Pass by reference using pointer and dereference pointer

Question

Which one is better: Pass by Reference using void increment(int& x) or Pass by Pointer using void increment(int* x)?

1. void increment(int& x)
   {
       x=x+1;
   }
   int main()
   {  
       int n= 2;
       increment(n);
       cout << "Value of n is " << n << '\n';
       return 0;
   }
   

   or

2. void increment(int* x)
   {
       *x=*x+1;
   }
   int main()
   {  
       int n= 2;
       increment(&n);
       cout << "Value of n is " << n << '\n';
       return 0;
   }
   

Answer 1

None is better. The advantage of using pointer is that it makes explicit in the calling code that the argument is passed by pointer, since the argument is preceded with &. The advantage of using reference is that it is more natural in the calling function code, without all * dereferences. Internally the are normally implemented in the same way, so there should be no speed advantages.