A common stable version that introduced initial support for modern features like MultiSubnetFailover. Implementation and Testing Linked Servers (Database Engine) - SQL - Microsoft Learn

While Microsoft has unified the underlying network protocols (SNI) for both drivers, the "surface" API differs. OLE DB is generally considered more efficient for heavy data manipulation within the SQL Server ecosystem, while ODBC is the standard for portability.

Advanced Data Types: The driver fully supports SQL Server-specific data types, including XML, Large Object (LOB) types, and spatial data, ensuring that data integrity is maintained during transport. Why You Should Use MSOLEDBSQL Over SQLOLEDB