Positano or Sorrento

Where are you coming from? Positano is far prettier but doesn't take long to see and it's challenging to get to. Sorrento is nice but more of a base to get to places like Pompeii and the Amalfi Coast, however it is a transportation hub and may make more sense if you're rushed for time.

Need more info
Where are you coming from , going to?
How many nights?
What else did you want to see in the area?

Positano is worth a few hours at most
May will be very crowded making transportation difficult and chaotic

Positano without a doubt. Even the drive/journey there along the Amalfi coast is absolutely stunning.The key issue is parking - we were last there March 2024 and even then, it was impossible to park above the town and the Police, as we have often seen, were not allowing vehicles into Positano as it was so jammed (unless you were resident there.)

I wasn't hugely impressed with Sorrento - big, busy town, much more urban in feel than Positano, nowhere near as spectacular coastline/setting.

Welcome to the forum, meroche0929 -
As asked above, more information would help, please.

That said, we were OK with Positano for just a 1/2 a day or so. It's very small, very vertical, expensive, there really isn't much to do, and it can be very crowded. Ferries from here also have higher at risk of cancellation due to weather than other locations. IMHO, If wanting to sightsee certain other locations around the region, Sorrento makes a better base.

But what's on your sightseeing list?

We loved Positano and stayed there for four days. BUT it was mid April, not yet crowded with tourists and thus the restaurants were not crowded. We used our time there as the quieter visit between our longer stays in 2 busy, larger cities. Each day we walked up, down, crosswise and explored small pathways, often having spots to ourselves. Yes certain parts are very tourist focussed but we found spots to eat that had delicious food and were not close to the beach. You will get your exercise, as we did, walking all around as the inclines and stairs are everywhere.

Positano doesn’t get a lot of love here in this forum but I am very happy we had four days there when it wasn’t crowded and we could soak up the scenery and atmosphere. Folks who only visit there for 1/2 day in the high season I would venture to say don’t have the best experience because they may be missing out on the less busy parts of the town.

Base is Salerno. 6 days. Hope to boat to Positano, Amalfi, maybe Capri and train to Pompeii.

The Amalfi Coast and Sorrento are plenty busy by May. But now we understand that you are sleeping in Salerno and are talking about a day trip, not "selecting" a sleeping destination, which is what the OP sounded like.

Since Sorrento is a cliffside (virtually no beaches) post-war, purpose-built resort town, of your two choices, Positano sounds better for you. While Positano was a must-see for me (5 nights sleeping in Sorrento, daytrip every day), I was very disappointed. Tiny, all-pebble beaches with paid chaises, cold water in what was essentially a harbor, not an open to the gulf beach, and dozens of the same high-priced luxury boutiques you can find in Rome, Paris, and everywhere else. Also, it's a very hilly town, with literally hundreds of stair steps to fully explore. I'm surprise what a small pool deck we saw at La Sireneuse, the grande dame of postwar wealthy Positano visits. And every one by the pool looked like they had had "work done."

Presumably you are taking the Salerno train and walking 1 mile to the Amfiteatro entrance to Pompeii Scavi?

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/one-week-on-the-amalfi-coast

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-5-days-where-to-set-base-from

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/italy/amalfi-coast-for-7-nights-itinerary-help

Base is Salerno. 6 days. Hope to boat to Positano, Amalfi, maybe Capri
and train to Pompeii.

Ah, OK. That's an important piece of info that would have helpful to know at the get-go. If it's not going to be a base, a stop in Positano is OK.

Just FYI that Capri is 2 hours, one way, from Salerno by ferry. That's a 4-hour chunk out of a day to get there and back and back": not something I'd personally do.

If you are staying in Salerno as a base, then Positano is the place to visit. Prettier than Sorrento, IMO, and an easy ferry ride from Salerno (you can visit both Amalfi and Positano by ferry on the same trip.
Capri deserves its own day trip by ferry.

Visit Pompei on a separate day trip by train (www.Trenitalia.com). Get off at the Pompei station. The station is a bit of a walk to the archeological park (1/2 mile), but if you mind walking the 10-15 min, there are buses.

Visit Ravello and don’t skip Paestum

Base is Salerno. 6 days. Hope to boat to Positano, Amalfi, maybe Capri and train to Pompeii.

All in one day?

Thanks everyone for the great suggestions and info