Third Age vs Divide and Conquer

Considering playing a LOTR mod but not sure which to choose!

Couldn’t find any thorough or recent comparisons online.

What’s the story with these two mods? Why are there two of them? I assume they are made by different people/teams?

DaC labels itself a Third Age submod… why? LOTR is LOTR right? What does DaC change about Third Age, an already VERY highly recommended mod?

What are the main differences between the two in terms of gameplay? Most importantly: Which is better??

Any insight would be very much appreciated! Thanks in advance.