In my opinion, both have their pros and cons and neither is 100% superior to the other.

For active investments I advocate considering how you can diversify WITHOUT ceding your competitive advantage nor the superior profitability of the niche your in.As an example my business is running an investment fund and syndication high interest commercial mortgage loans secured by income producing real estate. 

Yes, it's true that you might be able to find a product you need at a greater discount when a brand like Wayfair or CB2 is having a sale, but I've found that they truly do offer superior discounts at scale, even considering the fee. 

If you have a C class rental but screen it like its an A class rental, some landlords might believe they are doing a superior job!

We've found it has superior reporting features, integration features, and is overall more efficient to work within than other REI-specific software.The downside is QBO is not set up for REI so you'll need to do that or work with an expert to ensure it is set up for your business appropriately.

Is one superior, or inferior?

A phone call is far superior.

Providing superior service, cheaply.

Today is very different as it is all about the management (and not appreciation) compared to past where management could suck but you still had superior apprecation.This will not crash housing of course but all those "creative" deals where people are paying more than market value are going to realize they have no exit. 

The returns can be superior to the stock market, but will require more patience and hands- on effort.