onboarding

Choose the right bot for your trading style

Decision framework: Smart Trade vs Grid vs DCA vs Algo vs Conditional

8 min · beginner

What you'll have when finished

  • Pick the right bot type for what you're trying to do
  • Avoid the most common bot-selection mistakes
  • Know which bot to combine with which for portfolio coverage

Before you start

  • No bot is the "best" bot — they each solve different problems
  • Running the wrong bot for current market conditions loses money even with good config

Walkthrough

  1. Start by asking: what am I actually trying to do?

    5 questions to clarify the goal: 1. **Am I placing ONE trade?** Then you want Smart Trade. 2. **Do I have a directional view on an asset I already own?** Smart Trade for one-shot, DCA Safety for averaging down on a position you want to hold. 3. **Do I think this asset will trade sideways for a while?** Grid Bot is built for this. 4. **Am I trying to execute a large order without moving the market?** Algo Orders (TWAP/VWAP). 5. **Do I have a multi-condition rule like "buy when RSI<30 AND EMA crosses"?** Conditional Strategy. If your answer is "all of the above on different parts of my portfolio" — that's correct. Most serious users run 2-3 bot types simultaneously, each on the right subset of their portfolio.

  2. Match the bot to the market regime

    **Trending market (clear direction, low chop):** - Smart Trade for entries with TPs and trailing stops - Conditional Strategy with momentum rules (EMA crossover, breakout) - AVOID Grid Bot — you'll get whipsawed at the top of the range **Ranging market (sideways, high chop):** - Grid Bot is purpose-built for this - DCA Safety on assets you'd be happy holding - AVOID directional strategies — they bleed in chop **High volatility (memecoins, post-news):** - Algo Orders (Iceberg) to hide size - Smart Trade with WIDE stops — tight stops get whipsawed out **Low volatility (post-news, summer drift):** - Grid Bot tightens spacing to harvest small moves - DCA Safety with conservative SO spacing

  3. Match the bot to your trade size

    **Under $1K per position:** Smart Trade is the cleanest. Algo Orders add overhead that eats fees. **$1K - $10K per position:** Smart Trade or Conditional Strategy. Algo Orders only on illiquid pairs. **$10K - $50K per position:** Algo Orders start mattering. Use TWAP for execution, then Smart Trade for management. **$50K+ per position:** Definitely Algo Orders. Consider Dark Pool Routing (beta) for DEX execution. **$1K - $5K spread across a basket:** Portfolio Rebalancer is the right tool, not individual bots.

  4. Combine bots for portfolio coverage

    A balanced setup most haythix users converge to: - **Core (50-70% of portfolio):** Grid Bot or DCA Safety on BTC/ETH — harvest volatility on assets you'd hold anyway - **Tactical (20-30%):** Smart Trades for directional ideas with clear exits - **Opportunistic (5-10%):** Conditional Strategy for testing your own rule-based ideas, paper trade first - **Execution layer (as needed):** Algo Orders for any position sizing $5K+ You don't need every bot from day one. Most users start with 1 (usually Smart Trade) and add 1 more per month as they get comfortable. Aim to be running 3+ bots within your first 3 months.

  5. Common bot-selection mistakes

    **Mistake 1: Using DCA Safety on memecoins.** When the asset goes to zero, the bot averages down all the way to zero with it. DCA is for assets you genuinely believe will recover — BTC, ETH, top-10 alts. Not new memecoins. **Mistake 2: Running a Grid Bot in a trending market.** You'll watch price run away from your high while your bot sits in cash. Either widen the range dramatically or switch to Conditional Strategy. **Mistake 3: Building a Conditional Strategy without backtesting.** Always run `/strategies/{id}/backtest` on 90+ days of data first. If backtest is bad, live will be worse. **Mistake 4: Using Smart Trade for a position you'll hold 6+ months.** Smart Trade is for active trades with clear exits. For HODL positions just buy spot manually or use DCA Safety. **Mistake 5: Running 5 bots before understanding 1.** Start with one bot, paper-trade or use small capital, watch it work for 2 weeks. Then add the next. Adding bots faster than your understanding catches up = bad outcomes.

What's next

If you've done the onboarding flow ([Zero to first trade](/learning-library?guide=onboarding-zero-to-first-trade)) you already have a Smart Trade running. For your second bot, the question is: what's missing from your portfolio? - Holding a lot of BTC/ETH long-term but not earning on it? → Grid Bot - Bullish on an alt but unsure of entry? → DCA Safety - Want to test a rule-based idea? → Conditional Strategy (BACKTEST FIRST) - About to make a >$10K trade? → Algo Orders (TWAP) Each bot has its own complete reference doc — click through from the relevant feature page when ready.