I've been running Debian for a long long time, by default I would always prefer installing software from their repositories. If that isn't possible, and a project releases/maintaines their own Debian binary packages I'll try those.
Outside Debian packages I sometimes use docker, and sometimes look at binary installs beneath /opt. (For example I install the latest firefox, arduino studio, and similar "fast moving" things as binary installs.)
I've not yet come aross a project which is distributed exclusively through "snaps". if I did I might try it, but I suspect I'd look at installation from source/binaries benath /opt/blah instead.