On Coinmetro, you can trade cryptocurrencies on the Exchange and Margin platforms using Market Orders or Limit Orders. Understanding the difference between the two helps you to make smarter trading decisions and manage your risk.
📈 Market Orders
A Market Order is the simplest way to buy or sell an asset. When you place a market order, your trade will be filled at the current market price — whatever price is available in the order book.
⚡ Quick execution – Market orders are filled almost immediately.
💰 Price uncertainty – The price you see before placing the order may not be the exact price your trade executes at.
Price Protection
Coinmetro offers an optional price protection feature for market orders. By checking the ‘Min/Max price’ box, you can set a floor (for sell orders) or a ceiling (for buy orders) to prevent your order from executing beyond your acceptable price. This gives you a bit more control, even with a market order.
⚠️ Price Warnings (Slippage Alerts)
To help you trade smarter, Coinmetro shows a Price Warning Dialog if your order could lose more than 3% due to slippage.
No warning: slippage under 3%
Green: 3–4.99%
Orange: 5–9.99%
Red: 10%+
💡 The warning adjusts based on your order size and appears on both Exchange and Margin platforms when placing or editing orders.
Please note:
Spread is not included in the warning.
It won’t appear when doubling or closing a % of active margin positions (for now).
Coinmetro is not responsible for slippage — placing a market order is at your own risk.
To avoid slippage entirely, consider using a limit order.
💰 Limit Orders
A Limit Order gives you full control over your buying or selling price.
When buying, set the maximum price you’re willing to pay.
When selling, set the minimum price you’re willing to accept.
This ensures your trade won’t execute at a worse price than your limit.
Please note: A limit order only fills if another user matches your price. This two-sided nature means you may need to wait for someone else to place a matching order before your trade executes.
⚖️ Market vs Limit: A Quick Comparison
Feature | Market Order | Limit Order |
Execution Speed | Fast | May take time |
Price Control | Low | High |
Risk of Slippage | Possible | None (if limit is respected) |
Ideal For | Immediate trades | Price-sensitive trades |
FAQs
📌 What’s the main difference between market and limit orders?
Market orders execute immediately at the current price, while limit orders only execute at your specified price if another trader matches it.
⚡ Can I avoid slippage on a market order?
You can use Coinmetro’s price protection feature (min/max price) to limit unexpected slippage, but for full control, a limit order is best.
✏️ Can I edit an active limit order?
Yes! On Coinmetro, you can adjust the price or amount of an active limit order, or cancel it and create a new one.
🛑 Can I cancel a market order?
Market orders usually execute immediately. If your order hasn’t been fully filled, you may be able to cancel the remaining portion.
💡 Which order type should I use?
Use market orders for speed, and limit orders for price control and to avoid slippage.
⚠️ This information is for educational purposes only and should not be considered financial or trading advice.