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Head to head · 2026

Aide vs Trae

Pricing, free plans, ratings, features, pros and cons, side by side. Where one comes out ahead, we mark it.

Aide

A fully open-source VS Code fork, not just an extension

4.1Free

Visit Aide (opens Aide in a new tab)

Trae

ByteDance's free VS Code fork, with real data-retention tradeoffs to weigh

4.2$10/mo

Visit Trae (opens Trae in a new tab)

Who comes out ahead

Based only on the facts in our directory. The right pick still depends on the job you need done.

  • Lower starting price

    Not comparable

    Not comparable: Aide does not list a price

  • Free plan

    Tie

    Both have one

  • Higher rating

    Trae

    4.1 against 4.2

  • Same job?

    Yes

    Both are Coding tools

Side by side

Compared onAideTrae
Our rating4.14.2Better
Starts atFree$10/mo
Free planYesYes
CategoryCodingCoding
PlansFreeFrom $10/mo
Key features
  • Full VS Code fork, not an extension
  • Fully open-source codebase
  • Proactive agents that iterate on linter errors automatically
  • AST-based code navigation across files
  • 62.2% reported score on SWE-bench Verified
  • VS Code fork with inline completion and chat
  • SOLO Mode for autonomous full-project scaffolding
  • Free access to premium models including GPT-4o and Claude
  • Built by ByteDance, released January 2025
  • Paid tiers for higher usage starting around $3 a month
Pros
  • Genuinely open source, unlike most competing AI-native editors
  • Deep editor-level integration rather than extension-level access
  • Strong reported benchmark performance on real-world coding tasks
  • Notably generous free access to premium underlying models
  • SOLO Mode handles full project scaffolding autonomously
  • Low-cost paid tiers relative to competitors
Cons
  • Smaller team and community than venture-scale competitors
  • Fork-based editors require migrating away from existing VS Code extensions and settings
  • Less enterprise support infrastructure than commercial alternatives
  • Telemetry data sharing with ByteDance affiliates has no opt-out
  • Five-year data retention after account closure
  • No local-only mode for privacy-sensitive work
CompanyCodestory, founded 2024ByteDance, founded 2025

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page, last checked 20260703. Check the vendor before you buy.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is Aide better than Trae?

In our reviews Aide scores 4.1 and Trae scores 4.2. The better pick depends on the job. Aide: A fully open-source VS Code fork, not just an extension. Trae: ByteDance's free VS Code fork, with real data-retention tradeoffs to weigh.

Which is cheaper, Aide or Trae?

Aide: free. Trae: from $10/mo.

Do Aide and Trae have free plans?

Yes, both have a free plan.

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