If you can't do barré chirds it limits what you can do on a guitar. If you can't reach your thumb over and hold down the bass E sring, that limits what you can do too (mainly because then you aren't able to fret that string while allowing other strings to be played open).

So it seems to me that the best thing is to learn both ways, and have a guitar that allows you do it both ways.

I'm reminded of the dispute between the Bigenders and the Littlenders in Lilliput about the right way to open an egg.