Is better optical or digital zoom ? What is the difference ?

Are better cameras with optical zoom or digital zoom ? What is the difference between camera with optical zoom and camera with digital zoom ?

Optical zoom is better than digital zoom, because it uses the physical lens and focal length to magnify the image. Digital zoom is based on algorithms applied by camera to zoom in the image.

There is also a Hybrid zoom available on some devices, which is combining both optical and digital zoom. It takes advantage of optical zoom and digital zoom to get better result.