For simplicity, it feels like SDXL has better "defaults". You don't have to include a bunch boilerplate keywords to wrangle it into generating good images.
The flip side is I've found it a bit harder to tweak prompts
I've found it very hard to create different styles with SDXL. If you want photorealism, anime, sci-fi, or somewhere in between, it's amazing.
But I've been trying to get it to generate equivalent quality in other styles, e.g. watercolor, abstract painting etc. It doesn't seem to be easy - the quality drops a lot and it's harder to avoid weird results like people wearing enormous hats or distorted perspective.
Admittedly I haven't spent a huge amount of time on this because generation is just a bit too slow to be enjoyable on my machine. Has anyone else had success here?
The flip side is I've found it a bit harder to tweak prompts