Depends on what you mean by "better". A floor that takes abuse and looks good for 10 years but is cheap enough to remove and replace when you want a change = laminate.

A floor that is more expensive than laminate, can look "good" for as much as 15 years (or look horrible in 5 years) but is too hard to refinish...but too expensive to remove = engineered.

I've seen magnificent 15mm laminate floors look great after 10 years. I've seen low end engineered (same price as high end laminate) look horrible inside of 5 years.

I've seen the opposite. Bad laminate (read: cheap) looks bad after 5 years...and excellent engineered hardwood (read: expensive) look perfect after 15 years.

Remember: you get what you pay for...and laminate should NEVER go in a kitchen. If you need a kitchen floor then out of the two choices, engineered wins because it is "allowed" in kitchens and laminates are not.

IN other words: quality matters. Purchase the most expensive one you can afford. If you can only afford "high end laminate" (which is the same as low end engineered) then work with the laminate. A bad engineered floor will not wear as well as a high end laminate....but the laminate still has limitations.

Choose wisely and from a reputable dealer. Stay away from big box stores that sell paint, wall paper, chitos and bubble gum. They aren't very good at flooring.

What about vinyl composite core flooring? Would this fit in the same category as laminate? Maybe not since it's okay in the kitchen and bathrooms?