Not the same.
Pellets are carbohydrates( polymers). In a simplified version of the anaerobic digestion process: the carbohydrates breakdown to monmers (sugars). The sugars go to ethanol(vodka) and then to acetic acid( vinegar) which goes to acetate. The bacteria acting on the organics consume some inorganicNO3 andPO4 and make it exportable via skimming. Different bacteria dominate at different steps .
The bacterial strains and by products on the top end of this cascade give lot's of folks trouble when using polymers or monomers. Personally, I've had trouble with serious lps recission when I tried small amounts of sugar so I stay down the line from it. Lot's of reports of difficulty with the pellets over time.
I've been dosing vodka and vinegar continuously for 3yrs with very good results. Ultimately it all reduces to acetate which corals and other organisms can use. So, I start closer to that end point supporting only the bacteria that breakdown ethanol and vinegar skipping the crbohydrate breakdown and fermentation.( Actually if my tank had a few hundred feet of sand in it it would all go to methane gas).
The whole process from carbohydrate(polymer) to methane is called mehtanogeneisis. The process to acetate is called acetogenesis if you or others want to research it.
It's also easier to control how much is dosed with a direct dosing method like vodka or vinegar rather than guessing on flow and amounts of pellets, types of reactors , clogs etc. I read volumes of threads and posts abut the pellets and decided I'm not a fan.
Those who dose just vodka have some issues with cyanobacteria which is also a common complaint with pellets. Acetic acid is less useful to cyano so many dose just vinegar. In my case 70% of my organic carbon comes in the form of ethanol with 30% in the form of acetic acid and visible cyano is non existent.
