How you use the opening decides
Sliding doors suit openings where swing space is tight — a dining area with furniture near the door, or a deck with a barbecue close to the house. One panel glides; the other stays fixed. Hinged French doors need clear swing space on one side, but both panels can open for a wider passage and better ventilation.
Walk through your daily use. If the door leads to a deck you use constantly in summer, the wider opening of French doors is genuinely useful. If it is mostly a view with occasional access, a slider is simpler and usually less expensive.
The view and the light
Sliders typically offer a larger uninterrupted glass area, since one wide panel does the work of two narrower hinged panels. If the view matters — a garden, the lake, a sunset — this can be decisive. French doors divide the view with a centre meeting stile, though many homeowners prefer their traditional look regardless.
Operation, maintenance and security
Sliding doors depend on track and roller quality; a cheap slider becomes a grinding workout within a few years. Ask about the track system specifically. Hinged doors depend on weatherstripping at the meeting stiles and proper alignment — more seals to maintain, but straightforward to adjust.
For security, look for multi-point locking on hinged doors and anti-lift devices on sliders, and confirm the glass specification.
Folding doors: the third option
Folding (bi-fold) patio doors open entire walls to the outdoors and suit renovations that blur indoor and outdoor living. They cost significantly more and need precise installation and a suitable structural opening — a specialist job, not an upsell on a standard patio door quote.