Comparison

Wise Old ManvsCrystal Math Labs

A short comparison of OSRS's modern XP tracker and the original that invented EHP. When integrated UI wins and when deep history wins.

Category: XP & progress trackingLast verified: June 5, 2026

Verdict

Wise Old Man if you want the modern, actively maintained tracker: clean UI, RuneLite plugin, Discord bot, and clan competitions. Crystal Math Labs if you value the deepest historical record in the game — it's the original tracker that invented EHP — even if its UI is dated. New users go to WOM; EHP purists and long-history accounts go to CML.

Side-by-side

Wise Old ManCrystal Math Labs
FreeYesYes
Open sourceYesNo
OfficialNoNo
TypeWeb AppWeb App
PlatformsWebWeb
DifficultyBeginnerIntermediate
LicenseMIT
SourceGitHub
VerifiedJune 5, 2026June 5, 2026

Which to use for what

  • Starting to track as a new playerBetter pick: Wise Old Man

    WOM's modern UI and RuneLite plugin make onboarding a matter of minutes, with no learning curve.

  • Pulling 10-year historical XP data for an accountBetter pick: Crystal Math Labs

    CML has the longest, most complete historical dataset in the game as the original tracker; old accounts have records no other tracker holds.

  • Running a clan competition with a live leaderboardBetter pick: Wise Old Man

    WOM has native competitions and a Discord bot that automates announcements and results — CML doesn't target this case.

  • Historical EHP reference as the origin conceptBetter pick: Crystal Math Labs

    CML pioneered EHP; it's the origin source of the concept and holds the longest-reaching efficiency record.

  • Keeping a clan roster updated automaticallyBetter pick: Wise Old Man

    WOM's RuneLite plugin and bot update members automatically; name change tracking keeps the roster clean.

These two XP trackers represent two eras of OSRS. Crystal Math Labs (CML) is the original: the tracker that pioneered EHP (Efficient Hours Played) and holds the longest historical record in the game. Wise Old Man (WOM) is the modern generation: open source, clean UI, RuneLite plugin, Discord bot, and clan competitions. Knowing which to use depends less on which is "better" and more on what you need: modern integration or historical depth.

UI and integration

Here WOM dominates without question. Its site is clean, fast, and readable, with a near-zero learning curve. But the real differentiator is the integrations:

  • RuneLite plugin that updates your profile automatically on login, with no pasting usernames or opening the site.
  • Discord bot that lives in the clan server and posts progress, results, and stats by command.
  • Native competitions (Skill of the Week, Boss of the Week) with a live leaderboard, plus achievements and name change tracking.

CML has a clearly older UI, inherited from another era of the web. It works and the data is there, but the design and usage friction show. It doesn't have the plugin-plus-bot ecosystem that makes WOM update on its own.

Historical depth

And here CML has something WOM can't replicate: time. CML has been tracking OSRS since long before WOM existed. That means for old accounts, CML holds XP records reaching back years beyond what any other tracker has. If you want to see an account's progress curve across a decade, CML is the only source that has it complete.

On top of that, CML is the origin of EHP. The concept the whole ecosystem uses today — including WOM — was born there. For anyone who values the historical efficiency reference and the lineage of the concept, CML carries a weight no modern UI grants.

Competitions and clans

WOM is built for modern clans: recurring competitions automated via Discord, a roster that stays current on its own, minutes-long onboarding. It's the default for any clan that lives in Discord and runs events. CML doesn't target this use case with the same depth; its strength is the long-term individual record, not real-time clan event coordination.

When each one wins

Scenario Better pick
New player onboarding Wise Old Man
Auto-update from RuneLite Wise Old Man
Clan competition with Discord bot Wise Old Man
Self-maintaining clan roster Wise Old Man
10-year XP history Crystal Math Labs
EHP origin reference Crystal Math Labs
Longest-reaching efficiency record Crystal Math Labs

Recommendation

If you're new or run a clan, Wise Old Man is the clear answer: the integrations and modern UI make it today's default tracker. If your account has years of history and you want the complete record, or you're an EHP purist who values the original source, Crystal Math Labs still has something WOM can't give: accumulated time. For most people, WOM daily and CML as an occasional historical lookup is the natural balance.

Wise Old Man

Open-source OSRS progress tracker covering XP, EHP, EHB, competitions and an official RuneLite plugin that auto-updates your stats.

View Wise Old Man
Crystal Math Labs

The original OSRS XP tracker and creator of EHP, holding the longest-running historical XP-gain dataset of the three trackers.

View Crystal Math Labs

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