GitHub's AI pair-programmer — inline completions, chat, and the new Agent mode that ships PRs.
CodeTool useMemory
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Trae vs Windsurfwhich AI code agent should you pick in 2026?
ByteDance's AI coding IDE with autonomous Builder mode — multi-file scaffolding from a single prompt.
CodeTool useMemory
Trae vs Windsurf — specs
| Spec | Trae | Windsurf |
|---|---|---|
| Agent Rank | 63 / 100 (B) | 80 / 100 (A) |
| Autonomy | Semi-autonomous | Semi-autonomous |
| Pricing | Free | Freemium · from $15 |
| Open source | No | No |
| Capabilities | Code, Tool use, Memory | Code, Tool use, Memory, Browser |
| Integrations | 3 apps | 2 apps |
| Verified | Verified | Verified |
| Released | Jan 2025 | Apr 2025 |
Agent Rank breakdown
Trae
Agent Rank
63/ 100
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 6
- Integrations
- 2
- Pricing value
- 9
- Polish & maturity
- 6
- Verifiability
- 7
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Windsurf
Agent Rank
80/ 100
- Autonomy fit
- 8
- Capabilities
- 8
- Integrations
- 4
- Pricing value
- 8
- Polish & maturity
- 10
- Verifiability
- 10
Auto-computed from autonomy, capabilities, integrations, pricing, maturity and editorial verification. Updated every deploy. How is this computed?
Pros & cons
Trae
Windsurf
Pros
- +Cascade agent flows are the strongest "watch it work" UI in any IDE-native agent
- +Cheapest Pro tier in the category at $15/month
- +Codeium has a deep model team — completion quality consistently leads
Cons
- −Smaller ecosystem of extensions than Cursor
- −Pro Ultimate ($60) is opaque on which models are actually premium
- −Memory feature less mature than Cursor + Claude Code memories
Pricing
Trae
Windsurf
Free
Free
Trial
- +Limited Cascade flow runs
- +Standard models
- +Editor + chat
Recommended
Pro
$15/mo
Working engineers
- +Unlimited Cascade flows
- +All Pro models
- +Background agents
- +Memories
Pro Ultimate
$60/mo
Power users
- +Highest model priority
- +Premium models included
- +Higher concurrency
Teams
$35/seat/mo
Teams
- +SSO + admin
- +Usage analytics
- +Shared memories
Which one should you pick?
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Frequently asked
Should I pick Trae or Windsurf in 2026?+
Pick Trae if its specific capabilities (Code, Tool use) match what you need. Pick Windsurf if cost is the main constraint. Most working teams running both can use Trae for primary work and Windsurf for the workflows where its specific strengths matter.
What's the price difference between Trae and Windsurf?+
Trae starts at Free; Windsurf starts at Freemium · from $15. Windsurf is the cheaper entry option. For team deployments the TCO can differ — use the AI Agent Rank TCO calculator for your specific volume.
Which is more autonomous, Trae or Windsurf?+
Both Trae and Windsurf are Semi-autonomous agents — neither has a meaningful autonomy advantage over the other. The decision should hinge on capabilities and pricing instead.
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See more alternatives: alternatives to Trae · alternatives to Windsurf
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