We know there are other types of fastenings, but these two are the main ones people generally choose between, and there's much more to it than just personal preference too. Each has their upsides and downsides.
Velcro
The main benefit to using Velcro over laces is that they allow you to quickly put them on and off. And I hear you ask, for most climbers downsizing your shoe can help improve your footwork, this quick change shoe means that you can downsize a little bit more aggressively as you can take them off after every climb with little effort, this means you get the benefits of downsizing your shoes without having to slowly creep down the sizes as you would have to with laces.
Laces
The main benefit of laced shoes is that you can customise the fit, loosening the toe and tightening the top, or just lacing them up a particular way to help grab your heel, my heels are a funny shape so I always have to lace my shoes up to tighten them up if I ever need a heel hook. You can find our guide on how to tie your laces for different feet shapes here or you can download our app (EGE climbing).
Laces also distribute the pressure more evenly over the foot, whereas Velcro can have varying sized straps so if it's all day comfort you’re after Laces are your go to.
I wouldn’t worry about whether the laces will snap or the Velcro pads will wear out, the likelihood is that the rubber will wear out before any of that happens.
Conclusion.
It really depends on what you’re climbing and how serious you are about getting that slight performance edge (more aggressive downsizing of Velcro or the customised fit of laces), it also depends heavily on your preference and which shoes fit you, my best recommendation is to try all the shoes on you can and see what works for you.