Trae AI Review: Is ByteDance's Free AI IDE Worth Switching To?

ByteDance — yes, the TikTok company — built an AI-powered IDE called Trae, and it's free. That alone should make you curious and slightly suspicious. Let's talk about what it actually does, where it shines, and why you might want to think twice before going all-in.

What Is Trae AI?

Trae AI is a full development environment built on top of VS Code that integrates AI models directly into your coding workflow. It launched in January 2025 and has been quietly gaining traction, especially among developers looking for a cheaper alternative to Cursor.

It comes in two modes:

Builder Mode — Describe what you want in plain English, and Trae scaffolds the entire project: files, code structure, dependencies, everything. Think of it as the "build me an app" mode.
Chat Mode — A conversational interface for code analysis, debugging, refactoring, and suggestions. This is your day-to-day coding companion.

Under the hood, it uses a mix of models including GPT-4o, Claude Sonnet, Gemini 2.5 Pro, and ByteDance's own proprietary models. The multi-model approach is actually one of its strongest selling points — you're not locked into one provider's strengths and weaknesses.

Trae AI Pricing: The Real Story

Here's where Trae gets interesting:

Free tier — 10 fast requests, 50 slow requests, 1,000 advanced model requests, and 5,000 autocompletes per month. That's genuinely usable for hobby projects or light development.
Pro plan — $10/month (or $90/year). Unlimited slow requests, unlimited autocompletes, 60 fast requests. There's also a $3 first-month promotional deal floating around.

For comparison, Cursor costs $20/month for its Pro plan, and Windsurf is $15/month. Trae is meaningfully cheaper, and the free tier is more generous than either competitor.

But here's the thing about free products from massive companies: you're the product. Or at least your code might be. More on that in a minute.

What Trae AI Does Well

Builder Mode Is Legitimately Impressive

If you've used Bolt.new or Lovable, Builder Mode feels similar but integrated into a real IDE instead of a browser. You describe what you want — "build me a React dashboard with authentication and a dark mode toggle" — and Trae generates a working project scaffold. It's not perfect, but it gets you 70-80% of the way there, which is exactly what you want from a scaffolding tool.

VS Code Compatibility

This is huge. Trae is built on VS Code's architecture, which means your extensions, keybindings, and themes mostly just work. If you're a VS Code user, the migration path is nearly frictionless. Cursor offers similar compatibility, but Trae matches it well here.

Multimodal Input

You can upload screenshots or design files and Trae will generate UI components from them. Drop in a Figma screenshot, get back React/Tailwind code. It's not pixel-perfect, but it's a solid starting point that saves real time.

The Price

Let's be honest — for a lot of developers, especially those in markets where $20/month for Cursor feels steep, Trae at $10/month (or free) is the whole pitch. And the free tier is generous enough for weekend projects and learning.

Where Trae AI Falls Short

Privacy Concerns Are Real

Trae is made by ByteDance. Your code is being processed through their servers. If you're working on proprietary enterprise software, this should give you pause. ByteDance has faced scrutiny over data practices globally, and while there's no evidence of code being misused, the optics alone will be a dealbreaker for many companies.

Trae does offer local model execution for some features, which helps. But the most powerful capabilities require cloud processing.

No Linux Support (Yet)

As of early 2026, Trae only supports macOS and Windows. Linux support is "coming soon," which is a significant gap for a developer tool. A huge chunk of the developer community runs Linux, and they're just left out.

Model Quality Can Be Inconsistent

The multi-model approach is a double-edged sword. Sometimes you get GPT-4o quality responses. Sometimes you get ByteDance's proprietary model, which isn't as strong for English-language codebases. The free tier especially tends to route you toward slower, less capable models.

The Chinese Market Focus

Trae was originally built for the Chinese developer market, and it shows in subtle ways. Some documentation is Chinese-first, community resources skew heavily toward Chinese-language content, and certain integrations feel more tailored to the Chinese tech ecosystem. If you're a Western developer, you'll occasionally feel like a secondary audience.

Trae AI vs Cursor vs Windsurf: Quick Comparison

Trae AI — $0-10/month. Best for: budget-conscious developers, hobbyists, those who want Builder Mode without paying Bolt.new prices. Weakness: privacy concerns, no Linux.

Cursor — $20/month. Best for: professional developers who want the most polished AI coding experience. Weakness: expensive, occasional slowdowns during peak usage.

Windsurf — $15/month. Best for: developers who want a middle ground between price and polish. Weakness: smaller community, fewer integrations.

If money is the deciding factor, Trae wins easily. If privacy and polish matter more, Cursor is still the safer bet. Windsurf sits in the middle, not leading in any category but competent across the board.

Who Should Use Trae AI?

Use it if:

You're a student or hobbyist who can't justify $20/month for Cursor
You want Builder Mode for quick prototyping without paying for a separate tool
You're already comfortable with VS Code and want AI features without changing your setup
You work on open-source projects where code privacy isn't a concern

Skip it if:

You work with proprietary or sensitive code and your company has data residency requirements
You need Linux support right now
You want the absolute best AI coding experience and price isn't a factor
Your team has compliance requirements around where code is processed

The Bottom Line

Trae AI is a genuinely capable IDE that punches above its price point. ByteDance clearly invested heavily in making it competitive with Cursor and Windsurf, and the free tier is generous enough to actually be useful — not just a demo.

But the elephant in the room is who's behind it. ByteDance's involvement will be a non-starter for enterprise customers and anyone working with sensitive code. That's not paranoia — it's reasonable risk assessment.

For personal projects, open-source work, and learning? Trae is probably the best free AI IDE available right now. For professional work? Try it on a side project first and see if the tradeoffs feel acceptable.

The AI IDE market is moving fast, and Trae having a free tier puts real pressure on Cursor and Windsurf to justify their pricing. Competition is good. Just go in with your eyes open about what "free" might actually cost.

Rating: 7/10 — Excellent value, capable features, but privacy concerns and missing Linux support keep it from the top tier.