Looking to add some sort of performance upgrade

They are one in the same. They both simply modify the operating system which by the way is against Federal law and carries a $25,000 fine.

It is illegal to modify the operating system of any emissions certified vehicle and that even includes the exhaust system. i agree is is rarely enforced but it certainly can be.

No Tampering
Warning: In the U.S.A. or Canada, federal law makes it illegal for anyone to tamper with, disconnect, remove or otherwise render inoperative any automotive emissions related control device. In general, the entire fuel system and all its individual components (including the EFI ECU) are considered 'emissions related control devices'. The penalties for tampering can be substantial. A violation may make you liable for a fine of $2,500 or even more!
"Tampering" means replacing or disabling any emissions related components (i.e. any components that would, or could, affect any vehicle emissions) with an unapproved replacement part. It originally applied primarily to 'professional mechanics' operating from licensed repair facilities.
Revisions to the U.S. Clean Air Act in 1990 (40 CFR Title 2, Part A, Section 203) further broadened the definition of emissions tampering to include virtually ANY type of engine or exhaust system modification, performed by anyone, that alters, or might alter, what comes out the tail pipe. That means any nonstock aftermarket part that is installed on your engine must be EPA-approved and emissions legal (except on the exempt vehicles noted below) if you will be driving on public roads. Canadian federal clean air laws are very similar.
However, federal anti-tampering law does not apply to race cars that are not operated on the street, other full-time off-road vehicles, show cars that are not street driven, or vehicles not factory equipped with emission controls (most 1967 and earlier vehicles). So that exempts all antique cars, and many classic cars and muscle cars.

These two products, a chip and a programmer are just different styles of achieving the same thing. Both are altering the computers programming. However, the implementation is different.

I would not recommend any of these because I have seen a lot of failures due over fueling which is basically what these do in order to increase power. I have not seen small failures either. They normally melt a piston or cause a rod to go through the side of the block which means you need to replace the engine.

Let me know if you have questions. Thanks

All the above is true, but it still doesn't stop people from buying things to improve the performance. The OEM's however are now adding items to the various vehicles to stop this from being possible. I've seen more than a couple newer cars where plugging an type of tuner into them drops the PCM into limp mode without a way to recover to stock. They have to go to a dealer and get factory approval to replace the PCM and even then the warranty now get's tagged as void on the vehicles drive train. In some ways I agree with them, the emissions laws and warranty requirements are a pain these days and replacing an engine because a tuner program they didn't write or approve blew it up doesn't seem like a good business plan. However I would also love to see a way for the diagnostics to be accessed on the vehicle without a scan tool. At least for the common things like codes and routine maintenance like brakes, TPMS, oil and filters and such. Not fun to do a brake job and need a scan tool to reset the system or to do a brake bleed. That should be a built in item.

That said, people will constantly be trying to improve their vehicles because of marketing telling them how easy it is. It's really not much difference than some other hobbies, like in audio circles where those monster cable oxygen free cables will dramatically improve the sound of your stereo or fitness, where that elastic and rubber slimming band will give you a sleek figure or the myriad of other things in life that are a con...