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It's a split decision.
Choose Cursor if you want to hand work to agents from a desktop app, CLI or Slack, and review results through GitHub pull requests. Choose Trae if you want an AI-native IDE built on a Visual Studio Code foundation, with inline help, autonomous multi-file tasks and a browser preview. Both offer free tiers and paid plans with usage limits. Trae lists cloud-task concurrency by plan; Cursor offers multiple model providers and usage top-offs.
01Side by side
| Cursor | Trae | |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing model | Monthly plans; Teams starts at $30/user | Monthly plans; Pro starts at $20 |
| Free tier | Limited agent and Chat requests | 5,000 completions/month; two concurrent cloud tasks |
| API and model access | Select OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini and other models | Built-in models; add custom API endpoints |
| CLI and workflow | CLI, desktop app, Slack and GitHub workflows | IDE with SOLO agent and browser preview |
| Integrations | Slack, GitHub, terminal and model providers | MCP, GitHub, Figma, Supabase and Vercel |
| Platforms | macOS, web, CLI and Slack | Windows, macOS, Linux, web, Android and plugin |
| Limits and scaling | Usage pools, top-offs and parallel cloud agents | Plan-based usage and two to 20 concurrent tasks |
| Deployment model | Desktop and CLI with cloud agents | VS Code-based IDE with cloud tasks |
Cursor Choose Cursor if
- Choose Cursor if you want to delegate work from Slack or GitHub.
- Choose Cursor if you want a terminal-based agent alongside its desktop app.
- Choose Cursor if selecting among multiple model providers matters.
Trae Choose Trae if
- Choose Trae if you want inline AI assistance in a VS Code-based IDE.
- Choose Trae if your workflow needs image-to-code and browser preview tools.
- Choose Trae if you need Linux, Android or IDE-plugin access.
02Pricing at real usage
Cursor’s Free plan costs $0 and includes limited agent and Chat requests. Paid plans start at $8/month for Plus, then $30 for Premium, $100 for Super and $200 for Ultra. Third-party models are billed separately at API list price; usage top-offs are available when an allowance runs out. Teams starts at $30 per user per month, with usage varying by seat tier. Trae’s Free plan includes 5,000 autocomplete completions per month and two concurrent cloud tasks. Pro costs $20/month and includes $20 in basic usage; Pro+ costs $60 with $60 in basic usage, and Ultra costs $200 with $200 in basic usage. Those tiers raise concurrent tasks from 10 to 15 to 20. Trae says yearly billing saves 17%, but does not publish annual prices. Compare usage and task concurrency against your workload before choosing.
03API, SDKs and integration
Cursor connects agent work to its desktop app, CLI, Slack and GitHub. Its CLI provides terminal coding assistance; the homepage describes agents that can open or review pull requests. Developers can select models from OpenAI, Anthropic, Gemini, SpaceXAI and Cursor’s Composer. Third-party model use is billed at API list price, separately from plan usage. Trae is a Visual Studio Code-based IDE with inline assistance and a SOLO mode for multi-file tasks. It supports custom API endpoints, MCP servers and VS Code extensions, and names integrations including GitHub, Figma, Supabase, Lark/Feishu and Vercel. Its agents can use codebase context, web searches and external documentation. The published integration descriptions do not name language-specific SDKs or SDK installation paths for either product. Trae’s browser preview adds element inspection and console debugging; Cursor’s workflow extends to Slack and GitHub. Choose based on where your team wants agent tasks to start and land.
04Open source, self-hosting and lock-in
Cursor and Trae are presented as vendor-provided coding environments: Cursor spans a desktop app, CLI and cloud agents, while Trae is an IDE with cloud tasks. That makes their agent workflows dependent on each vendor’s product and plan structure. Trae also builds on a Visual Studio Code foundation and supports VS Code extensions; Cursor connects to external model providers and common development tools. Those integration points can help workflows fit an existing stack, but they do not by themselves establish that projects, agent histories or settings can be exported. The vendors do not publish open-source licences, self-hosting options or data-export details for these products. Before adopting either for a team, ask about source and prompt retention, export formats, account deletion, model routing and what remains usable if you cancel. Do not treat integrations or model choice as a substitute for a documented exit path.
Questions people ask
Which is cheaper for an individual developer?
Cursor’s lowest paid plan is Plus at $8/month. Trae’s Pro plan starts at $20/month and includes $20 in basic usage. Both have free plans, but their included usage differs: Cursor limits agent and Chat requests, while Trae lists 5,000 autocomplete completions and two concurrent cloud tasks.
Which has a more capable free plan?
Trae lists specific free-tier allowances: 5,000 autocomplete completions per month and two concurrent cloud tasks, with Auto mode only. Cursor’s Free plan includes limited agent and Chat requests but does not list numeric allowances. Pick based on whether completions and cloud-task concurrency matter more than agent and chat access.
Can I use my own models with Cursor or Trae?
Cursor lets developers choose among named providers including OpenAI, Anthropic and Gemini; third-party models are billed separately at API list price. Trae includes named models and lets developers add custom API endpoints. Check each vendor’s current model and endpoint support before committing to a specific provider.
Can I self-host either coding agent?
Neither product’s published description specifies a self-hosting option. Cursor is presented through its desktop app, CLI and cloud agents; Trae is an IDE with cloud tasks. If private infrastructure or data residency is a requirement, ask the vendor about deployment, retention and export terms before adopting either.