@MarkinMT lays it out correctly.
Muzzle Brakes reduce felt recoil and Flash Hiders reduce flash.
For pistol length weapons I am fond of “Krinkov” or “Noveske Flaming Pig” design canisters for the front end. They mitigate the recoil to a perceptible degree and reduce the flash some but shove the sound “forward” the most. Yes they are a bit heavy but in most instances you can tuck them inside the hand guards for a bit more grip space. I actually like having the additional weight up front as it seems to smooth out the swing if traversing. I have a 3.5" Krinkov on my 7.5" tube tucked into a 10" hand guard and it pokes out about 1/4". Very controllable, not overly loud (much better than a brake or FH) but it still spits out a 8" fire ball after dark.
The cure for all of it of course is a suppressor but that’s a different topic.
Cheers,
Craig6