Trading on Orca

Overview of trading features and why Orca offers the best trading experience on Solana.

Orca is Solana’s leading decentralized exchange, designed to make trading crypto simple, fast, and cost-effective.

Orca v2 compares quotes from its own pools and Jupiter aggregator—you always get the best price without leaving the app.

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Why Trade on Orca?

Best Prices

Concentrated liquidity pools pack liquidity tightly around current prices for lower slippage

Sub-Second Speed

Trades confirm almost instantly on Solana with fees typically under $0.01

Simple Interface

Swap in just a few clicks with clear information upfront

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How Orca Works

Concentrated Liquidity

Unlike traditional DEXs that spread liquidity across all prices, Orca uses Concentrated Liquidity Market Makers (CLMMs):

Traditional DEX	Orca CLMM
Liquidity spread thin	Liquidity concentrated around market price
Higher slippage	Lower slippage
Worse prices	Better prices

Smart Routing

When you make a trade, Orca:

1. Finds the best pools

   Scans available liquidity across all relevant pools

2. Calculates optimal route

   Determines the path that gives you the best output

3. Compares with Jupiter

   Shows you both Orca and aggregated quotes

4. Executes with minimal slippage

   Completes your trade at the best available price

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What You Can Do

Swap Tokens

Exchange any supported token for another in seconds. See real-time prices and set slippage protection.

Range Orders

Set limit-order-style positions that earn fees while waiting to execute. Buy low or sell high automatically.

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Trading Costs

Cost Type	Amount	Notes
Network fee	~$0.001-0.01	Solana transaction fee
Trading fee	0.01% - 1%	Depends on pool, paid to LPs
Slippage	Varies	You set the maximum

Fee Tiers

Trading fees are paid to liquidity providers:

Fee Tier	Typical Use
0.01%	Stablecoin pairs (USDC/USDT)
0.05%	Stable pairs, high volume
0.30%	Most pairs
1.00%	Volatile/exotic pairs

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Getting Started

Prerequisites

Solana Wallet

Phantom, Backpack, or another Solana wallet

SOL for Fees

Keep at least 0.01 SOL

Tokens to Trade

The token you want to swap

Your First Trade

1. Visit Orca

   Go to orca.so

2. Connect wallet

   Click Connect Wallet and approve

3. Select tokens

   Choose what to sell and buy

4. Enter amount

   Input your trade size

5. Review and confirm

   Check the quote and approve in wallet

Detailed Swap Guide

Follow our step-by-step tutorial with screenshots

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Trading Tips

For better prices

• Trade popular pairs — More liquidity = better prices
• Avoid small pools — Low liquidity means higher slippage
• Check the quote — Compare Orca vs Jupiter pricing
• Split large trades — Reduces price impact

For safer trades

• Set appropriate slippage — Start with 0.5-1% for major pairs
• Verify token addresses — Especially for new or unfamiliar tokens
• Start small — Test with a small amount first
• Review in wallet — Always check transaction details before signing

Understanding slippage

Slippage is the difference between expected and actual trade price. Higher volatility and lower liquidity increase slippage.

Learn more about slippage →

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Common Questions

Is Orca safe?

Orca’s smart contracts are audited and have secured billions in trading volume. However, always practice good security hygiene—verify transactions and protect your wallet.

What tokens can I trade?

Any SPL token with a liquidity pool on Orca. Major tokens like SOL, USDC, and USDT have the deepest liquidity.

Why did my trade fail?

Common reasons:

• Slippage tolerance too low
• Insufficient SOL for fees
• Price moved during confirmation

See troubleshooting guide →

Are there trading limits?

No account limits. Trade size is only limited by available liquidity in the pool.

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Next Steps

How to Swap

Step-by-step trading guide

Understanding Slippage

Learn about price impact

Range Orders

Advanced order types

FAQs

Common questions answered