Wood R4 > YSMenu for the average user.
I'm not quite sure if I was using YSMenu correctly, but it was a .nds file in my MicroSD directory. So then the process was:
Turn on DS>Pick Loader>Scroll Down and Select YSMenu.nds
Wood R4 however, I just boot up my DS and I'm there!
Just the fact that I, the user, am unsure if I am using YSMenu correctly says a lot about its usability. Call me an idiot or whatever, but firmware should not have to be loaded if I am already running another firmware after I boot up.
Now people are arguing about ROM compatibility. I have not really played my DS for almost two years, so I've been stuck with the 1.18 firmware til I wanted to play Pokemon HeartGold. Only then did I find out that new games needed patches as a result of Nintendo trying to combat piracy. It was a hassle getting Pokemon HeartGold to work with YSMenu. A week ago, I find out about Wood R4. I install, and I love how it looks! It's much more pleasant on the eyes than the old R4 GUI, which YSMenu looks similar to. And I download a few new games: Bowser's Inside Story and Sonic and Sega All Star Racing. Both were clean roms, and both ran without patching with the Wood R4 firmware. I'm not very knowledgeable with the inner-workings of both firmwares, but all it took for Wood R4 to run roms smoothly for me was to place the Wood R4 files in my MicroSD card. I can't say the same for YSMenu.
If you love YSMenu, great! I have no problems with that. But for me, a user who just wants an easy-to-use GUI, along with a more streamlined process of going from clean rom to flash cart experience, Wood R4 hands down.