Half the guys who sit down and ask for "a fade" actually mean a taper, and the other way around just as often — the two terms get used interchangeably online, but they're genuinely different cuts with a different look and a different maintenance schedule, and it's worth knowing which one you actually want before you're in the chair.
A fade cuts hair progressively shorter as it moves down toward the skin, typically ending in a completely bald strip right at the hairline — a low, mid, or high fade just describes where that transition to skin starts. It's a sharp, high-contrast look that reads as clean and modern, but because it ends at skin, it also shows regrowth the fastest of any style we cut.
A taper also gets progressively shorter moving down, but it never actually reaches skin — it blends into a short length rather than disappearing entirely. That makes it a softer, more forgiving transition, both visually (less stark contrast) and practically (it grows out more gracefully, so you can stretch longer between visits without it looking unkempt).
The two aren't mutually exclusive, either — a lot of what we cut at Ironside is technically a "taper fade," which blends a tapered top into a faded neckline and sideburn area. If you're not sure which you want, the easiest way to describe it to any barber here is by contrast level: high-contrast and skin-close means fade; soft and gradual means taper.
If you're still not sure what to ask for, that's exactly what the "Not Sure Yet" option is for when you book online — tell us the vibe you're going for (clean and sharp vs. soft and low-maintenance) and your barber will steer you to the right cut once you're in the chair.