	Priest in Peril (Morytania access)	Six brothers, low mechanics. A common first "boss" money maker
Slayer tasks	Slayer levels by monster	Gargoyles (75) with Gargoyle Smasher, nechryael, and abyssal demons are common money tasks. See our Slayer guide
Zulrah	Regicide	Solo snake boss with set rotations
Vorkath	Dragon Slayer II	Very consistent once learned. Steady drops
Corrupted Gauntlet	Song of the Elves	—
Demonic gorillas	Monkey Madness II	Prayer switching. Zenyte shards are the prize
Tormented demons	While Guthix Sleeps	Dragon claws are the big drop
Phosani's Nightmare	Defeat the normal Nightmare	Solo, demanding

Wilderness methods pay extra because they're risky. Other players can attack you, and you can lose your items. Only bring what you're prepared to lose.

Compare method types

Type	Pros	Cons	Best for
Recurring runs	Highest value per minute, stack with anything	Timers cap them. Needs skills and quests	Every member, every day
AFK skilling	Train while you earn. Low attention	Low hourly profit	Second-screen play
Active skilling (Blast Furnace, Sepulchre)	Reliable, trains skills	Click-intensive. Buy limits on inputs	Mid-level accounts
Bossing	Highest active profit	Gear, practice, supply costs, and lucky drops	70+ combat with quests done
Flipping / merchanting	No stats needed	Needs capital and market knowledge. High risk (OSRS Wiki)	Players with a bank and patience
Wilderness	Extra profit	You can lose your gear	Only with expendable gear

Choose a method by account stage

Account stage	Earn with	Unlock next
Fresh F2P (combat 3–40)	Stronghold of Security, cowhides, rune essence	Rune Mysteries, 7 Magic for enchanting
New member	Bird houses (Bone Voyage), herb runs, Miscellania, Zaff	Bone Voyage, The Giant Dwarf, Varrock Diary
Early mid (combat 50–75)	Blast Furnace, Tempoross, Barrows, Slayer	Priest in Peril, Dwarf Cannon, 55 Crafting for the Slayer helm
Late mid (combat 80–95)	Zulrah, Vorkath, Corrupted Gauntlet, demonic gorillas	Regicide, Dragon Slayer II, Song of the Elves, Monkey Madness II
Endgame (100+)	Raids, Phosani's Nightmare, tormented demons	Raid practice, best gear

For Fire Cape prep before high-level bossing, see our Fire Cape guide.

Ironmen and returning players

• Ironmen can't use the Grand Exchange, so the GE tables don't apply. Recurring runs still matter for supplies, and Slayer is a key source of herbs, runes, and alchables.
• Returning players: the GE tax doubled to 2% in May 2025, and its cap is 5 million per item, so old flipping margins may no longer work. Recheck any method you used before 2025 against the OSRS Wiki's current table.

Pick a method that fits your account

1. List what you have: quests, skill levels, gear, and starting coins.
2. Filter the OSRS Wiki's money-making table by the requirements you meet. Use its Free-to-play, Recurring, Skilling, and Combat tabs.
3. Prefer methods that also train something you need.
4. Test for one session and record your real result after tax.
5. Set up recurring runs before any long session.

Need a goal first? See our OSRS beginner guide.

Want a hand with this?

If you would rather not grind this part yourself, OSRS gold offers are listed on FullBoosts. Read Jagex's Rules of Old School RuneScape before you buy any service from anyone, FullBoosts included — a marketplace listing isn't publisher permission.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best money maker in OSRS?

It depends on your requirements and today's prices. For most mid-game players, recurring runs plus a boss like Vorkath or Zulrah work best. Check the OSRS Wiki's live table.

How do you make money in OSRS as a free player?

Do the Stronghold of Security first (10,000 coins). Then collect cowhides, mine rune essence after Rune Mysteries, or enchant sapphire rings with 7 Magic. Free players get 3 GE slots.

What are recurring money makers in OSRS?

Short activities on timers, such as herb runs, bird houses, saplings, Miscellania, and Zaff's battlestaves. You start them, do something else, and collect later.

How much is the Grand Exchange tax in OSRS?

2% on most sales, capped at 5 million coins per item. It was raised from 1% on May 29, 2025, and some low-value items are exempt.

What boss should I learn first for money in OSRS?

Many players start with Barrows, then learn Vorkath (Dragon Slayer II) or Zulrah (Regicide). Use cheaper gear first and expect to lose a few trips while learning.

What is the best AFK money maker in OSRS?

Monkfish (62 Fishing, Swan Song) and amethyst (92 Mining). Both are slow but low-effort; recurring runs make more per minute. Recurring runs make more per minute.

Is GE flipping worth it?

The OSRS Wiki calls merchanting high-risk, high-reward. It needs starting capital and market knowledge, and the 2% tax eats thin margins. Start small.