As I mentioned before in an earlier post, both franchise are full of win but honestly Mario is better. That's because the franchise isn't afraid of innovation.
Super Mario Land-Ditches the conventions of Mario completely. Vehicles?! Oh yes, you can dive in a submarine and fly in an...
Mario trumps Zelda in sales. Zelda beats Mario in reception. 3D console installments of both franchises are widely regarded as some of the best games of all time. I prefer the accessibility of Mario and the complexity of Zelda. Mario and The Legend of Zelda are a win-win pair!