Neither ! I use Obtainium, which allows you to get apps directly from the source, with the convenience of a normal app store for updating !

I usually look for apps on droid-ify, which is an alternative front end to f-droid, then whenever possible I copy the link of the source repo and install via Obtainium ; when I can't I install the f-droid version via Obtainium as well (as a result, I have 0 apps installed by droid-ify, I only use it for search)

When I need an App Store exclusive app, I install it via Aurora Store (which downloads apps via shared anonymous accounts)

The only thing this system can't get around is paid apps from the App Store. I have exactly one : Cookie Clicker. (I like the game in general so I paid to support the dev)

I use fdroid whenever possible, but I do use Google Play for most everything else. I do have a few apps that I install via APK, but built-in updaters are so uncommon on Android apps that it's kind of a pain to maintain.