No one has directly answered your actual question, which was, "which is better, honing or stropping?"

So, the best way to answer your question is with a similar question...

Which is better for optimal health, breathing or having a pulse?

For both questions, the answer is "both."

Honing and stropping do two different things. Honing sharpens the blade by removing steel to ensure that the edge forms a near perfect "V" shape. Stropping re-aligns that edge after the micro-damage of each shave. Both are essential for a good shave. If you start with a well honed razor and then strop correctly before each shave, then you can dramatically increase the length of time that you can go between each honing.