Slippage vs Swap fee: what's the difference?
Two trade costs people lump together but that behave differently.
The short version
Two trade costs people lump together but that behave differently.
- Slippage: Variable price movement during your trade.
- Swap fee: A fixed percentage paid to liquidity providers per swap.
Side by side
| Dimension | Slippage | Swap fee |
|---|---|---|
| Variable or fixed | Variable (market/size) | Fixed per pool |
| You control by | Tolerance + size | Choosing the pool |
| Worst on | Thin, fast pools | High-fee pools |
| Predictable? | No | Yes |
Which one should you care about?
Key idea — The swap fee is fixed and knowable; slippage is variable and often larger on microcaps. Budget for both.
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Education only — not financial advice. Memecoins are extremely high risk.
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