I prefer individual pedals for my effects, but I don't use many effects. I wouldn't say one is necessarily better than the other, but they both have their pro's and con's. It's really a presonal preference thing. If I was going to use a lot of effects, then I would go with a rack unit and a midi controler. I really only use wah, overdrive, chorus, and delay, so that's why I stick with the single pedals.