Better, I haven't looked at it that way. To me it is a different way to cook food which lends itself to a different but good flavor. Sometimes I grill a piece of meat and sometimes a smoke it. One is not necessarily better than the other but there may be a time issue, so smoking is not practical or I may just want something grilled. The nice thing about sous vide, is you get it set up and leave it alone until it's done. No watching, flipping, etc. I hope that makes sense. The chuck roast I made, was seared after the cooking was done to give it a grilled look and taste. What I have found from sous vide is the meat is very tender which is not always the case with grilling and smoking.