OSRS F2P money making

Build your first cash stack without wasting your account progress

Compare practical free-to-play methods by requirements, starting capital, attention, risk, and reliability. Start from zero GP, build a working cash stack, then move into methods that train Magic, Cooking, Crafting, Woodcutting, Mining, or Smithing.

Best overall progression

High Level Alchemy

Profit, Magic experience, and flexible item rotation

Best low attention

Pie shells

No skill requirement and simple bank processing

Best while skilling

Yews with Forestry

Woodcutting experience with logs and bark value

Highest late-game ceiling

Runite and rune gear

Strong returns with extreme Mining or Smithing requirements

Every market method needs a price test

Guide profits are estimates, not guarantees. Buy and sell a small batch before committing most of your bank, especially for shop resale, processing, and low-volume items.

Check live prices

Fresh-account route

A practical path from zero GP

The goal is not to stay on the first method forever. Build enough capital to remove inventory-sized bottlenecks, then choose methods that also unlock useful levels.

1

Claim your guaranteed cash

Complete the Stronghold of Security and keep the reward as operating capital instead of spending it all on gear.

2

Choose a low-capital loop

Use monk robes, red dye, jugs of water, or tanning small cowhide batches until one full inventory no longer controls your bank.

3

Move into bank processing

Pie shells, uncooked pies, amulet stringing, and chocolate dust become easier once you can fund several inventories at once.

4

Unlock 55 Magic

High Level Alchemy adds useful Magic experience and gives you a flexible method that scales with market knowledge and capital.

5

Use skills for stronger options

Woodcutting, Mining, and Smithing eventually unlock Forestry yews, runite ore, and veteran rune production.

Method directory

Search and filter F2P money makers

Search by method, skill, requirement, or location. Use the filters to separate safe processing, account-building skilling, market opportunities, Wilderness routes, and veteran methods.

Category
Attention
Risk

Showing 19 of 19 methods

StarterFeatured

Stronghold of Security reward

Collect a guaranteed one-time cash reward that gives a brand-new account enough money to begin trading or processing items.

Requirement

Authenticator or Jagex Account security setup

Capital

None

Attention

Moderate

Risk

Safe

Reliability

One-time

Profit band

10,000 GP once

Best for: Every fresh F2P account
Barbarian Village
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Bring inexpensive food before entering the Stronghold.
  2. 2Travel through all four floors and answer the security questions.
  3. 3Claim each reward and leave with the full coin reward.
  4. 4Keep most of the cash available for your first repeatable method.

Watch for

  • This is starting capital, not a repeatable hourly method.
  • Low-level monsters can still damage an unprepared account.
zero gpfresh accountguaranteedone time
StarterFeatured

Collecting monk robes

Collect monk robe tops and bottoms upstairs in the monastery, hop worlds, then bank full inventories in Edgeville.

Requirement

31 Prayer

Capital

None

Attention

High

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Competition-heavy

Profit band

Starter to moderate

Best for: Zero-capital accounts with 31 Prayer
Edgeville Monastery
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Climb to the monastery's upper floor.
  2. 2Collect the monk robe top and bottom from the table.
  3. 3Hop to the next available F2P world and repeat.
  4. 4Bank in Edgeville once your inventory is full.

Watch for

  • The return depends on Grand Exchange demand and other collectors.
  • World hopping and the banking run make this fairly active.
zero gpworld hopping31 prayercollection
Starter

Making red dye

Bring redberries and coins to Aggie, make red dye in batches, then bank and sell the finished dyes.

Requirement

None

Capital

Very low

Attention

Moderate

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Starter to moderate

Best for: Fresh accounts that want a simple running method
Draynor Village
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Buy a small test batch of redberries.
  2. 2Run from Draynor bank to Aggie with coins in your inventory.
  3. 3Use the berries on Aggie and create the full batch of dye.
  4. 4Bank, repeat, and sell only after confirming the dye price.

Watch for

  • Run energy limits output on low-level F2P accounts.
  • Test whether finished dyes sell before buying a large berry stack.
low capitaldraynorprocessingfresh account
Starter

Filling jugs with water

Buy empty jugs or jug packs, fill them at a nearby water source, and sell the jugs of water on the Grand Exchange.

Requirement

None

Capital

Very low

Attention

Moderate

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Starter to moderate

Best for: New accounts reinvesting their first 10,000 GP
Falador or any convenient pump
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Compare empty jug, jug pack, and jug of water prices.
  2. 2Purchase only enough for a short price test.
  3. 3Fill inventories at a pump close to a bank.
  4. 4Sell the finished jugs and reinvest only if the margin remains healthy.

Watch for

  • The method is repetitive and gives no experience.
  • Shop stock and Grand Exchange margins can both change quickly.
low capitalwaterbankingprocessing
ProcessingFeatured

Tanning cowhides

Turn cowhides into soft leather at Ellis and profit from the difference after tanning fees and travel costs.

Requirement

None

Capital

Low

Attention

Moderate

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Beginners who prefer a dependable running method
Al Kharid
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Calculate leather price minus cowhide price and tanning fee.
  2. 2Buy a small batch of hides and keep coins in your inventory.
  3. 3Run north from Al Kharid bank and use Tan-all at Ellis.
  4. 4Bank the leather, repeat, then confirm the finished items sell.

Watch for

  • Energy potion costs reduce the final margin.
  • Collecting your own hides lowers capital needs but sharply reduces output.
cowhideleatheral kharidrunning
ProcessingFeatured

Making pie shells

Combine pastry dough with pie dishes at a bank for a relaxed method with no skill requirement.

Requirement

None

Capital

Low to moderate

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Second-monitor play and low attention
Any bank
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Test the margin between both ingredients and the finished shell.
  2. 2Set your default withdrawal quantity to 14.
  3. 3Withdraw 14 pastry dough and 14 pie dishes.
  4. 4Combine, bank, and repeat while replacing ingredients in advance.

Watch for

  • Pie-dish buy limits can stop a longer session.
  • Small price movements can remove most of the profit.
low attentionbank standingpie shellno requirement
Processing

Assembling uncooked pies

Use pie shells with berry, meat, or apple fillings and choose the version with the best current margin and ingredient supply.

Requirement

10, 20, or 30 Cooking depending on pie

Capital

Moderate

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Moderate to strong

Best for: Players who want Cooking experience with profit
Any bank
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Compare uncooked berry, meat, and apple pie margins.
  2. 2Confirm that pie shells and fillings can be purchased in volume.
  3. 3Withdraw equal quantities and combine them at a bank.
  4. 4Rotate to another pie when a buy limit or weak margin interrupts the method.

Watch for

  • The most profitable pie changes with ingredient prices.
  • Do not confuse uncooked-pie margins with the value of cooked pies.
cookingapple pieberry piemeat piebank standing
Processing

Stringing amulets

Combine balls of wool with unstrung amulets for a simple Crafting method that scales with your available cash.

Requirement

1 Crafting or the amulet's Crafting level

Capital

Moderate to high

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Low-attention Crafting and larger cash stacks
Any bank
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Compare sapphire, emerald, ruby, and diamond amulet margins.
  2. 2Buy a small quantity of balls of wool and unstrung amulets.
  3. 3String full inventories at a bank.
  4. 4Switch gem tiers whenever the current margin or buy limit weakens.

Watch for

  • Ruby is often competitive, but it is not always the best option.
  • Higher-value amulets can tie up a large portion of a small bank.
craftinglow attentionamuletsbank standing
Processing

Grinding chocolate bars

Turn chocolate bars into chocolate dust, using automatic processing for comfort or manual clicks for faster output.

Requirement

None

Capital

Moderate

Attention

High

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Players willing to trade comfort for faster processing
Any bank
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Check the chocolate bar to chocolate dust margin.
  2. 2Bring a knife or pestle and mortar.
  3. 3Use automatic processing for lower attention or click manually for speed.
  4. 4Sell a test batch before committing to a long session.

Watch for

  • The high-output version requires repetitive manual clicks.
  • Published rates may assume near-perfect clicking for a full hour.
chocolateprocessingmanual clickingbank standing
Skilling

Making anchovy pizzas

Add anchovies to plain pizzas and benefit from consistent F2P demand for high-healing food.

Requirement

55 Cooking

Capital

Moderate

Attention

Moderate

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Cooking progress and useful combat-food demand
Any bank
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Compare the cost of plain pizzas and anchovies with finished pizzas.
  2. 2Purchase enough for a short test session.
  3. 3Combine the ingredients at a bank.
  4. 4Sell in manageable batches so a slow offer does not trap your cash.

Watch for

  • Strong demand does not guarantee a profitable margin.
  • Cooking other pies can be better when their ingredient spread widens.
55 cookingpizzafoodcooking xp
SkillingFeatured

High Level Alchemy

Buy liquid F2P items below their alchemy return, cast High Level Alchemy, and rotate items as buy limits are reached.

Requirement

55 Magic

Capital

Moderate to high

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Reliable

Profit band

Strong

Best for: The best all-around F2P account progression
Anywhere
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Calculate alchemy value minus item price and Nature rune cost.
  2. 2Filter for F2P items with healthy daily trading volume.
  3. 3Buy several item types so one buy limit does not stop the session.
  4. 4Alch noted items and reinvest the returned coins as needed.

Watch for

  • Never copy an old item list without checking current prices.
  • The highest theoretical margin may belong to an item that buys too slowly.
55 magicalchemymagic xprune itemsreliable
SkillingFeatured

Yews with Forestry

Cut yew trees on active F2P Forestry worlds and combine log value with anima-infused bark earned from events.

Requirement

60 Woodcutting

Capital

Very low

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Reliable

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Relaxed income while training Woodcutting
Edgeville, Varrock, or another active yew spot
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Bring a rune axe and join the active F2P Forestry world.
  2. 2Cut alongside other players and participate in available events.
  3. 3Bank yew logs when convenient.
  4. 4Treat bark as deferred value because it must be exchanged through Forestry rewards.

Watch for

  • Event frequency and bot presence can change the hourly result.
  • Anima-infused bark is not immediate liquid GP.
60 woodcuttingforestryyew logslow attention
Market

Buying feather packs

Buy feather packs from an NPC shop, open them, and resell the feathers while managing rising shop prices.

Requirement

None

Capital

Low to moderate

Attention

High

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Stock-dependent

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Low-level players learning shop-stock margins
Port Sarim
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Check the current feather and pack cost before travelling.
  2. 2Buy limited quantities so the shop price stays favorable.
  3. 3Open packs and hop worlds before stock becomes expensive.
  4. 4Sell the feathers only after confirming the actual Grand Exchange price.

Watch for

  • Shop prices rise as stock is purchased.
  • Competition and repeated world hopping reduce practical output.
shopfeathersworld hoppingstock dependent
Market

Archery shop reselling

Buy selected bows or arrows on the Grand Exchange and sell small quantities to an archery shop when its stock is low.

Requirement

None

Capital

Moderate to high

Attention

High

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Competition-heavy

Profit band

High ceiling, unstable

Best for: Opportunity hunters who can test several worlds
Rimmington archery shop
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Test one candidate item before buying a large quantity.
  2. 2Travel with noted items and inspect the shop's current stock.
  3. 3Sell only a small amount per world before the NPC price falls.
  4. 4Stop when competition or overstock makes the remaining inventory unprofitable.

Watch for

  • Real tests vary from excellent to poor depending on bots and competition.
  • You can be left holding items that are difficult to sell profitably to the shop.
archeryshop sellingworld hoppingunstablehigh capital
Market

Slow elemental rune flips

Place patient buy offers for high-volume elemental runes and relist them one coin higher as a background use of spare cash.

Requirement

Grand Exchange access

Capital

Flexible

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Small passive gains

Best for: Unused Grand Exchange slots and overnight offers
Grand Exchange
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Choose highly traded F2P runes and test a low buy offer.
  2. 2Leave the order active instead of chasing an instant fill.
  3. 3Relist the purchased runes for a small per-item margin.
  4. 4Measure profit against the time and Grand Exchange slots tied up.

Watch for

  • Orders can take days to fill.
  • F2P Grand Exchange slots may be more valuable for active methods.
flippingrunespassivegrand exchange
Wilderness

Lava Maze steel items

Collect steel platebody and platelegs spawns in the Lava Maze, then bank them or cast High Level Alchemy on site.

Requirement

Decent combat; 43 Prayer and 55 Magic recommended

Capital

Very low

Attention

High

Risk

Wilderness

Reliability

Competition-heavy

Profit band

Moderate

Best for: Players who accept Wilderness risk for low-capital income
Lava Maze
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Bring only disposable food, runes, and equipment.
  2. 2Collect the steel-item spawns and monitor nearby players.
  3. 3Hop worlds for fresh spawns or alch items directly at 55 Magic.
  4. 4Bank early rather than risking an unnecessarily large inventory.

Watch for

  • Other players can attack you and take the items you are carrying.
  • Do not bring anything you are unwilling to lose.
wilderness55 magicsteel platebodyhigh alchrisk
Wilderness

Bandit Camp pizza bases

Buy pizza bases from the Wilderness Bandit Camp, bank at Ferox Enclave, restore run energy, and repeat on new worlds.

Requirement

None; food recommended for low levels

Capital

Very low

Attention

High

Risk

Wilderness

Reliability

Stock-dependent

Profit band

Starter to moderate

Best for: Low-capital players comfortable entering the Wilderness
Bandit Camp and Ferox Enclave
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Begin at Ferox Enclave with a small cash stack.
  2. 2Run to the Bandit Camp food shop and buy favorable stock.
  3. 3Return to Ferox, bank the pizza bases, and restore run energy.
  4. 4Hop worlds before repeating the route.

Watch for

  • The route enters the Wilderness and shop stock is limited.
  • Bandits can interrupt low-level accounts inside the camp.
pizza baseferox enclavewildernessshop run
VeteranFeatured

Mining runite ore

Mine the F2P runite rocks on a timed world rotation while managing competition, long respawns, and player-killer risk.

Requirement

85 Mining

Capital

Very low

Attention

Moderate

Risk

Wilderness

Reliability

Competition-heavy

Profit band

Strong to very strong

Best for: High-level F2P miners
Lava Maze runite mine
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Bring a rune pickaxe, food, and only disposable equipment.
  2. 2Track the 12-minute rock respawn across a rotation of worlds.
  3. 3Mine available rocks and bank before the inventory becomes too valuable.
  4. 4Change route or stop when PK activity and competition become excessive.

Watch for

  • The method has one of the highest F2P skill requirements.
  • Competition, empty worlds, and PKers create a wide performance range.
85 miningrunitewildernessworld rotationveteran
Veteran

Smithing rune equipment

Turn runite bars into high-value rune equipment and sell through the Grand Exchange or directly to High Alchers.

Requirement

98 with boost or 99 Smithing for common three-bar items

Capital

Very high

Attention

Low

Risk

Safe

Reliability

Price-dependent

Profit band

Strong to very strong

Best for: Dedicated F2P Smithing accounts
West Varrock anvil
View method and cautions

How it works

  1. 1Compare runite-bar cost with the current rune-item return.
  2. 2Smith the best current three-bar item near West Varrock bank.
  3. 3Compare Grand Exchange proceeds with direct High Alcher offers.
  4. 4Reinvest carefully because a full session ties up substantial capital.

Watch for

  • This is not a realistic path for a new account.
  • Direct player trading can improve returns but requires patience and scam awareness.
99 smithingrune 2hrune equipmenthigh capitalveteran

Avoid expensive mistakes

Profit on paper can fail in practice

The best method is one you can actually fund, sustain, and sell. A higher listed rate is not helpful when the ingredients never buy or the output sits unsold.

Test a small batch

Confirm both the purchase price and realistic selling price before buying an hour of supplies.

Protect your operating cash

Keep enough GP available to change methods instead of tying your whole bank to one slow offer.

Value progress too

Magic, Cooking, Crafting, Woodcutting, Mining, and Smithing experience can outweigh a small profit difference.

Leave bad conditions

Stop shop and Wilderness methods when competition, stock, or player activity makes the route inefficient.

Frequently asked questions

F2P money-making questions

What should a brand-new F2P account do first?

Claim the Stronghold of Security reward, then choose a low-capital method such as monk robes, red dye, jugs of water, or small cowhide batches. The goal is to build enough operating cash to move into repeatable bank processing.

What is the best overall F2P method for account progress?

High Level Alchemy is one of the strongest all-around choices after 55 Magic because it can produce profit, train Magic, and rotate across several liquid items when Grand Exchange limits are reached.

Why does this guide avoid exact GP-per-hour rankings?

Prices, trade volume, shop stock, competition, player speed, and selling time all change the real result. Broad profit bands and reliability labels stay useful longer, while a small live-price test protects your cash before a full session.

Continue your account progression

Use the cash to unlock better methods

Spend profits on levels, quests, teleports, and equipment that improve the entire account. Once membership is active, early-game members methods can greatly outperform most F2P loops.

Explore early-game methods