Hi,
You've been around long enough on this site to know you shouldn't double post.
Any way, in response to your question it depends how dirty your fluid is and how oftern you expect to clean them out.. IMHO, Y filters are good for "bolt catcher" application and commissioning, but not for long term use as they need to be drained of product, if a liquid, and all the crud falls on the floor when you undo it. Anything is better than an inline top hat filter....
Bucket or basket strainers are normally a QO top and you can retrieve and replace a basket filter very easily.
If you size them right, the the pressure differecne should be similar.
Be careful about the pressure drop when dirty on any inlet side filter as it can easily climb and affect your pump NPSHA figure. For this reason, I would prefer a basket strainer as it has a bigger surface area and won't clog as fast, but as said at the start - depends on your fluid and what the filter level is.
My motto: Learn something new every day
Also: There's usually a good reason why everyone does it that way