An instruction to trade only at a stated price or better, which rests in the book until it fills, expires or is cancelled.
Last verified 13 September 2026 · written by the DexLadder team
What it means
An instruction to trade only at a stated price or better, which rests in the book until it fills, expires or is cancelled.
Why it matters when you trade
A limit order trades certainty of price for uncertainty of execution. You will never pay worse than your limit, but you may not trade at all, and the times you do not trade are exactly the times price ran away from you. Limit orders usually earn the maker fee rebate or discount, and on thin markets they are the only sane way to enter — a market order into a thin book is a donation.
Worked example
Price is 2.50 and you set a limit buy at 2.42. If price dips to 2.42 you fill; if it rallies to 3.00 you never traded and your analysis was right but your order was wrong.
See it on live markets
DexLadder runs limit order against live market and pool data, with simulated capital, so you can watch it act on an order instead of reading about it — no account, no wallet, nothing installed.