Trae

About Trae

Trae is an AI-native integrated development environment built by ByteDance, the company behind TikTok. It is constructed on top of the VS Code foundation, meaning developers get a familiar interface and access to the existing VS Code extension ecosystem while gaining tightly integrated AI capabilities baked directly into the editor rather than bolted on as an afterthought. The core functionality centers on AI-assisted coding throughout the development workflow. Trae includes a conversational chat interface for asking questions about code, generating new code, and debugging problems, alongside an inline completion engine that suggests code as developers type. A Builder mode allows users to describe what they want to create in natural language and have the AI handle multi-step implementation tasks across files, functioning similarly to agentic coding tools that can plan and execute sequences of edits autonomously. Because it sits on VS Code, developers can import their existing settings, keybindings, and extensions, which lowers the switching cost considerably compared to adopting an entirely unfamiliar editor. Trae is aimed primarily at software developers who want deep AI integration without abandoning the VS Code workflow they already know. It suits individual developers, freelancers, and teams looking to accelerate coding tasks, reduce boilerplate work, and get contextual assistance without switching between a separate AI tool and their editor. The product has been positioned as a direct competitor to tools like Cursor, which takes a similar approach of wrapping VS Code with AI features. At launch, Trae has been made available for free, which makes it accessible for developers who want to evaluate AI-assisted development without a subscription commitment, though pricing details for future tiers or enterprise plans have not been fully disclosed. Given ByteDance's backing, the tool has significant resources behind its continued development and model integration.

Reviews