OP didn't say they were better overall, rather that they were a better "actor", as in, they play nicer than Apple with other actors (companies) in the tech space, and as such you'd expect them to be less targeted by antitrust laws than Apple, but the opposite has occurred.

> I'd love to install unsanctioned software from GitHub on my iPhone

You can, but Apple won't like it:

https://sidestore.io/

https://altstore.io/