Having had both, my suggestion is a garmin. More user friendly and best bang for your buck. The Instinct in my opinion is THE backcountry hunters watch and very useful in everyday life.
I have owned both as well. I abandoned Suunto and run the Garmin Fenix. Best smart watch on the market in my opinion. It does everything I need/want it to do.
I have had both and the current version of the Garmin Instinct is far superior for what I do than the old Suunto Ambit. Garmin integrates better with other gadgets and I use it with my dog's Garmin collar for bird hunting. Current Suunto may be better than my old unit but very impressed with Garmin Instinct.
I have the Garmin fenix 6 and the wife has the Suunto 9. So I have experience seeing both. The wife had the Garmin first hated it and gave it to me and I love it. I track my workouts, hunting/hiking and running with it. I also use the gps to mark spots on short trips. It’s tough to see on the screen but linked with the phone the map is easy on the eyes.
It was to much for the wife and she hated it wasn’t a touchscreen.
The Suunto fits her workout schedule. Tracks her cardio, biking and running.