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Head to head · 2026

Trae vs Visual Studio Code

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

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)

Visual Studio Code

"The open source AI code editor" - hand off tasks to AI agents that autonomously plan,…

3.9Free

Visit Visual Studio Code (opens Visual Studio Code 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: Visual Studio Code does not list a price

  • Free plan

    Tie

    Both have one

  • Higher rating

    Trae

    4.2 against 3.9

  • Same job?

    Yes

    Both are Coding tools

Side by side

Compared onTraeVisual Studio Code
Our rating4.2Better3.9
Starts at$10/moFree
Free planYesYes
CategoryCodingCoding
PlansFrom $10/moFree
Key features
  • 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
  • Multi-agent development - agents autonomously plan, edit, and run commands
  • AI-powered inline suggestions and intelligent completions
  • Model flexibility - Copilot, Claude, OpenAI, and dozens of others
  • MCP server integration for extended agent capabilities
  • Consistent agent experience across editor, CLI, GitHub.com, and mobile
Pros
  • Notably generous free access to premium underlying models
  • SOLO Mode handles full project scaffolding autonomously
  • Low-cost paid tiers relative to competitors
  • Free with just a GitHub login - no paywall to access core agent features
  • Model-provider flexibility avoids lock-in to a single AI vendor
  • Agent context follows you across editor, CLI, and mobile rather than resetting
Cons
  • 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
  • Advanced reasoning models may carry separate usage costs depending on provider
  • Multi-agent workflows have a learning curve beyond basic inline suggestions
  • Full agent autonomy still requires review before trusting unattended code changes
CompanyByteDance, founded 2025Microsoft

Prices come from each vendor's pricing page, last checked 20260824. Check the vendor before you buy.

FAQ

Questions people ask

Is Trae better than Visual Studio Code?

In our reviews Trae scores 4.2 and Visual Studio Code scores 3.9. The better pick depends on the job. Trae: ByteDance's free VS Code fork, with real data-retention tradeoffs to weigh. Visual Studio Code: "The open source AI code editor" - hand off tasks to AI agents that autonomously plan, edit code, run commands, and iterate, across dozens of models.

Which is cheaper, Trae or Visual Studio Code?

Trae: from $10/mo. Visual Studio Code: free.

Do Trae and Visual Studio Code have free plans?

Yes, both have a free plan.

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