Trae AI is a free AI-powered code editor developed by ByteDance. Built on VS Code's foundation, it offers a familiar interface enhanced with powerful AI capabilities including chat, inline editing, and autonomous coding agents.
Why Trae Stands Out
- Completely free — No subscription required, includes Claude 3.5 Sonnet and GPT-4o
- VS Code compatible — Supports VS Code extensions and settings
- Multi-model — Switch between AI models for different tasks
- Builder mode — Autonomous agent that creates entire features
- No API keys — Models are provided at no cost to the user
Installation
- Download from trae.ai for macOS, Windows, or Linux
- Sign in with Google, GitHub, or email
- Import your VS Code settings and extensions (optional)
- Open a project folder and start coding
Interface Overview
The Trae interface adds AI panels to the familiar VS Code layout: • Chat Panel — Conversational AI assistant on the right • Inline Edit — Trigger with Cmd/Ctrl+I for targeted changes • Builder Panel — Full agentic mode for complex tasks • Context Bar — Add files, folders, and web URLs as context
Model Selection
| Model | Best For | Speed | |---|---|---| | Claude 3.5 Sonnet | Complex reasoning, architecture | Medium | | GPT-4o | General tasks, broad knowledge | Fast | | Claude 3 Haiku | Quick completions, simple tasks | Fastest |
Migrating from Other Editors
Trae imports from: • VS Code — Settings, extensions, keybindings, themes • Cursor — Similar transition, familiar AI patterns • JetBrains — Basic settings and project import