Every trade starts with an order. The two basic types are the market order and the limit order, and both are available on Akunosai spot and futures. The type you choose affects the price you get, the fee you pay and whether your order fills at all.
Market order: speed first
A market order buys or sells straight away at the best price available now. You only enter the amount. Use it when getting into or out of a trade quickly matters more than the exact price.
- Fills immediately in normal conditions
- The final price can differ slightly from the price you saw, especially in fast markets or when the spread is wide
- Always pays the taker fee
Limit order: price first
A limit order sets the worst price you accept. A buy limit fills only at your price or lower, a sell limit only at your price or higher. If the market never reaches your price, the order waits under "Open orders" until it fills or you cancel it.
- You control the price exactly
- It may fill partly, later or never
- On futures, an order that waits on the book and is filled later pays the lower maker fee
Fees: maker and taker
On perpetual futures the maker fee is 0.02% and the taker fee is 0.06% of the position value. A market order is always a taker. A limit order that waits on the order book and is filled later is a maker; a limit order priced through the market fills at once and counts as a taker. Spot fees start from 0.1% per trade. Details: Akunosai trading fees.
Example: opening a futures position worth 1,000 USDT costs 0.6 USDT with a market order and 0.2 USDT with a limit order that fills as a maker.
Side by side
- Speed: market order — immediate; limit order — only when the price reaches your level
- Price: market order — the best price available now; limit order — your price or better
- Filling: market order — almost certain; limit order — not guaranteed
- Futures fee: market order — taker 0.06%; limit order waiting on the book — maker 0.02%
How to place each order on Akunosai
- Open the trading page and choose a pair, for example BTC/USDT.
- In the order form choose "Limit" or "Market".
- For a limit order enter the price, or click a price in the order book to copy it. A market order needs no price.
- Enter the amount, check the order value and press Buy or Sell (on futures: Buy/Long or Sell/Short).
- Open orders appear in the panel under the chart and as dashed lines on the chart. You can cancel them there with one click.
Good to know on futures
- A futures limit order must stay close to the market: a buy limit can be at most 5% above the current ask and a sell limit at most 5% below the current bid. Orders outside this band are rejected.
- You can add a take profit and a stop loss when you open a position. Both are triggered by the mark price. See how to set take profit and stop loss.
- "Reduce Only" makes sure an order can only reduce your position and never increases it or opens a new one.
Common mistakes
- Using a market order on a pair with a wide spread or a thin order book
- Setting a limit price far from the market and forgetting that the order is still open
- Forgetting that a buy limit above the current price fills at once, just like a market order
- Using high leverage on futures; beginners usually start with 2–5x. See how leverage works
FAQ
Q: Why didn't my limit order fill? A: The market has not reached your price, or only part of the amount traded there. The order stays open until it fills or you cancel it.
Q: Is a market order always more expensive? A: It pays the taker fee and crosses the spread. On liquid pairs the difference is small; on thin pairs it can be noticeable.
Q: Why was my futures limit order rejected? A: The price was more than 5% through the market, a buy above the ask or a sell below the bid. Move the price closer to the market.
Q: Are there stop orders on spot? A: Spot trading on Akunosai offers limit and market orders. On futures you can protect a position with take profit and stop loss.
Register to try both order types with small amounts, or practise futures orders on the demo account.