REITs vs rentals, which is a better investment/a more viable investment in Singapore?

Reit has lower path of resistance for me. Lower barrier of entry meant that you can start investing earlier and divisify over a few counters instead of just 1 property.

Both are viable options but one major consideration would be the capital outlay, there is a much higher barrier of entry especially with the need to pay the downpayment in cash and/or CPF whereas for REITs you can own a share of the property based on the price of the share and the lot size. S-REITs typically pay out a dividend yield of around 6.5% on average, while rental yield depends on alot of other factors like maintenance costs, mortgage, etc. If capital is not an issue for you, it might still be wise to diversify your investments across property, REITs and also other asset classes.

I would say REITs for general investors. With REITs, you do not need

1) large lump sum investment

2) leveraging / borrowing from bank

3) look for tenants

4) worry about non payment or late payment of rents

5) repairs and management

6) tax filing

To add on to the other answers, it depends if you have the capital. Property requires a huge amount of capital so not many people can afford it. But if you really can afford it, then it's a good form of passive investment through the rentals as well as future capital appreciation, provided that the property its a good choice in terms of location etc.