About Trae
Trae ranks #18 of 19 in AI Code Agents, holds a 4.0/5 editor rating, starts at $3/mo (83% below the $17/mo category average).
Trae is ByteDance's AI-native IDE - a free VS Code fork that competes directly with Cursor by giving developers access to Claude, GPT, and ByteDance's Doubao models. Free tier includes 5,000 monthly autocompletes, with paid plans starting at $3 per month.
“Trae is the most credible low-cost alternative to Cursor, with a free tier that genuinely competes and a $10 Pro plan that matches Cursor Pro at half the price. ByteDance backing means strong investment, though compliance-sensitive enterprises may prefer alternatives.”
What is Trae?
Overview
Trae (pronounced "tray") is ByteDance's entry into the AI-native code editor market. Built as a fork of VS Code and shipped under the ByteDance umbrella, Trae targets exactly the audience that adopted Cursor: developers who want AI tightly integrated into their editor but who balk at Cursor's pricing or want access to more model choices. Trae's headline feature is that it is free for far more usage than Cursor, with a paid tier that starts at just $3 per month.
ByteDance's strategy is aggressive distribution. Trae includes access to Claude, GPT, and ByteDance's own Doubao models, and the free tier is generous enough that hobbyists and many professionals never need to pay. The product has gained meaningful traction in 2025, particularly among developers in Asia and price-sensitive global markets.
Core Features
Trae's interface is familiar to anyone who has used Cursor or VS Code. The editor surface is essentially VS Code with AI panels grafted on - autocomplete, chat, and a Builder mode that handles multi-file changes similar to Cursor's Composer.
Builder is Trae's agentic mode. You describe a feature or task at a high level, and Builder plans, edits files, and verifies its work across the codebase. The newer SOLO mode (available on Pro and above) takes this further - it runs as a more autonomous agent that executes long-running tasks with less hand-holding.
Chat mode is the standard inline assistant for asking questions, generating code, or transforming selected snippets. Both modes are aware of your codebase through indexing.
Multi-model support is a major differentiator. Free users get access to a mix of Doubao and limited Claude/GPT usage. Paid plans unlock more frontier model usage, with different models consuming usage credits at different rates.
Cloud tasks let you offload work to remote agents that run in the background while you keep coding. Free includes 2 concurrent cloud tasks; Pro+ goes up to 15, and Ultra to 20.
Because Trae is a VS Code fork, all VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings work without changes. This dramatically reduces the friction of switching.
Pricing Analysis
Trae's pricing is among the most aggressive in the category. Free includes 5,000 autocompletes and 2 concurrent cloud tasks. Lite at $3 per month adds $5 of basic usage plus bonus usage. Pro at $10 per month is comparable in scope to Cursor Pro at half the price, with $20 of basic usage, SOLO mode, and 10 concurrent cloud tasks. Pro+ at $30 per month and Ultra at $100 per month cater to power users with substantially more usage.
For most developers, the free tier or Pro at $10 per month is the sweet spot - half the cost of Cursor with similar capabilities.
Who Should Use Trae
Trae is the strongest choice for developers who want a Cursor-style experience at a lower price point, particularly those comfortable with ByteDance as a vendor. It is also a strong fit for developers who want access to ByteDance's Doubao models alongside Claude and GPT. Price-sensitive teams and developers in Asia get particular value.
It is less suited for organizations with restrictions on Chinese tech vendors due to data-residency or compliance concerns. US enterprise teams in regulated industries may prefer Cursor or Windsurf for that reason alone.
Pros
- Free tier with 5,000 monthly autocompletes is unusually generous - many developers never need to pay
- Pro at $10/month is half the price of Cursor Pro with comparable Builder and SOLO agent capabilities
- Multi-model support including Claude, GPT, and ByteDance Doubao
- VS Code fork means all extensions, themes, and keybindings transfer without changes
- Concurrent cloud tasks (up to 20 on Ultra) let you offload long-running agent work in parallel
Cons
- ByteDance ownership may be a compliance blocker for some US enterprises and regulated industries
- Documentation and English-language support trail western competitors like Cursor
- Brand recognition is lower outside Asia, so community resources are thinner
How to Use Trae
- 1Download and Install
Get Trae from trae.ai for your operating system. The installer is straightforward and offers VS Code settings import.
- 2Sign In
Create a free Trae account to unlock 5,000 monthly autocompletes and 2 concurrent cloud tasks.
- 3Import VS Code Settings
Import your existing VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings with one click - everything transfers since Trae is a VS Code fork.
- 4Choose a Model
Pick a model in the AI panel - Claude, GPT, or ByteDance Doubao. Different models consume usage credits at different rates.
- 5Use Builder for Multi-File Tasks
For larger changes, open Builder mode and describe the task. Trae plans, edits multiple files, and verifies the result.
- 6Run Cloud Tasks in Parallel
Offload long-running agent work to cloud tasks so you can keep coding locally. Up to 20 concurrent tasks on Ultra.
Key Features of Trae
Editor/IDE
2Full compatibility with VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings via one-click import
Native installers for macOS, Windows, and Linux plus web access
AI Capabilities
8Choose between Anthropic Claude, OpenAI GPT, and ByteDance Doubao on demand
Agentic multi-file editing similar to Cursor's Composer - describe a feature and Trae edits across files
More autonomous agent capability for long-running tasks (Pro and above)
Offload long-running agent work to the cloud - up to 20 concurrent tasks on Ultra
Inline assistant for questions, code generation, and selection transforms
Indexes your project so completions and agents understand architecture and conventions
All paid plans include unlimited autocomplete with no monthly caps
Pro plan includes a 7-day free trial to evaluate the full experience
Key Specifications
| Attribute | Trae |
|---|---|
| Vs | [object Object],[object Object],[object Object] |
| Strengths | Generous free tier (5,000 autocompletes),Pro plan at $10/month - half of Cursor,Multi-model including Doubao,VS Code extension compatibility,Cloud task parallelism |
| Weaknesses | ByteDance ownership is a compliance blocker for some enterprises,Documentation and community thinner than Cursor,Lower brand recognition outside Asia,Bonus usage rules are complex |
Integrations
- Extension Ecosystem
- VS Code Extensions
- AI Model
- Anthropic ClaudeOpenAI GPTByteDance Doubao
- Version Control
- GitHubGitLab