We may earn a commission if you buy through links on this page. It never changes a score or a ranking. How we make money
Most buyers should pick Trae.
Choose Trae if you want a VS Code-based IDE with agent modes and clearer coding-specific paid tiers: Pro is $20/month and includes all models. Choose Cursor for autonomous agents plus Slack and GitHub workflows, and a lower listed entry price of $8/month. But the published Cursor plan details describe Plus as Grok-only, which does not match the coding product description; verify what that price covers before switching. Both offer free plans with usage caps.
01Side by side
| Cursor | Trae | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price | Plus: $8/month; listed models are Grok-only | Pro: $20/month; all models included |
| Free plan | Limited agent and Chat requests; posting, replies, follows | 5,000 completions, two cloud tasks; Auto only |
| Best for | Delegating end-to-end agent tasks across tools | Coding inside a VS Code-based AI IDE |
| Core strength | Agents plan, write, test, and demo features | IDE and SOLO modes; configurable agents |
| Learning curve | Ease-of-use review score: 6/10 | Ease-of-use review score: 7.5/10 |
| Integrations and data | Slack, GitHub, and several model providers | Codebase context, web search, external documentation |
| Team and seat costs | Teams starts at $30 per user monthly | Team pricing not published |
| Support | Support review score: 5/10; details not published | Support review score: 5/10; details not published |
Cursor Choose Cursor if
- Choose Cursor if you need Slack and GitHub agent workflows.
- Choose Cursor if parallel cloud agents fit your work.
- Choose Cursor if its listed $8 entry price checks out.
Trae Choose Trae if
- Choose Trae if you want a VS Code-based coding IDE.
- Choose Trae if you need SOLO multi-file task execution.
- Choose Trae if you want a published $20 all-model tier.
02Pricing compared
Trae’s paid entry tier is Pro at $20/month, with $20 of basic usage, all models, unlimited autocomplete and 10 concurrent cloud tasks. Pro+ is $60/month and Ultra is $200/month. Trae says yearly billing saves 17%, but does not publish annual prices.
Cursor’s listed entry price is $8/month for Plus, but the published plan details say Plus is limited to Grok models and describe Grok features, not the coding product. That conflicts with Cursor’s coding-focused feature description, so verify what the price covers before treating it as a cheaper coding option. The listed Premium tier is $30/month and includes cloud agents and code reviews; third-party models cost extra at API list price. Both products have free plans with usage limits.
03Features and depth
Cursor’s pitch is agent-led work across the software workflow. Its homepage describes agents that plan, write, test and demo features for review, with cloud agents running in parallel on tasks for hours or days. Cursor also lists a CLI, Slack handoffs and GitHub pull-request review. It offers models from several providers, but the pricing details say third-party models are billed separately at API list price on Premium.
Trae combines an IDE with agent workflows. IDE Mode provides inline assistance; SOLO plans and executes multi-file tasks. Its feature list includes built-in and configurable agents, codebase indexing, web and documentation references, image-to-code, predictive completions and a browser preview with debugging tools. On Trae Pro, the pricing page lists access to all models, $20 of basic usage and 10 concurrent cloud tasks.
Choose based on workflow: Trae puts more coding tools in one IDE, while Cursor emphasizes agent handoffs and external workflows. Check the plan limits and model charges before deciding.
04Ease of use and learning curve
Trae is built on a Visual Studio Code foundation, so developers who already work in that style of IDE may find its layout familiar. Its IDE Mode supports inline assistance, while SOLO handles multi-file tasks; learning when to use each mode is part of the setup.
Cursor offers a desktop app and CLI, plus Slack and GitHub workflows. Its agent-first approach may suit teams that want to hand off work and review the result, but planning, testing and reviewing agent output still require developer attention. The product descriptions do not establish how easy migration from another editor is for either tool. Try each free plan against a real task, keeping Trae’s published caps and Cursor’s unclear Plus plan details in mind.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper, Cursor or Trae?
The listed starting price is lower for Cursor: Plus is $8/month, compared with Trae Pro at $20/month. But the published Cursor plan details describe Plus as Grok-only and do not clearly establish what coding features it covers. Verify that before comparing it with Trae Pro.
Do Cursor and Trae have free plans?
Yes. Cursor lists limited agent and Chat requests on Free, but does not specify a numeric allowance. Trae Free is limited to Auto mode and lists 5,000 autocomplete completions per month, two concurrent cloud tasks and the standard queue.
Which tool gives access to more AI models?
Trae Pro lists Auto plus all models. Cursor’s product description names models from several providers, but its published pricing details say Plus only includes Grok models and third-party models on Premium are billed separately at API list price. Confirm the model access for the Cursor plan you’re considering.
Can Cursor and Trae run coding agents in parallel?
Both list parallel cloud work. Cursor’s homepage describes fleets of agents working on tasks for hours or days. Trae lists two concurrent cloud tasks on Free, 10 on Pro, 15 on Pro+ and 20 on Ultra. Cursor’s published plan details do not give a concurrency cap.