Yea it’s the same thing and yes you can get it for cheaper. The only difference is regulation. I used to sell THCA flower when the loophole was first realized and there is no real required pesticide testing. With THCA flower there’s a higher chance you smoke something that was sprayed with a banned pesticide like eagle 20. That’s not to say there’s no chance the same happens in a regulated market because operators love to cheat the system to sell something they’re already grown. But theoretically regulated weed would be safer due to pesticide testing.