We fabricate both, so we have no reason to talk you into either. Here is the honest comparison.

Most kitchens should use quartz. It costs less to fabricate, offers more edge options, and does everything a kitchen counter needs to do. Porcelain wins in specific situations — and when it wins, it wins clearly.

You want the widest colour choice. You want a decorative edge profile. You are doing a straightforward kitchen and want the best result for the money. You are happy to use a trivet.

You cook seriously and resent trivets. You want a waterfall island where the veining mirrors down the side. You are running the material up a wall, around a fireplace, or into a shower. You are building an outdoor kitchen.

It is harder than quartz, which is exactly why it resists heat and scratching — and exactly why it costs more to cut. The vulnerable moment is fabrication, particularly around sink cut-outs. Done properly it is superb. Done badly it chips.

That is an argument for choosing your fabricator carefully, not for avoiding the material. We cut both in-house.

For most kitchens in this market: quartz on the perimeter, and porcelain if you are doing a waterfall island or a feature wall. Mixing the two in one kitchen is completely normal and often the best value — you spend the porcelain premium only where it shows.