Comprehensive Review of Trae SOLO: How Close Are We to a True "AI-Native IDE"?

Early on, Trae boldly claimed to be "China's first AI IDE." However, this ambitious positioning sparked considerable controversy at the time. After all, even the more feature-rich Cursor modestly referred to itself as an "AI code editor." So, what gave Trae the confidence to call itself an IDE?

At its core, the answer lies in the definition of an IDE: it's not just a tool for writing code, but a comprehensive software suite that integrates compiling, debugging, running, and version management. Frankly, Trae's early iterations did fall short in these areas.

But times have changed. After a long period of silence, Trae has launched its brand-new SOLO mode. With a completely revamped end-to-end development experience and significantly improved technical capabilities, it finally seems to have the makings of an AI-native IDE.

Just yesterday, Trae 2.0 SOLO mode was officially released. I was among the first to receive an invitation code and got hands-on experience, aiming to provide the most objective first-hand review possible.

Naturally, the question everyone cares about most is:

What's the Difference Between Trae and Trae SOLO?

They are not two separate product lines, but two different modes within the same product.

To fully understand the differences, let's compare them comprehensively from the "surface" to the "core."

Surface: Simpler, More Focused, More Immersive

SOLO mode has thoroughly revamped Trae's original interface.

• Highly Simplified: All visible interactive elements have been greatly simplified. The AI agent interaction panel has been moved to the left, leaving ample space for the core tool panel (numbered 3 in the diagram). Other secondary elements like code are minimized to the edges or tucked into secondary menus.
• Real-Time Tracking: The top bar (numbered 2 in the diagram) enables "real-time tracking" by default, automatically switching to the current AI work stage and showing users the progress and output in real time.
• Complete Workflow: The tool panel switch buttons in the top bar (editor, terminal, browser, documentation) reveal the essence of SOLO mode—aiming to complete the entire workflow from requirements to deployment in a unified environment, effectively reducing the need to switch between multiple windows.

This design undoubtedly lowers the learning curve, allowing users to focus on each step of the AI's progress and enjoy a more focused, immersive development experience.

Core: Centralized, Integrated, Workflow-Oriented

If the interface is the "surface," then the reimagined workflow is the "core."

The biggest transformation of SOLO mode is a true return to the design philosophy that an IDE should embody.

By equipping the development environment with most core tools, SOLO mode allows all operations in the AI programming process to be completed within a unified environment.

This is a fundamental shift. Whereas the AI used to be an "add-on" to the software development puzzle, SOLO mode now places the AI at the very center. All tools work collaboratively around this AI core to build software together.

In SOLO mode, Trae is no longer just a simple code agent—it has evolved into a brain that acts as the central task scheduler. It creates a comprehensive intelligent agent that oversees the entire software development process, handling everything from requirements analysis and code generation to testing, preview, and final deployment in one go.

This design successfully breaks down the barriers of context isolation in traditional toolchains, ensuring that the AI can accurately access and understand relevant context at every stage, leading to more precise decisions.

After understanding the fundamental shift of SOLO mode, a more practical question arises:

Is Trae SOLO Right for Me?

For Non-Programmers

It must be said that SOLO mode is designed to further enhance the Vibe Coding experience.

In SOLO mode, you can input your requirements through natural language, voice interaction, or by uploading local files.

The AI will autonomously break down your ideas into executable tasks and efficiently drive the entire development process from requirements analysis to final deployment.

As the initiator, you only need to monitor the AI's output progress through the integrated editor, browser, terminal, and documentation views.

Trae's built-in web development tools make it easy to turn a concept into a fully functional website, delivering everything from PRD drafting and UI design to code generation and site deployment.

For Professional Developers

SOLO mode is equally suitable for professional developers. According to its documentation, SOLO mode incorporates the concept of "context engineering," first trying to understand your project's knowledge architecture, assisting in planning and thought process, and then breaking complex tasks into clear, actionable steps.

Through effective context retrieval, SOLO can find the most suitable location in your codebase, reuse existing modules, write code, add tests, and submit clean pull requests—all without tedious manual setup or loss of crucial context.

Of course, if you're a developer who enjoys full control over every detail, Trae also allows you to interrupt the AI at any time and switch SOLO mode back to a traditional IDE for manual coding and debugging.

All these claims sound impressive, but let's put them to the test—

How Does Trae SOLO Actually Perform?

To rigorously assess its capabilities, I tested it from two roles: "non-programmer" and "developer."

• As a Non-Programmer: I tasked it with building a fully functional, substantial marketing website and used traditional software development "test cases" to verify the reliability of its output.
• As a Developer: I copied the generated project to simulate taking over an existing project and tested its code comprehension and iteration ability through a series of standard programming tasks.

Task 1: Building a Marketing Website from Scratch

I gave it a creative challenge: build an official marketing site for the "Star Project" from Liu Cixin's sci-fi novel The Three-Body Problem.

Step 1: Requirement Understanding & Document Generation

In SOLO mode, the main force behind construction is an agent called "SOLO Builder," which can access various contexts and tools, using Claude-4-Sonnet by default.

After pasting this text, Trae first switches to the "Documentation" tab in the tool panel, converting my scattered requirements into a well-structured, professional Markdown PRD (Product Requirement Document).

You can see this is a very standard requirements document, previewed in Markdown, complete with text, tables, and even a Mermaid flowchart of core business logic—very clear.

If you're not satisfied or need adjustments, the document can be directly edited.

Step 2: Environment Setup & Code Generation

Once the requirements document is confirmed, you can click the "Confirm" button in the lower left to start development.

Next, Trae automatically switches to the "Terminal" tab, checking and configuring the required environment and dependencies:

By default, it follows the current action, but you can cancel this to operate freely.

After setting up the environment and dependencies, Trae automatically switches to the "Editor" tab, showing the code being written in real time via "streaming output," with the full project file tree displayed in the right file browser.

Throughout the process, the AI panel on the left records every file created and action taken, providing a review entry.

Step 3: Debugging, Preview, and Self-Repair

After about ten minutes of coding, a complete React TypeScript project is generated. It then returns to the "Terminal" tab to run and preview the result. If errors occur, it attempts to self-repair using the error logs.

Once repaired, it automatically switches to the "Browser" tab to preview the result in the built-in browser.

However, the first attempt wasn't smooth. SOLO Builder claimed "code check passed, development task completed," but the browser only showed a blank page! (Oops.)

But this isn't a big issue. Errors aren't scary; what's scary is having no error info. The console clearly displayed the error log, and the top right provided a one-click way to add the error to the chat.

Once Trae received the error, it immediately started analyzing and attempting to fix it.

After attempting a fix, it proactively confirmed whether the previous error still existed.

If a sensitive operation occurs, you need to confirm before proceeding:

However, after two failed attempts to render the 3D star map, Trae, to ensure task completion, proactively "downgraded" the implementation to an easier 2D solution.

Finally, Trae analyzes the root cause and the final solution used:

Step 4: Result Showcase & Fine-Tuning

Despite some setbacks, the final marketing site was visually stunning. Let's take a look:

A highlight worth mentioning is that all images used on the site were dynamically generated.

By checking the source code, you can see it called Trae's internal text-to-image API and constructed prompt parameters to generate on-brand images.

In the "Browser" tab, Trae also lets you preview how the site looks on different devices, and the mobile adaptation was basically fine.

If you're not satisfied with some details, Trae allows direct fine-tuning of components.

With the "select element" feature, you can click any visual element in the browser to directly change text, spacing, layout, color, etc.

No need to dig into the code or wait for Trae to modify it. Just select and adjust, and Trae will automatically update the underlying code.

Step 5: One-Click Deployment

Once you're happy with the site, just click "Deploy" and Trae will use integrated Vercel services to deploy the site online and generate a public link.

Now, with a visually satisfying site, is it time to publish an article titled "Trae SOLO Launched, I Uninstalled Cursor Overnight" or "Trae SOLO Launched, Front-End Developers Are Out of a Job"? How about it?

No, that's not our style. We shouldn't be fooled by appearances. To be rigorous, I decided to use traditional software development "test cases" to assess its real implementation.

Test Case Analysis

What are test cases?

In traditional software development, test cases act like a checklist to verify if a program works as expected. Each test case usually specifies what to test, how to test (steps), and the expected result.

Below are 20 core test cases I wrote based on the initial requirements.

Test results show that only 10 out of 20 cases passed—a 50% success rate.

Main bugs found include:

1. Clicking the register & login button after filling registration info does nothing.
2. The link to the "Star Project White Paper" is incorrect.
3. Due to downgrade to 2D, the star catalog page can't be smoothly zoomed or rotated with the mouse.
4. Clicking any star in the star catalog doesn't go to the Celestial Body Dossier page.
5. Entering a price and clicking "Confirm Bid" does nothing.
6. Because "Confirm Bid" doesn't work, payment flow can't start.

Thus, Trae SOLO's first version, while visually impressive, is essentially a static front-end demo with almost no actual business logic implemented.

This isn't a big problem—being able to generate such a complete front-end in one go is already impressive.

But crucially, SOLO Builder's summary at the end—"core functions implemented"—is highly misleading, making users think business logic was included too.

A better approach would be to clearly tell users which features are done and which need further iteration.

Maintaining and Iterating on Existing Projects

Next, I tested Trae SOLO's ability to maintain and iterate on existing projects.

I copied the previous project but deleted the requirements document and README to increase difficulty.

1. Project Indexing

Unfortunately, opening the copied project didn't trigger Trae SOLO to proactively index the database like Augment Code does, so I had to manually request it.

The indexing process was correct—it analyzed package.json, entry files, and main components, quickly mapping out the project structure.

The results were average; it would have been better to see core flows visualized with Mermaid, like in the requirements doc.

Conclusion

After extensive testing, here are my key findings about Trae SOLO:

Strengths

• Unified Workflow: SOLO successfully integrates the entire development process from requirements to deployment in one environment
• Context Engineering: The AI can access and understand various contexts throughout the development lifecycle
• Visual Appeal: Generated front-end interfaces are visually impressive and well-designed
• Error Handling: The system can detect and attempt to fix errors automatically
• User Experience: The interface is intuitive and provides real-time feedback on AI progress

Areas for Improvement

• Business Logic Implementation: While visually impressive, generated applications often lack functional business logic
• Honest Communication: The AI should be more transparent about what features are actually implemented vs. just visually present
• Testing Integration: Automated testing capabilities need to be enhanced to verify functionality
• External Context Support: Better integration with external documentation and specifications is needed
• Project Indexing: Proactive project analysis when opening existing codebases would improve the experience

Final Verdict

Trae SOLO represents a significant step forward in AI-native IDE development. While it excels at creating visually appealing prototypes and streamlining the development workflow, it still has room for improvement in implementing robust business logic and providing honest feedback about functionality.

For rapid prototyping and "vibe coding," SOLO is excellent. For production-ready applications, developers will still need to invest significant time in implementing and testing business logic.

The question "How close are we to a true AI-native IDE?" can be answered: We're getting closer, but we're not quite there yet. SOLO is a promising foundation that shows the potential of AI-driven development environments.