Having worked on both a project that used the main-only branch strategy without pull requests, and projects that use the feature branch strategy with pull requests, I prefer the feature branch with pull request strategy.

It's easier to provide feedback and make changes prior to merging. There is usually value in the feedback that improves the quality of the merged code, whether a reviewer is requesting a change to adhere to code standards (I know, enforcement should be automated), or suggesting a different way to implement the change.