# Paper account options limit orders **URL:** \ **Category:** Random\ **Created:** [April 3, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/paper-account-options-limit-orders/16652 "2025-04-03T18:38:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ren\_Z](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/ren_z/32/1759_2.png) [@Ren\_Z](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Ren_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 3, 2025, 6:38pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/paper-account-options-limit-orders/16652/1 "2025-04-03T18:38:11Z")
I’ve noticed that sometimes in my paper account limit orders for buy or sell option contracts, they are filled at more favorable to me price than the limit. Is this normal behavior and can it be expected in live account as well? ---
**Author:** ![sarahvignale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e8cbc/32.png) [@sarahvignale](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/sarahvignale)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 9:32am UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/paper-account-options-limit-orders/16652/2 "2025-04-04T09:32:04Z")
This is happening due to price improvement and can happen in live trading as well. You can read more about [here](https://www.schwab.com/execution-quality/price-improvement). ---
**Author:** ![Ren\_Z](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex020/user_avatar/forum.alpaca.markets/ren_z/32/1759_2.png) [@Ren\_Z](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Ren_Z)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2025, 7:27pm UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/paper-account-options-limit-orders/16652/3 "2025-04-04T19:27:48Z")
Thank you for the answer. Still its seems to good to be true in my case as more than a half trades were like this. Below are actual trades on my paper account for the March taken from Alpaca api. If limit price be used than it was total -8%, if filled\_avg\_price -3% I doubt it would be as good in live, maybe someone could give more explanation… 3/3/2025 12:34 PM SPY250314C00591000 buy\_to\_open limit 10.09 filled\_avg\_price 9.95 3/3/2025 12:41 PM SPY250314C00591000 sell\_to\_close limit 10.08 filled\_avg\_price 10.09 3/5/2025 2:50 PM SPY250314C00580000 buy\_to\_open limit 10.67 filled\_avg\_price 10.67 3/5/2025 2:51 PM SPY250314C00580000 sell\_to\_close limit 10.81 filled\_avg\_price 10.81 3/10/2025 11:51 AM SPY250318C00568000 buy\_to\_open limit 7.63 filled\_avg\_price 7.63 3/10/2025 11:54 AM SPY250318C00568000 sell\_to\_close limit 7.71 filled\_avg\_price 7.71 3/11/2025 1:18 PM SPY250317C00554000 buy\_to\_open limit 8.33 filled\_avg\_price 8.33 3/11/2025 1:25 PM SPY250317C00554000 sell\_to\_close limit 7.73 filled\_avg\_price 7.74 3/13/2025 12:34 PM SPY250318C00549000 buy\_to\_open limit 9.18 filled\_avg\_price 9.16 3/13/2025 12:36 PM SPY250318C00549000 sell\_to\_close limit 9.27 filled\_avg\_price 9.27 3/17/2025 2:28 PM SPY250328C00570000 buy\_to\_open limit 6.72 filled\_avg\_price 6.71 3/17/2025 2:33 PM SPY250328C00570000 sell\_to\_close limit 6.79 filled\_avg\_price 6.8 3/18/2025 3:12 PM SPY250404C00555000 buy\_to\_open limit 13.46 filled\_avg\_price 13.42 3/18/2025 3:14 PM SPY250404C00555000 sell\_to\_close limit 13.59 filled\_avg\_price 13.59 3/21/2025 2:20 PM SPY250404C00560000 buy\_to\_open limit 10.81 filled\_avg\_price 10.81 3/21/2025 2:26 PM SPY250404C00560000 sell\_to\_close limit 10.33 filled\_avg\_price 10.36 3/24/2025 1:53 PM SPY250417C00571000 buy\_to\_open limit 11.94 filled\_avg\_price 11.94 3/24/2025 2:00 PM SPY250417C00571000 sell\_to\_close limit 11.85 filled\_avg\_price 11.86 3/27/2025 1:42 PM SPY250417C00568000 buy\_to\_open limit 9.74 filled\_avg\_price 9.74 3/27/2025 1:46 PM SPY250417C00568000 sell\_to\_close limit 9.84 filled\_avg\_price 9.84 3/27/2025 2:32 PM SPY250417C00566000 buy\_to\_open limit 11.37 filled\_avg\_price 11.37 3/27/2025 2:33 PM SPY250417C00566000 sell\_to\_close limit 11.48 filled\_avg\_price 11.48 3/31/2025 11:02 AM SPY250404C00555000 buy\_to\_open limit 5.41 filled\_avg\_price 5.36 3/31/2025 11:07 AM SPY250404C00555000 sell\_to\_close limit 5.4 filled\_avg\_price 5.43 3/31/2025 11:41 AM SPY250417C00563000 buy\_to\_open limit 6.06 filled\_avg\_price 6.02 3/31/2025 11:46 AM SPY250417C00563000 sell\_to\_close limit 5.94 filled\_avg\_price 5.94 3/31/2025 11:50 AM SPY250417C00550000 buy\_to\_open limit 13.07 filled\_avg\_price 13.07 3/31/2025 11:55 AM SPY250417C00550000 sell\_to\_close limit 13 filled\_avg\_price 13.02 ---
**Author:** ![Bobrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/59ef9b/32.png) [@Bobrot](https://forum.alpaca.markets/u/Bobrot)\ **Post date:** [April 8, 2025, 12:49am UTC](https://forum.alpaca.markets/t/paper-account-options-limit-orders/16652/4 "2025-04-08T00:49:06Z")
It generally is too good to be true. Unfortunately, developing an options strategy via paper trading will never be feasible unless you are using a highly liquid (SPY, SPX, QQQ) etf or index and trade via market orders. It will never get close to actual liquidity and fills otherwise.