Entries → comparison tables
Order Types: A Reference Table
Six order types available on most venues, what each does, and when each is the right choice.
| Entry type | reference |
|---|---|
| Section | comparison tables |
| Last verified | |
| Compiled by | Reference Desk |
Entry last verified August 2026. Availability varies by venue.
The table
| Type | Executes | Price control | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market | Immediately | None | Taker, higher |
| Limit | At your price or better | Full | Maker, lower, if it rests |
| Stop | When a trigger price is reached | None after trigger | Taker |
| Stop-limit | Becomes a limit order at a trigger | Full after trigger | Maker or taker |
| Post-only | Only if it rests on the book | Full | Maker, guaranteed |
| Fill-or-kill | Entirely and immediately, or not at all | Full | Taker |
The two that matter for most people
Limit. Sets your price. Lower fee because it adds liquidity. May not fill.
Market. Executes now at whatever is available. Higher fee, and in a thin market the fill can be considerably worse than the displayed price.
For a scheduled purchase where timing is irrelevant by design, a limit order is correct: lower fee, no spread, and the delay costs nothing.
Post-only
Rejects the order if it would execute immediately rather than resting on the book.
Useful for guaranteeing maker fee treatment. If you are systematically using limit orders to reduce costs, this prevents the case where your limit accidentally crosses the spread and is charged as a taker.
Stop orders
A trigger price at which an order becomes active.
A stop order becomes a market order, which means it executes at whatever is available. In a fast decline that can be far below your trigger.
A stop-limit becomes a limit order, which controls the price and may not fill at all, leaving you in the position you were trying to exit.
Neither is safe in a fast market, and understanding which failure you prefer is the decision.
What is not an order type
The simplified buy button on most platforms. It quotes a price with a margin added and is not an order book operation at all.
The margin is frequently several times the trading fee. Comparing the quoted price against the mid price on the order book at the same moment reveals it in thirty seconds.
Venues offering both, including exchanges quoting a direct fiat pair, let you make that comparison before deciding which interface to use.
The practical default
Limit orders for everything that is not urgent. Market orders only when execution certainty is worth the extra cost.
That single habit is the largest cost reduction available to a regular buyer, ahead of choosing between venues.
Figures in this entry were correct on the date shown. Spotted something out of date?Send a correction and the entry gets updated.