Total level is the sum of the levels of all of a player's Skills. The current maximum for members is 2,277, the first player to reach the current maximum total level is Jebrim on 27 October 2013, 247 days after the servers were first opened. The maximum for free players is 1,485. Total level is a common way for players to compare their stats.
The opening page on the Hiscores ranks players by their total level, then by experience. Other than when new skills have been recently released, the top ranked players in the hiscores are generally listed in order of experience rather than rank. The number one player won't have a higher level than the number two player, but certainly more experience.
In RuneScape Classic, the maximum total level was 1,782 (1,395 for free players). The addition of Runecrafting (1,881), Slayer (1,980), Farming (2,079), Construction (2,178) and the latest skill, Hunter (2,277), brought the maximum total level to 2,277 (1,485 for free players).