No its not. In either case you are breaking a commitment and tearing down an emotional bond to go be with someone else. There is no difference between the two.
well the emotional damage is the same but the diference is responsabilitie
how is people friendzoned?
well is fault of both sides
you have a orbiter that think that being decent person (''nice'') make the womans owe him sex (showing that in the end he doesnt care about the woman itself but is just virtue signaling for sex) so he stay emotionally blackmailing the girl and losing his dignity
a scum that dont respect himself or the girl free wil
and you gotta a femanon,a girl that doenst put things clear so let enough ambiguity so the orbiter can have fake hope,
becuase she dont want to be mean/rude,or she like the attention,or she like having a emotional slave
both of them are scum
so by breaking the relation you are showing
-you dont want to give fake hopes
-you want to give the other cuople a real relation
-you care and respect enough yourself and the other person to put thing clear instead of keeping two toxic relations at the same time (a lover that doenst have the place of couple she want,and a couple doenst recive the respect and love she should)
is better breaking it directly