# Trae Published January 1, 2026 · Updated August 10, 2026 Adaptive AI IDE by ByteDance with deep model integration Category: Developer Tools · Free · Replaces Cursor Pro ($20/month) · [Official website](https://www.trae.ai/) ## Install with Homebrew `brew install --cask trae` ## Quick take In August 2026 Trae is still the low cost way to try an AI IDE. It installs free, Pro is $10, Builder and SOLO cover multi file agents and the TraeCode and TraeWork pair keeps expanding. It has not passed Cursor for polish or community and ByteDance trust remains a factor for some buyers. For developers who want agentic coding without Cursor pricing and who will also weigh Muse Code or Copilot, Trae is the easy first install. Best for: Budget AI IDE adopters, VS Code migrants, Multi-file agent experiments ## What is Trae? What is Trae? Trae is ByteDance's AI-native IDE. In August 2026 it still ships as TraeCode for coding and TraeWork for broader AI work with cloud tasks. It has not been discontinued, acquired, or renamed. If you are asking whether Trae is free: the app installs free, Free AI is rate-limited (including 5,000 autocompletions per month and limited SOLO), and paid rungs start at Lite $3 then Pro $10 after a 7-day trial, with Pro+ $30 and Ultra $100 for heavier concurrency. Trae vs Cursor is the comparison most people mean. Both are VS Code-compatible AI editors. Cursor is more mature with a larger English community and Pro at $20. Trae undercuts on sticker price and still offers Builder for multi-file plans plus SOLO/cloud concurrency up to 20 tasks on Ultra. The editor imports VS Code extensions, themes, and keybindings. Day to day you get inline completions, chat with @ file references, and routing across model families depending on plan and region. Ultra is where early model access shows up first. On Mac install with Homebrew (`brew install --cask trae`) or from trae.ai. Builds target Apple Silicon and current macOS including Tahoe 26.x. Direct rivals: Cursor, Windsurf, Kiro, Claude Code, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, and Meta's Muse Code terminal agent (launched 2026-08-05). Privacy is the dealbreaker conversation. Cloud completions, chat, and agents send context to model APIs under ByteDance's product. Read trae.ai/privacy and clear security before putting proprietary monorepos on cloud agents. Model lists and usage math shift; check pricing before renewing. ## Features - **Builder (Agentic Mode).** Builder handles multi step work. Describe a feature such as Add user authentication with JWT tokens and a login page and Builder plans the change, creates files, writes code and shows each step for you to approve. For longer jobs use SOLO and cloud concurrency on paid plans so the work does not block your laptop. - **Adaptive Code Intelligence.** Trae learns from your codebase and style over time. It picks up naming, error handling and architecture habits and tunes suggestions to match. After a few sessions completions feel less generic and closer to how you already write. - **Inline Completions.** Trae offers fast completions that can cover an entire logical block rather than one line. The engine looks at the current file, imports and recent edits so the suggestion fits your flow. - **AI Chat with File References.** Chat lets you talk about code and point at files with @. Ask things like @auth.ts explain the token refresh logic or how @UserModel relates to @OrderModel and you get answers grounded in those files. - **Multi-Model Support.** Trae can route work to several model families including Anthropic Claude Sonnet and Opus, OpenAI GPT-5.x, DeepSeek and others depending on plan and region. Use lighter models for autocomplete and stronger models for Builder and SOLO. Pro and above raise Basic usage and concurrent cloud tasks. Ultra adds early access. TraeCode SOLO and TraeWork tasks scale from 2 on Free and Lite up to 20 on Ultra. ## Install Trae on Mac Trae is a native Mac app you can get through Homebrew. You can start free and move to Lite at $3 per month or Pro at $10 per month when you need more. 1. **Install Homebrew.** If you do not have Homebrew, open Terminal and run /bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)" 2. **Install Trae.** Run brew install --cask trae 3. **Import Settings.** On first launch Trae offers to bring over VS Code extensions, themes and keybindings. Accept the import to keep your setup while adding AI features. ## Pros - Very affordable with Lite at $3 and Pro at $10 per month - Builder handles multi file work across the repo - SOLO and cloud concurrency scale with plan, up to 20 tasks on Ultra - Feels like VS Code and imports extensions and themes plus keybindings - Can route to several model families with early access on Ultra - Free tier includes real model access, just rate limited - Answer-first fit for Trae vs Cursor shoppers who care about $10 Pro more than ecosystem size ## Cons - English community and third party resources are smaller than Cursor - Heavy agent use still pushes you to Pro or above - ByteDance ownership raises privacy questions for some teams - Model list and usage math shift often, so check pricing before renewing - Fewer English onboarding guides than Cursor; expect more self-serve debugging ## Trae pricing, SOLO concurrency, and when Cursor still wins Trae's search problem in August 2026 is not discovery. Pages rank; clicks stay near zero when the first screen fails to answer is Trae free, Trae vs Cursor, and is Trae safe for work code. Pricing, from the public ladder used across Trae's site and docs-facing writeups: Free gives limited Basic usage, 5,000 autocompletions per month, standard queue, 2 concurrent cloud tasks, and limited SOLO. Lite is $3 per month with about $5 Basic usage, unlimited autocomplete, SOLO, and up to 2 concurrent tasks. Pro is $10 per month after a 7-day free trial with about $20 Basic usage, unlimited autocomplete, and up to 10 concurrent tasks. Pro+ is $30 per month at roughly 3.5× Pro usage (around $90 Basic) and up to 15 concurrent tasks. Ultra is $100 per month at roughly 20× Pro (around $400 Basic), early model access, and up to 20 cloud tasks. Yearly billing still advertises about a quarter off. Enterprise goes through BytePlus. Builder is the multi-step agent: describe a change, review a plan, approve file edits. SOLO and TraeWork cloud tasks matter when jobs should leave your laptop. That is the product story against Cursor Composer and Windsurf Cascade. Cursor still wins for many professionals on English community depth, rules/skills ecosystem maturity, and procurement familiarity. Trae wins the budget trial: Free actually works, and Pro at $10 is half Cursor Pro's $20 sticker. Muse Code (Meta, August 2026) is a terminal agent, not a GUI IDE; pick Muse for CLI loops, Trae for an editor shell with extension import. Operational advice: trial Free on a throwaway repo for a week, measure Builder success on a two-file and a ten-file change, then decide Lite vs Pro based on concurrency, not vibes. Regulated teams should pause at privacy review before Pro. ## FAQ ### Is Trae really free? The IDE installs free. Free AI is limited, including 5,000 autocompletions per month and standard queue. Lite is $3 per month and Pro is $10 per month with a 7 day trial. ### What are TraeCode and TraeWork? TraeCode is the AI coding IDE. TraeWork is the professional AI assistant with concurrent cloud tasks on web and desktop. Pricing and marketing name both. ### Is my code sent to ByteDance servers? Cloud completions, chat and agents send context to model APIs. Check Trae privacy docs for how training and retention work before using it on private repos. ### Can I use my VS Code extensions? Yes. Bring extensions, themes and keybindings during setup or install from the compatible marketplace. ### How does Trae compare to Cursor? Both are AI native editors on VS Code foundations. Cursor is more mature with a larger community. Trae costs less with a usable free tier and SOLO with cloud concurrency. Try both on a real repo before you decide. ### Does Trae support Apple Silicon and macOS Tahoe? Yes. Current Mac builds install through Homebrew or trae.ai and run on Apple Silicon and Tahoe 26.x class macOS. ### What is SOLO mode? SOLO runs concurrent cloud agents so long jobs do not block your Mac. Limits range from limited on Free to 20 tasks on Ultra. ### Trae or Cursor: which should a beginner install? Install Trae first if budget is the constraint: Free works and Pro is $10. Install Cursor first if you want the largest tutorial ecosystem and are fine at $20 Pro. Try both on one real feature before paying yearly. ### Is Trae safe for company code? Only after your security team reads Trae's privacy docs and accepts ByteDance-operated cloud agents. For regulated monorepos, many teams keep Cursor privacy mode, Copilot Business, or local agents instead. ### Trae vs Cursor vs Windsurf: who is cheapest? Trae usually wins sticker price among the three AI IDE shells (Free / Lite $3 / Pro $10). Cursor Pro is $20. Windsurf pricing changes; check Cognition's page during your bake-off. Cheapest seat is not the same as cheapest successful agent run. ### Does Trae replace GitHub Copilot in VS Code? It can if you switch editors. If you must stay on stock VS Code, Copilot (and Copilot's third-party agent access on paid plans) is the path that avoids a fork. Trae is for people willing to live in TraeCode/TraeWork. ## Sources - [TRAE - Collaborate with Intelligence](https://www.trae.ai/) - [TRAE Pricing](https://www.trae.ai/pricing) - [TRAE Documentation](https://docs.trae.ai) - [Trae Privacy Policy](https://www.trae.ai/privacy) - [Trae vs Cursor 2026](https://www.morphllm.com/comparisons/trae-vs-cursor) - [Homebrew Cask for Trae](https://github.com/Homebrew/homebrew-cask/blob/master/Casks/t/trae.rb) - [Trae feedback repository](https://github.com/trae-ai/trae-feedback) - [Meta launches Muse Code](https://9to5mac.com/2026/08/05/meta-launches-muse-code-ai-coding-agent-for-macos-and-linux/) ## Related - [Cursor](https://bundl.run/apps/cursor) - [Claude Code](https://bundl.run/apps/claude-code) - [ChatGPT](https://bundl.run/apps/chatgpt) - [Claude](https://bundl.run/apps/claude) - [Codex](https://bundl.run/apps/codex) - [Windsurf](https://bundl.run/apps/windsurf) - [Trae vs Cursor](https://bundl.run/compare/cursor-vs-trae) - [Trae vs Kiro](https://bundl.run/compare/kiro-vs-trae) - [Trae vs Windsurf](https://bundl.run/compare/windsurf-vs-trae) - [Free alternative to Cursor Pro](https://bundl.run/https:/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://bundl.run/#organization", "name": "Bundl.run", "url": "https://bundl.run", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://bundl.run/og-image.png", "width": 1200, "height": 630 }, "description": "The Ninite for Mac. 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