What is slippage in a crypto swap?
Slippage is the gap between the price you're quoted and the price you get. Why it happens, how slippage tolerance protects you, and price impact explained.
Updated Nov 8, 2026
In short
Slippage is the difference between the price a swap shows you and the price it actually fills at. It happens because prices move between quoting and filling, and because other trades land first. A slippage tolerance sets how far the price may move before the swap is cancelled instead. Price impact is a different thing: how much your own trade moves the price of a small pool.
Why it happens
A swap on a DEX is quoted from the pool as it is now, and filled when your transaction lands, a few seconds or blocks later. In between, other swaps change the pool. On a calm, deep market the difference is tiny; on a volatile or thin one it can be large.
Slippage tolerance
You set how far the price may move against you, say 0.5%. If the swap would fill worse than that, it fails instead, and you pay only the network fee for trying. It's a limit, not a cost: most swaps fill well inside it.
Price impact
A separate effect: your own trade moves the price. Buying a lot of a token from a small pool pushes its price up as you buy. A quote should show the price impact before you confirm; if it's large, a smaller trade, a different route, or a limit order may get you a better price.
Slippage and MEV
A loose tolerance can be used against you. Bots that see your swap waiting can trade just before and after it so it fills at the worst price you allowed; this is a sandwich. A tight tolerance limits what they can take.
In Burokku
Swap & Bridge compares routes across many bridges and DEXs and shows what you'll get before you sign. A limit order fills only at your price or better, so slippage can't make it worse. The address scanner checks the contracts involved before every Burokku transaction.
Questions
- What slippage tolerance should I use?
- As low as lets the swap go through. For large, liquid tokens a fraction of a percent is usually enough; small or volatile tokens need more. A high tolerance on a busy token invites others to trade against you, so don't set it higher than you need.
- Is slippage the same as a fee?
- No. Fees are what the pool, the route and the network charge. Slippage is the price moving. Both reduce what you receive, and a good quote shows them separately.