Best money making for beginners
Low requirements, low risk and no large starting capital.
The hardest part of making money on a new account is that the good methods need levels you do not have and the levels need supplies you cannot afford. Breaking that loop is what this page is for.
The methods here all share three properties: they need little or no starting capital, they have modest skill requirements, and they carry no meaningful risk of losing what you have.
25 methods
Herb runs
Plant herb seeds across every patch you have unlocked, then return around 80 minutes later to harvest.
- Est. GP/hr
- 1m–4m
- Starting GP
- 500k
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 32 Farming
Guardians of the Rift
The Runecraft minigame that pays while it trains, and needs nothing to start.
- Est. GP/hr
- 600k–1.1m
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 27 Runecraft
Ardougne knight pickpocketing
Pickpocket knights in East Ardougne for a steady coin income while training Thieving.
- Est. GP/hr
- 300k–800k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 55 Thieving
Green dragons
Kill green dragons in the Wilderness for dragon bones and green dragonhide. A long-standing route for mid-level accounts.
- Est. GP/hr
- 400k–700k
- Starting GP
- 100k
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 60 Attack
Giant Mole
A forgiving first boss with no quest requirements. Drops mole skins and claws plus a steady stream of supplies.
- Est. GP/hr
- 400k–700k
- Starting GP
- 200k
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 60 Attack
Anglerfish
The most AFK profitable fishing in the game. Anglerfish heal above your maximum hitpoints, so demand is permanent.
- Est. GP/hr
- 350k–600k
- Starting GP
- 20,000
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 82 Fishing
Tree runs
Plant trees and fruit trees, then return hours later. Enormous Farming experience for a few minutes of play.
- Est. GP/hr
- 200k–600k
- Starting GP
- 300k
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 15 Farming
Cleaning grimy herbs
Buy grimy herbs, clean them, sell them clean. The simplest processing loop in the game and it trains Herblore.
- Est. GP/hr
- 200k–500k
- Starting GP
- 500k
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 3 Herblore
High Level Alchemy
Cast High Level Alchemy on items worth less than their alch value, converting them into GP while training Magic.
- Est. GP/hr
- 100k–400k
- Starting GP
- 200k
- Attention
- Low attention
- Requirements
- 55 Magic
Amethyst mining
Mine amethyst in the Mining Guild for consistent, near-AFK income.
- Est. GP/hr
- 250k–400k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 92 Mining
Wintertodt
A group minigame that trains Firemaking quickly and rewards crates containing ores, herbs, seeds and gems.
- Est. GP/hr
- 150k–400k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 50 Firemaking
Ogress warriors
The best free-to-play combat money maker. Ogress warriors drop gems, runes and coins consistently.
- Est. GP/hr
- 200k–400k
- Starting GP
- 50,000
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 40 Attack
Redwood logs
The most AFK tree in the game. Redwoods need a click every thirty seconds or so and the logs bank well.
- Est. GP/hr
- 250k–400k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 90 Woodcutting
Cannonball smithing
Turn steel bars into cannonballs. Slow experience, steady profit and one of the most AFK activities available.
- Est. GP/hr
- 150k–300k
- Starting GP
- 500k
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 35 Smithing
Motherlode Mine
Mine pay-dirt for a mix of ores and the prospector outfit. Steady rather than spectacular, and very forgiving.
- Est. GP/hr
- 150k–300k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Low attention
- Requirements
- 30 Mining
Birdhouse runs
Set four birdhouses on Fossil Island and collect them fifty minutes later. Passive Hunter experience and seeds.
- Est. GP/hr
- 100k–300k
- Starting GP
- 50,000
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 5 Hunter
Cooking raw fish
Buy raw fish, cook it, sell it cooked. A simple processing loop that trains Cooking at the same time.
- Est. GP/hr
- 80,000–250k
- Starting GP
- 200k
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 40 Cooking
Gold ore mining
Mine and bank gold ore. A step up from iron for free players, available at Mining 40.
- Est. GP/hr
- 130k–250k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 40 Mining
Hill giants
Kill hill giants for big bones and limpwurt roots. One of the first combat methods that pays on a free account.
- Est. GP/hr
- 90,000–200k
- Starting GP
- 20,000
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 30 Attack
Yew log cutting
Cut and bank yew logs. The long-standing free-to-play income route, and it costs nothing to start.
- Est. GP/hr
- 80,000–160k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Very AFK
- Requirements
- 60 Woodcutting
Lobster fishing
Catch lobsters at Karamja and bank them. The long-standing free-to-play Fishing income.
- Est. GP/hr
- 70,000–150k
- Starting GP
- 5,000
- Attention
- Low attention
- Requirements
- 40 Fishing
Steel bar smelting
Buy iron ore and coal, smelt steel bars, sell the bars. A simple free-to-play processing loop.
- Est. GP/hr
- 50,000–150k
- Starting GP
- 150k
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 30 Smithing
Iron ore mining
Mine and bank iron ore. Available at Mining 15 with no other requirements at all.
- Est. GP/hr
- 60,000–140k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 15 Mining
Air rune crafting
Craft air runes at the Falador altar. Available from Runecraft 1 and one of very few free-to-play Runecraft options.
- Est. GP/hr
- 40,000–120k
- Starting GP
- None
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 1 Runecraft
Gold amulet crafting
Smelt gold bars into amulets and string them. Trains Crafting from level 8 and usually turns a small profit.
- Est. GP/hr
- 50,000–120k
- Starting GP
- 100k
- Attention
- Moderate attention
- Requirements
- 8 Crafting
What to know about this category
Do the quick quests first
Several quests give more experience than hours of training. Waterfall Quest gives Attack and Strength 1 to 30 with no requirements at all; The Knight's Sword gives Smithing to 29. Training toward a method when a quest would have got you there faster is the most common early mistake.
Reinvest rather than spend
The first million is worth far more compounding than spent on gear. A small bank cycling through liquid Grand Exchange items grows considerably faster than the same amount converted into equipment.
Do not chase rates you cannot support
A method paying three million an hour is not available to you if it needs gear you cannot afford and supplies you cannot replace after a death. Pick something you can sustain.