Is one registry better than another?  Depends on who you ask and what their idea of a registry is.
I personally feel that there are some better than others in the way of services and policies.
I've used almost every major registry and can honestly say that there are pros and cons to them all.
The needs of an individual breeder will be the deciding factor of which registry most will choose to use.
If a breeder is just looking for papers then any registry will do and most will look for the most cost efficient one
or the one that has the most lax policies.
If a breeder is interested in creditability both in the registry and the documents it issues then they will have to dig a little
deeper and put forth a little more effort to meet that registries requirements.
Some registries require DNA and other's don't.
Some registries require Microchips and other's don't.
Some registries require kennel inspections while other's don't.
Seldom are 2 registries policies ever the same.

 

I choose ACR for it's documentation policies, 3 generation pedigree on every registration certificate and it's desire
to register according to genetics and not what somebody dreamed up on the lam.  I also had to find a registry that
accepted Merle patterned dogs and allowed them in the show ring.  ACR did and still does all of that for me.
ACR is also one of the most affordable registries in existence.
ACR was a win-win for me.
HPA is a subsidiary of the ACR and was formed solely for the documentation and registration of the Harlequin Pinscher
founding lines and is now the most respected registry for the Harlequin Pinschers.  No other registry can furnish Harlequin
Pinscher breeders with the original documentation of the Harlequin Pinschers. 
I've used Continental Kennel Club, United Kennel Club, American Kennel Club, Universal Kennel Club, United All Breed
Registry, America's Pet Registry and the American Canine Association.  Universal Kennel Club accepted my merles for a while then
fail to pressure and pulled my papers.  It goes without saying that I will never use them again.  Continental Kennel Club has allowed
pedigrees of my dogs to be used as pedigrees on dogs that are not of my bloodline so again it goes without saying that I will never
use them again as well.  The others just weren't what I could get from ACR.
I want a strong registry, with an iron back-bone who knows genetics.

I could list a 100 different registries here and give you the pros and cons of them all, as I see them, but what would be the
purpose.  Every breeder must decide for themselves which registry works best for them based on their criteria of what they
are looking for in a registry.