I can't speak for everyone but I can offer a practical opinion from my personal experience day trading gbp/usd
using macd on intraday trends. ( in a range, macd did not work for me at all).
Stating the obvious, I was always late (late potato or the gravy) or even missed out on some smaller trends because
of the lag. But some of the trends lasted long enough to ride it out and to make some money.
Sometimes, I broke my macd rule and got in a trade a bit early, just because the price pattern/action suggested
what the market "might" do. MACD confirmed "a bit" later. Those were the best trades.
Based on this experience and the fact that MACD is derived from the price why not follow the price itself?
MACD is less subjective than price action. Specific rules could be applied to macd and followed. Also, since
you're lagging, the price might have already "moved" and the picture is clearer.
With price action, it would seem, the price pattern is never the same, the information is never complete and
the picture not that clear. Price action/pattern requires LOT of screen time to understand what the price is
suggesting. Not everyone is willing to put in the screen time to understand the dynamics, price patterns and
its context.
But If you do ...
Bottom line, it's not about macd or pa but it's about making money. If you're making money with macd, good for
you. If you stick around long enough and you're more of an artist, you'll gravitate towards price action/patterns.
If you're more of a scientist, you'll probably come up with your own custom indicator.
good luck to you.
G.