Both versions have its pros and cons. A pro of Bedrock is the large amount of building techniques that you can use (if you play on PC). There are also a lot more players on Bedrock since not only PC players that able to join, but also other devices such as XBOX, Nintendo Switch and Pocket Edition (Phones & Tablets). This means you won’t face the same players in games of EggWars for an example, which is something I like. More players also means games fill up a lot quicker.
You can compare the PvP on Bedrock with 1.8, but its regeneration with 1.9. You have to spam click either your screen or mouse. It obviously depends on what device you play. However, the knockback isn’t as forceful as on Java 1.8.
The ranks on Bedrock are also totally different. There are purchasable ranks for each game, so not overall ranks like the Diamond rank on Java for an example.
The fun thing about Bedrock is that servers are able to create custom models and show them in-game (like custom eggs in EggWars and custom flags in BlockWars). This allows you to adjust things to your preference!
I do in fact like the community on Java more since people are able to communicate with each other easier because everyone plays on PC. For instance, it’s more difficult to send a message in chat with a phone or Switch. This doesn’t take away the fact that I have made great friends on Bedrock though. This is all my opinion of course, others can think otherwise!
I hope this helped you a little. :)
If you want to know more about Bedrock, I’d recommend watching some YouTube videos about CubeCraft on Bedrock. This will definitely help you understand the workings of Bedrock better.