Gold making in WoW Forever is significantly easier with the right addons. This guide ranks every popular gold-making addon by usefulness, performance, and ease of use.
For broader context, see our Best Addons Guide, Auction House Tips, and Beta Addon Compatibility.
Quick summary: Top gold-making addons: Auctionator (beginners), TradeSkillMaster / TSM (advanced), Crafting. Avoid Recount (high CPU). Most important: install Auctionator early — even basic scanning helps.
Tier 1: Essential (must-have)
1. Auctionator
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why essential: Auctionator gives you a simple shopping list and posting UI in 5 minutes. Perfect for beginners.
Key features:
- Scan AH in 5-10 minutes (one click)
- Post items in batches
- Shopping list with target prices
- Cancel/repost with one button
- Undercut detection (helps you price competitively)
Setup (5 min):
- Install via CurseForge
- /reload in-game
- Click “Auctionator” button
- Run first scan
- Done — basic functionality works
2. TradeSkillMaster (TSM)
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐ (steep learning curve) |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Medium |
| Price | Free |
Why essential (advanced): TSM is the gold standard for hardcore AH flippers. If you flip more than 50 items per day, you need TSM.
Key features:
- Auto-pricing based on historical data
- Crafting operations (calculate profit per craft)
- Shopping operations (buy underpriced)
- Destroying old listings
- Accounting (track your gold earned)
Setup (30 min):
- Install TSM4 from CurseForge
- Import community TSM profile for WoW Forever
- Configure your operations
- Run initial scan
- Customize over time
3. Crafting (addon)
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why useful: Quick access to recipes and materials list. Works alongside TSM.
Key features:
- Browse all recipes for your profession
- See material costs vs vendor sell prices
- Quick craft with one button
Tier 2: Very useful (recommended)
4. Auctioneer
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Medium |
| Price | Free |
Why useful (but dated): Auctioneer was the original AH addon. It still works but is mostly superseded by Auctionator / TSM.
Best for: Casual players who want basic price tracking without complexity.
5. BeanCounter
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why useful: Tracks your AH profit over time. Shows weekly/monthly earnings in a clean interface.
Best for: Players who want to monitor long-term gold trends.
6. Lightheaded
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐ (indirect) |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why useful: Browseable quest database. Helps you decide what to sell vs keep.
Best for: Auction House sellers who want to know item values quickly.
Tier 3: Niche (use if needed)
7. Postal
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why niche: Mail helper (mass mail, return mail). Useful for sending items to alts for AH posting.
Best for: Players with multiple characters who flip across factions.
8. Pawn
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐ (indirect) |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why niche: Gear comparison tool. Helps you decide what to keep vs vendor.
Best for: Players who vendor green items and want to maximize AH value.
9. Gatherer
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why niche: Tracks herbalism / mining nodes. Useful for farming routes.
Best for: Gatherers who want optimized farming routes.
10. Routes
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | ⭐⭐ |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why niche: Draws custom routes on your map. Similar to Gatherer.
Tier 4: Skip (don’t install)
11. Recount
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | 0 |
| CPU impact | High |
| Price | Free |
Why skip: Recount is a damage meter — not for gold making. It also has high CPU usage. Use Details! instead (better in every way).
12. PowerAuras
| Aspect | Rating |
|---|---|
| Ease of use | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ |
| Gold-making efficiency | 0 |
| CPU impact | Low |
| Price | Free |
Why skip: PowerAuras is replaced by WeakAuras (more flexible, more powerful).
Recommended addon setup
Setup for new players
- Auctionator (essential)
- Crafting (convenience)
- BeanCounter (tracking)
Total setup time: 15 min
Setup for advanced players
- TSM4 (essential)
- Auctionator (backup)
- Postal (mail to alts)
- Crafting (recipe lookup)
- BeanCounter (accounting)
Total setup time: 45 min
Setup for hardcore players
- TSM4 (essential)
- Postal (mail to alts)
- BeanCounter (accounting)
- Custom WeakAuras (auction alerts)
- Crafting (recipe lookup)
Total setup time: 60-90 min
Addon compatibility
Working addons (Day 5 beta)
| Addon | Status | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Auctionator | ✅ Working | All features functional |
| TSM4 | ⚠️ Mostly | Some Forever-specific items need updates |
| Crafting | ✅ Working | Full functionality |
| BeanCounter | ✅ Working | Tracks profit |
| Postal | ✅ Working | Mail helper |
Broken addons (Day 5 beta)
| Addon | Status | Alternative |
|---|---|---|
| Atlas | ❌ Broken | Use built-in dungeon journal |
| Auctioneer | ⚠️ Outdated data | Use Auctionator |
| Recount | ⚠️ High CPU | Use Details! |
| PowerAuras | ❌ Replaced | Use WeakAuras |
Addon performance tips
Best practices
- Install via CurseForge App for safe auto-updates
- Disable unused features in each addon
- Profile WeakAuras (separate for PvP / PvE)
- Test FPS impact after each addon install
- Update after WoW patches (addon authors release updates within hours)
Performance impact
| Addon | FPS impact |
|---|---|
| Auctionator | -1-2 FPS |
| TSM4 | -3-5 FPS |
| Postal | -1 FPS |
| BeanCounter | 0 FPS |
| Crafting | -1 FPS |
Auctionator vs TSM (which to choose)
Auctionator (beginners)
- Pros: Simple, fast, easy to learn
- Cons: Manual price tracking
- Best for: First 3 months of beta
- Time to learn: 15 minutes
TSM4 (advanced)
- Pros: Auto-pricing, profit calculations, accounting
- Cons: Steep learning curve, complex setup
- Best for: Active AH flippers
- Time to learn: 30-60 minutes
Recommended path
- Start with Auctionator (immediate gains)
- After 2-3 weeks, evaluate if you need TSM
- Install TSM when flipping > 50 items/day
Best addon combos for gold making
Combo 1: Minimal (5 addons)
| Addon | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Auctionator | AH scanning |
| Crafting | Recipe lookup |
| BeanCounter | Profit tracking |
| ElvUI | UI (improves AH visibility) |
| Details! | Performance monitoring |
Combo 2: Advanced (8 addons)
| Addon | Purpose |
|---|---|
| TSM4 | Auto-pricing |
| Auctionator | Backup scanner |
| Crafting | Recipe lookup |
| Postal | Mail to alts |
| BeanCounter | Profit tracking |
| ElvUI | UI |
| Details! | Performance |
| WeakAuras | Custom notifications |
Common addon mistakes
| Mistake | Cost | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Installing 20+ addons | High FPS loss | Keep 5-7 essential only |
| Outdated addons | Crashes | Update via CurseForge App |
| Recount for damage | High CPU | Use Details! |
| No scanning | Missing deals | Run Auctionator scan 2x daily |
FAQ
What’s the single best gold making addon?
Auctionator for most players, TSM4 for hardcore flippers.
Can I use Auctionator and TSM together?
Yes — many players use both (TSM for advanced, Auctionator as backup).
What’s the cheapest way to start?
Auctionator — free, 5-minute setup, immediate gains.
Should I use Auctioneer instead?
Auctioneer is outdated — Auctionator is its modern replacement.
How do addons affect FPS?
5-15 FPS total for gold-making addon stack (depends on system).
Final verdict
Top 3 gold-making addons (in order):
- Auctionator — install first, free, simple
- TradeSkillMaster — upgrade later when flipping more
- Crafting — convenient profession lookup
Avoid:
- Recount (high CPU, no gold benefit)
- Auctioneer (outdated)
- PowerAuras (replaced by WeakAuras)
Whatever you choose, install Auctionator first and run scan twice daily to start seeing gold.
For more gold making, see our Beta Gold Making Guide, Vendor Shuffle Guide, Auction House Tips, and Beta Addon Compatibility articles.