Tool comparison

TraevsWindsurf

A line-by-line comparison of positioning, difficulty, platforms, pricing and fit. Both entries state who they are not for — the crux of choosing is rarely which is stronger, but whose exclusion list misses your constraints.

Trae vs Windsurf
	Trae 字節跳動 Beginner	Windsurf Windsurf Beginner
Positioning	ByteDance's AI IDE with a built-in agent mode and multi-model choice	AI editor built around the Cascade agentic flow
Difficulty	Beginner	Beginner
Platforms	macOS · Windows	macOS · Windows · Linux
Pricing	Freemiumfree tier Free tier available plus paid plans; see the official site. see official siteOfficial	Subscriptionfree tier Free plan plus paid tiers measured in credits. See the official page for current numbers. see official siteOfficial
Good for	Wanting an AI IDE with a free tier Low migration cost from VS Code Needing a Chinese-language interface	Agentic multi-step tasks inside the editor Painless migration from VS Code
Not for	Professional developers needing a mature extension ecosystem Strictly offline compliance environments	Light users who only need inline completion

Junze editorial rating

Trae

Capability: 33/5
Ease of use: 44/5
Cost value: 44/5
Privacy control: 22/5

Windsurf

Capability: 44/5
Ease of use: 44/5
Cost value: 33/5
Privacy control: 33/5

Amounts appear only after we verify them manually; otherwise defer to the official site.

Trae · Tool detail Windsurf · Tool detail

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