Trae vs Cursor: AI Code Editor Comparison
Anni Huang5 min read
⚡ Speed & Performance
| Aspect | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Startup Speed | Fast (VS Code fork) | Fast (VS Code fork) | Fastest (native) |
| Memory Usage | Moderate | Higher (more RAM) | Lower (minimal AI overhead) |
| File Handling | Good | May lag with very large files | Excellent (optimized) |
| AI Response Time | Methodical but accurate | Fast for small-medium files | Quick inline suggestions |
| Project-wide Tasks | Good | Excellent (faster multi-file ops) | Good |
| Large Codebase | Unknown (new) | Can be sluggish | Battle-tested efficiency |
Winner: VS Code for overall performance, Cursor for multi-file operations
🔄 Ease to Rollback & Undo
| Feature | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Undo Granularity | Standard editor undo | Rich undo capabilities | Improved undo functionality |
| AI Change Tracking | Basic | Advanced diff view | Enhanced with agent mode |
| Rollback Method | Manual (Ctrl+Z) | One-click "Undo Last Edit" | "Undo Last Edit" in agent mode |
| Multi-file Rollback | Manual per file | Can revert multi-file changes | Agent mode supports bulk undo |
| Preview Before Apply | Builder Mode shows preview | Review changes with diff view | Review changes before acceptance |
| Persistence Issues | Unknown | Some users report random reverts | Occasional cache-related rollbacks |
Winner: Tie between Cursor and VS Code, both offer superior rollback capabilities compared to Trae
🤖 Model Selection & Availability
Available Models
| Platform | Free Models | Premium Models | Custom Models |
| Trae | Claude 3.7 Sonnet GPT-4o DeepSeek R1 | All included free | ❌ No |
| Cursor | Limited selection | GPT-4o, o1, o3-mini Claude 3.5 Sonnet cursor-small (custom) | ✅ Yes |
| VS Code | Basic Copilot | GPT-4, Claude 3.5 Multiple provider support Bring-your-own API keys | ✅ Yes |
Model Switching
| Feature | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Easy Switching | ✅ Simple dropdown | ✅ Model picker | ✅ Multiple providers |
| Context Retention | Unknown | ✅ Maintains context | ✅ Conversation continuity |
| Speed Optimization | Limited options | Choose based on task | Automatic model selection |
| Cost Control | N/A (free) | Usage-based pricing | Tiered pricing |
Winner: VS Code for flexibility, Trae for free access to premium models
🛠️ Features Comparison
Core AI Features
| Feature | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Code Completion | Comment-driven generation | Advanced tab completion Auto-imports | Inline suggestions Next edit predictions |
| Multi-file Editing | Builder Mode | Composer Mode Cross-file refactoring | Agent mode Project-wide changes |
| Chat Interface | Side + Inline Chat | Context-aware chat | Multiple conversation threads |
| Code Review | ❌ Not available | Bug detection & fixes | AI-powered code review |
| Terminal Integration | Basic suggestions | Limited integration | Full terminal AI support |
Development Workflow
| Feature | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Project Setup | Builder Mode (excellent) | Good | Standard with AI assistance |
| Debugging | Basic | AI-powered debugging | Smart debugging with AI |
| Testing | Unknown | Code generation | Test generation & execution |
| Documentation | Unknown | Limited | Auto-documentation |
| Git Integration | Standard | Standard | AI commit messages PR descriptions |
Customization & Extensions
| Feature | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Themes | 3 options (limited) | Extensive theme support | Largest theme ecosystem |
| Extensions | VS Code compatible | VS Code compatible | Native + largest marketplace |
| AI Customization | Limited | Global rules & behaviors | Custom instructions Custom chat modes |
| Workspace Settings | Basic | Advanced | Most comprehensive |
Enterprise & Team Features
| Feature | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Team Collaboration | Unknown | Basic | Full enterprise support |
| Policy Management | ❌ No | Limited | Comprehensive policies |
| Analytics | ❌ No | Basic usage stats | Detailed usage analytics |
| Security | Data privacy concerns | Standard | Enterprise-grade security |
| Compliance | Unknown | Basic | SOC 2, ISO certifications |
📊 Summary Scores
| Category | Trae | Cursor | VS Code + Copilot |
| Speed | 8/10 | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Rollback Ease | 6/10 | 9/10 | 9/10 |
| Model Selection | 9/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Feature Richness | 6/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Customization | 5/10 | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Enterprise Ready | 3/10 | 6/10 | 10/10 |
| Cost Effectiveness | 10/10 | 7/10 | 8/10 |
🏆 Final Recommendations
Choose Trae if:
- You want free access to premium AI models
- You're experimenting with AI coding
- Budget is a primary constraint
- You prefer methodical, accurate-first-attempt coding
Choose Cursor if:
- You want the most advanced AI-first coding experience
- You need sophisticated multi-file operations
- You can afford premium pricing
- You want cutting-edge AI features
Choose VS Code + Copilot if:
- You need enterprise-grade reliability and security
- You want the most comprehensive feature set
- You prefer gradual AI adoption
- You're already invested in the Microsoft/GitHub ecosystem
- You need the best rollback and undo capabilities
Performance metrics based on user reports and official documentation as of June 2025
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Written by
Anni Huang
Anni Huang
I’m Anni Huang, an AI researcher-in-training currently at ByteDance, specializing in LLM training operations with a coding focus. I bridge the gap between engineering execution and model performance, ensuring the quality, reliability, and timely delivery of large-scale training projects.