Gold is the lifeblood of Old School RuneScape (OSRS). Whether you're saving up for high-tier gear, buying supplies for PvM, or looking to train expensive skills like Herblore or Construction, you're going to need a lot of it. Thankfully, there are countless ways to make money in OSRS-some quick and low-effort, others requiring skill, planning, and investment.

This comprehensive guide covers the best OSRS gold farming methods for beginners and veterans alike in 2025, spanning everything from F2P-friendly strategies to high-level PvM money makers. Let's break it all down.

Why Gold Farming Matters in OSRS

Before we dive into the methods, here's why gold farming is such an important skill in RuneScape:

Train Skills Faster: Gold lets you buy materials, boosts, and supplies.

Buy the Best Gear: Upgrade to BIS weapons and armor for PvM and PvP.

Fund Expensive Goals: Pets, maxed stats, rare drops, and even bonds (for free membership).

Economy Participation: OSRS has a thriving player-driven Grand Exchange market.

Whether your goal is efficiency, flipping, or just flexing wealth, knowing how to make gold opens every door in the game.

F2P Gold Farming Methods

Even if you don't have a membership, there are still decent ways to earn gold. Here are some of the best F2P money-making methods:

1. Mining Iron Ore (15-60 Mining)

Location: South of Varrock or Al Kharid Mine.

Method: Mine and bank iron ore; it sells quickly on the GE.

Gold/Hour: 50k-100k (depending on level and world)

2. Crafting Rune/Pure Essence (Runecrafting)

Requirements: Rune Mysteries quest

Method: Mine essence in the Rune Essence Mine, sell at GE.

Gold/Hour: 50k-70k

3. Looting Wines of Zamorak (33 Magic)

Location: Chaos Temple in the Wilderness

Method: Use Telekinetic Grab to snag wines from the table.

Warning: PKers frequent this area.

Gold/Hour: 150k-200k

4. Collecting Items

Noted Bones, Red Spider Eggs, or Feathers can be collected and sold at the GE.

Gold/Hour: Varies; some players hit 100k+ per hour with little to no combat.

Low to Mid-Level P2P Gold Farming

If you're a member, your gold-making potential skyrockets. Here are some methods accessible to lower- and mid-level players:

5. Picking Herbs in the Wilderness (30+ Agility Recommended)

Location: Chaos Temple or Deep Wilderness Herb Patch

Method: Teleport to the patch, pick herbs, bank or teleport out.

Risk: You can be killed by other players.

Gold/Hour: 300k-600k

6. Killing Green Dragons

Combat Level: 70+

Location: Various spots in the Wilderness

Method: Kill dragons, pick up bones and hides, teleport out.

Gold/Hour: 500k-1M+

Tip: Use a looting bag and anti-dragon shield.

7. The Blast Furnace (Smithing 30+)

Location: Keldagrim

Requirements: Ice gloves, some startup gold

Method: Smelt bars using coal and ores. Adamant and Mithril bars are profitable.

Gold/Hour: 800k-1.2M (with stamina potions and full optimization)

8. Flipping on the Grand Exchange

Requirements: GE unlocked, some starting capital

Method: Buy low, sell high.

Tip: Focus on high-volume items like runes, potions, or resources.

Gold/Hour: Varies wildly. Potentially 1M+ per hour with smart choices.

High-Level P2P Gold Farming (1M+ GP/Hour)

These methods are more intensive but can be extremely profitable.

9. Zulrah (Combat & Gear Required)

Recommended Stats: 85+ Magic, Ranged, and 43+ Prayer

Gear: Trident, Blowpipe, anti-venom, ring of recoil

Gold/Hour: 2M-4M

Loot: Zulrah scales, unique drops (Tanzanite Fang, Magic Fang, Serpentine Visage)

10. Vorkath (Dragon Slayer II Required)

Recommended Stats: 90+ Ranged/Defense

Gear: Blowpipe or Dragon Hunter Crossbow

Gold/Hour: 2M-3.5M

Loot: Superior dragon bones, blue dragon hides, elite clue scrolls

11. The Gauntlet (Regular or Corrupted)

Requirements: Song of the Elves quest

Corrupted Gauntlet: Higher difficulty but better rewards.

Gold/Hour: 3M+ (with good efficiency)

Drops: Crystal shards, armor seeds, Enhanced Crystal Weapon Seed (huge profit)

12. Barrows

Recommended Stats: 70+ in combat skills

Method: Complete Barrows runs, sell gear (Ahrim's, Dharok's, etc.)

Gold/Hour: 1.2M-2M

Tips: Use Morytania Diary boosts for higher rune reward chances.

Passive and Alternative Gold Farming Methods

Sometimes, you want to make gold without intense grinding. Here are passive or less-click-intensive ways:

13. Kingdom of Miscellania (Managing Kingdom)

Quest Required: Throne of Miscellania

Method: Deposit 750k GP weekly; your workers gather resources.

Gold/Week: 800k-1.5M profit (depending on allocation and GE prices)

14. Bird House Runs (Hunter Training + Passive Profit)

Requirements: Bone Voyage quest, 5+ Hunter

Method: Place bird houses, check them every 50 minutes.

Gold/Run: 20k-100k depending on birdhouse tier

Bonus: Great for AFK Hunter XP.

Daily and Weekly Activities That Generate Gold

Small gains add up over time. Include these in your routine:

Daily Herb Run: Can yield 100k-500k

Daily Battlestaves (after Varrock Diary): 100k-200k profit

Daily Seaweed Run (Farming/Herblore): Great passive income

Clue Scrolls: Especially medium and hard clues for cosmetic drops

Tips for Efficient Gold Farming

Use the Right Worlds

High-efficiency players often use high-population worlds for better spawn rates or low-population ones for safety (e.g., Wilderness).

Time Your Sessions

Play during active market hours (e.g., weekends or GE peaks) to sell items faster and at better prices.

Track Profits

Use plugins like RuneLite's Loot Tracker to see what methods are actually paying off.

Join a PvM Clan

Group content like Raids, Corporeal Beast, and Mass Nex can be extremely profitable.

Buy Bonds with GP

If you're making over 5M-7M GP/day, you can play OSRS for free using Bonds.

Conclusion: Choose the Gold Path That Fits Your Style

Whether you enjoy bossing, skilling, flipping, or AFK money methods, there's a gold-making strategy for every OSRS player to find the cheapest OSRS gold. Beginners can start with basic skilling and item collection, while veterans can rake in millions per hour from Zulrah, Raids, or The Gauntlet.

The secret isn't just in the method-it's in consistency, efficiency, and knowledge of the market. Start small, build your capital, and diversify your income as you grow.

Your next Dragon Warhammer, Twisted Bow, or maxed Construction level isn't a dream-just a few smart gold-farming sessions away.