Best Skilling Money Makers in 2026 (OSRS)
- Theoatrix
- Feb 16
- 8 min read
What's going on guys, my name's Theoatrix and today I'm covering the best skilling money makers for 2026 in Old School Runescape.
I’ve split this guide into 2 sections, starting with 5 low requirement methods that give skilling XP, then ill count down the top 10 most profitable skilling methods in the game. Let's get into it…
Guide Outline
If you would prefer to watch a video-version of this guide, I have linked that below. Otherwise, continue scrolling to read the written-version of this guide.
Low Requirement Methods
Across Runescape, you can catch a variety of different butterflies…
10. Catching Butterflies
Well, in particular, snowy knight butterflies can bring in consistent profits, and they will continue to retain their value due to their uses in PVM and speedrunning content. Snowy knights are a healing butterfly with an area effect, where it heals up to 3 players in a 5 by 5 tile area.
You need 35 hunter to catch them, and its possible to get around 800k profit per hour at this point in time, while getting 22k hunter XP.
The snowy knights can be accessed near a fairy ring, which makes it easy to bank as long as you've started the Fairytale Part 2 quest.
4. Sacred Oil
The next best low requirement skilling method… is making sacred oil, which currently makes 1.2mil GP per hour. To do this, you need only level 20 crafting, as well as completion of the Shades of Morton quest.
So the method involves helping with the Shades of Morton minigame, then when you've built up sanity, you can make sacred oil.
You should use the shades world plus a flamataer hammer and bracelet for more profit. And as a whole, its about 12k crafting XP per hour at the same time.
3. Wilderness Agility Course
The third best skilling money maker with low requirements, is the wilderness agility course, which you can access with 52 agility, or level 47 with the boost of a summer pie.
This can provide up to 2 mil GP per hour at all levels, while providing 45k agility XP.
You need 150k in cash, paid to the dispenser, and this enables the loot from the arena. Then as you do more laps, your loot goes up, ranging from an average of 6.5k per lap, up to 26k GP profit per lap.
So the 2 mil an hour rates are only achievable when doing above 60 laps, and getting to those 60 will earn you about 1.3 mil in 1 hour.
Its a decent idea to find a mass world or clan that is running the wilderness agility course since this really lowers your chances of getting PK'ed, and since its singleway combat, its much harder for PK'ers to target you.
2. Enchanting Topaz Jewellery
The second best skilling money maker with low requirements is enchanting topaz jewellery, like bracelets of slaughter, burning amulets or Efaritays Aid rings. Players are speculating that these rings will play a part in an upcoming content release for Old School Runescape, so their prices are increased, leading to over 2 mil profit per hour currently, by manual casting. Although the more commonly used slaughter bracelets and burning amulets are still great profit as well.
For this method, you need at least 100k in starting cash and level 49 magic, which are fairly low requirements. Then, you can get up to 90k magic XP per hour if you actively click each spell, or you can also get about 30k by autocasting.
But with this method, I expect it wont last all that long, and will go down depending on whether the rings are useful. But there's still some consistent money to be made here with the other jewellery.
1. Herb & Coral Runs
Currently, the best low requirement skilling money maker in the game, is doing herb runs mixed with coral runs. Coral prices are quite high being a new item, meaning you can add additional profit to your already lucrative herb run. This means, even at lower farming levels, its possible to effectively make over 2 mil profit per hour, usually more.
To farm coral, you need 32 farming and the Troubled Tortugans quest… and each complete farm run, doing your most profitable herbs plus coral, you can make 200k a run even at the lower levels.
Coral itself is used for some potions and supplies so they should retain some value, and with coral you cant ultracompost them, so you should bring the items for protection for the patch.
Top 10 Skilling Money Makers
Alright, those were the low requirement skilling money makers. Now lets go through the top 10 skilling money makers in the entire game….
10. Rogue's Castle Chests
And tenth best, is stealing from rogues castle chests in the wilderness. This provides some of the best profit from the thieving skill, while also providing some of the highest XP rates too. It is of course in the wilderness, which means your profit and XP rates can be affected by PK'ers.
Although, clans do offer protection here, where you can pay some of your profits or a fee to be able to train here without interruption. And there are other safe methods to train here where you die to the rogues before a PK'er gets you. But overall, you can make 1.8 mil an hour if you're uninterrupted, and XP rates max out at about 300k an hour. But you're expected to get lower than those numbers if you die a bit.
9. Zalcano
Now the 9th most profitable skilling money maker, is Zalcano, which is unlocked after completing the song of the elves quest…
When defeating Zalcano, you should have your loot option set to the profit option, and this dramatically increases your profit, but greatly decreases the amount of mining XP you get.
This currently gives around 1.8mil GP per hour in a 4 man group, which means small teams are a little more profitable than the large groups.
You’ll get 15k mining XP per hour at the same time, which isn't great, but its decent over time.
You can get the crystal tool seed, worth over 15 mil right now, or an uncut onyx as well.
8. Smelting Runite Bars
Next is smelting runite bars at the blast furnace, which is the 8th best skilling money maker.
You can make nearly 2 mil an hour currently with this method, and XP rates reach over 100k per hour which is decent for smithing.
You need 85 smithing, and a coal bag, ice gloves and graceful is highly recommended.
Overall, you do 1 inventory of runite and a full coalbag, then 3 coal only runs, then you collect the bars and do another run of runite and coal, collect the bars and repeat.
7. Wilderness Agility
Now I've already spoken about this next one, and it was the wilderness agility course, which was the third best low requirement method, and that's around 2mil/hr at all levels, once you're above 60 laps.
6. Enchanting Topaz Jewellery
Another method I've talked about that sits at number 6 on this list, is enchanting topaz jewellery, reaching above 2 mil GP profit depending on the grand exchange…
5. Runecrafting
The fifth most profitable skilling money maker, is Runecrafting, and there are 4 main money makers. There's double natures with the diary cape, there's Sunfire runes, wrath runes, and true bloods. Double natures are the most profitable, close to 2.3mil GP per hour.
And in terms of XP rates, they really aren't so bad in terms of Runecrafting, so this means these methods are great for both training and money.
Requirements wise, Sunfire runes have a 98 Runecrafting requirement, obviously quite high. Although true bloods are achievable on mid levelled accounts.
4. Divine Super Combats
In the number 4 spot, is making divine super combat potions, by combining crystal dust with normal super combats. Currently, if you buy teleport crystals and convert them to crystal shards then dust, its currently 2.4mil profit per hour. This does require level 97 herblore to do though, and you also need to complete the song of the elves quest. XP wise, its terrible XP per hour, close to 4k herblore XP per hour.
Although, if you passively earn your crystal shards through participating in activities around Priff, you get a much higher profit rate per hour when making divine super combats. So if you do a lot of Zalcano or corrupted gauntlet, you'll make quite a bit of money from divine combats.
3. Pickpocketing Elves/Vyres
The third most profitable skilling money maker is pickpocketing methods, specifically elves and Vyres. At high thieving levels, these both currently provide the same amount of profit per hour in the long run, nearing 2.6mil GP per hour. And at unlock, you're already making close to 2 mil an hour for both of these.
At the same time, the XP rates aren't bad either, up to 260k with Vyres and 215k with elves.
For these methods, its strongly recommended to have the rogues outfit equipped, along with dodgy necklaces and shadowveil.
Overall, both elves and Vyres are a viable pathway to 99 thieving, providing decent XP rates and high profit.
2. Dragon Bolts
Now at number 2 on this list is one that requires a LOT of starting capital, and I'm talking hundreds of millions. And this method is making various types of dragon bolts.
In particular, you can make over 3 mil per hour fletching dragon dragonstone bolts. Or dragon diamond bolts net 2.6 an hour right now. These bolts are heavily used in PVM and PVP situations, where I suppose the demand outweighs the number of bolts coming into the game.. So this method may be very profitable right now, but will most likely decrease in profitability over time.
As a whole, to do these fletching methods, you need 84 fletching, and you can expect around 200k fletching XP per hour.
To make sure the prices don't change, you can buy 1 hour worth of supplies at a time, and if you train for 1 hour per day, fletching bolts with this method, could make 20 to 40 mil every 2 weeks, which makes it a decent way to maintain a bond.
1. Deep Sea Trawling
And, currently, the best skilling money maker in the game, is deep sea trawling, fishing for marlin. Currently you can make over 4mil an hour from this since marlin fish are 6k each, and its possible to get the angler’s paint, worth 14 mil right now.
To catch marlin, you need level 78 sailing, 91 fishing and 72 construction. And while doing this method, you can get around 50k fishing XP per hour and 25k sailing XP at the same time.
The method involves following the maril shoal as it goes from spot to spot, and you should bring along some repair kits because you will take some damage.
The other shoals are decent for ironment, but realistically, for main accounts, the only one worth it for profit is marlin.
Honorable Mention: Coral + Herb Runs
And finishing with an honorable mention, coral runs mixed with herb runs can effectively make you over 4 mil profit per hour if you have a high farming level and you use all the boosts available.
So those were the best skilling money makers for 2026…If you enjoyed this guide, be sure to leave a like for more Old School Runescape content. Thanks for reading.
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