What is the difference between a GTT order and a stop-loss order?

A stop-loss order is a day order sent to the exchange that exits your trade when price hits a trigger, and it lapses at the end of the session. A GTT sits with your broker for weeks or months and only goes to the exchange once its trigger price is touched.

So the difference is mainly about time horizon. Intraday traders use stop-loss orders because their position closes the same day anyway. Swing traders and investors who hold for days or weeks often prefer GTTs, since they don’t want to re-enter a stop-loss every morning.

Here is how it plays out. An intraday trader buys at ₹250 with a stop-loss at ₹246. If price drops to ₹246 at 11 am, the stop fires. A swing trader buys at ₹250 and plans to hold for two weeks with an exit at ₹235. A GTT at ₹235 keeps that exit alive for the whole holding period.

• Stop-loss: valid for the day, sits on the exchange, suited to intraday trades.
• GTT: valid for a long period, stored by the broker, suited to swing and positional holds.
• Common risk for both: in a big gap-down opening, the order may fill well below your trigger or not fill at all.

One mistake we see often: traders set a GTT, forget about it, and then manually sell the shares. The GTT stays live and can misfire later, so always clean up old triggers.

Choosing between these orders, and sizing stops properly, is drilled in our intraday and swing trading course.