[Barry Bonzack]

Originally Posted by Chris is me

Vex is, in my experience, a much cheaper and more "well run" robotics competition than FTC.

Originally Posted by gblake

5) As a rule in areas that have hit critical mass (but not always or everywhere) there are more VRC tournaments in a school year than FTC tournaments; and the VRC tournaments are pretty inexpensive (FTC events are usually reasonable cost, maybe a little higher than VRC, depending on how well sponsor $ are flowing).

Talk to teams participating in both, and visit a tournament from each program.

Blake

I'm going to piggy back off many of the comments, but contradict some of the others.

Which is "better" and more "cost effective" can depend on what region you live in. For us in Florida, FTC has 8 qualifiers and a state championship. It would not be cost effective to travel out of state for most teams in this category. I can also vouch that at least Florida FTC competitions carry the excitement comparable to FRC, and are quite "well run."

Your location appears to be Boston, be sure to talk to both FTC and VRC participants specifically in your area to get a better idea of their experiences because this will best represent what your experience will be like.