Is Quickstart or iCloud better for switching to a new iPhone?

Actually.....and this is my opinion.....I think that restoring from a backup on your Mac is the best way to go, if only because you don't have to deal with a wireless connection.

I have never had any issues trying to do things this way, while I have had problems in the past trying to use either QuickStart or iCloud. But, that doesn't mean that you will have problems this way.

There is a good chance that your iPhone 11 is running a higher iOS version than the new phone that you are buying, so you can first go through a simple set up on the new phone.....without trying to transfer data.....and get the phone updated to iOS 17.5.1.

Then, erase the phone and start over from the the "hello" screen and set up the phone as you wish.

If you want to use QuickStart, the process should first update the phone and then transfer data over. So, this is the "simplest" way to go, which might be also be "best" for most users.

I will probably just set up the 14 Plus first and then reset it once it’s updated, thank you!

As I noted, and lobsterghost1 did as well......If you go with QuickStart, the phone will be (should be) updated first, then data transfers over. This is an "all in one" method, so you don't have to first go through a basic setup to update the phone and then erase it as a separate step before you go through the transfer of data.

So, this is the "simplest" way to go, which might be also be "best" for you.

Good luck.

Modern iPhones will include updating the software to the current version on the new phone as part of the Quickstart process.

I guess there is no harm going with Quickstart first, I can always just reset if needed.

Sounds like a plan.

I hate asking for support however I have struggled to find anything up to date

Not sure that I understand. The advice offered by the experts on this site is pretty darn good.

I guess we can each have what we think is best. But I've found Quickstart to be so simple, seamless and honestly amazing when moving to a new iPhone. Each to his own, I suppose.