I think people misunderstood the OP question. There’s a lot of nuance to consider. Roughly speaking APs are considered better than DE, but the difference is not that great as people make it seem. Most colleges will recalculate and give the same weight to both AP and DE. If there any doubt about the rigor of DE that’s going to be settled by taking the AP exam.

Taking the DE course and the AP exam assuming the preparation is good enough for a good score, is the best of both worlds in my view. If the school doesn’t let you take AP Chemistry in 9th grade because you don’t have high school chemistry or didn’t make it through lottery, then by all means take DE Chemistry and the AP exam if you think you can ace it because you’ll free up another advanced course slot.

Just compare the quality of kids taking classes in community colleges to the quality of kids taking the corresponding AP classes in your high school. You said it yourself: The exams/tests and homework at cc are easier. It tells you everything.

Agree with others: Generally speaking, if APs are offered, best to take those before going off on DE adventures.

However! Engagement, interest, storytelling, and positioning matter, too -- and also, there is intrinsic value in education, is there not? Your child should pursue the most rigorous curriculum available that also provides the education they desire. Because, for one thing, nothing is promised: They're probably not getting into the super-reach schools, so why take less-interesting classes when there's a 19 in 20 chance he won't end up at one of those schools anyway?

In any case, schools value independence and intellectual curiosity. So if the student can demonstrate that those are the drivers -- and not bc they're shying away from the demands of AP courses -- then they should go for it.

In terms of admissions, AP's are the safer bet. Not a close call.
However, if the student could effectively and coherently demonstrate that they pursued their academic interests through DE because those classes offered more rigor, depth, possibility, whatever -- then DE could be a high-risk, high-reward strategy for differentiating a highly-motivated, engaged, interested student from the rest of the pack.

Again for most kids, if you're going for your public flagship and don't hate AP's -- take the AP's.
If the kid is brilliant and independent -- well, then they've already told you what they want to do, best get out of the way lol