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No need to apologize; it can get complicated.
I can tell you about the differences between a preamp and a distribution amp, but I would need to know more about your friend's setup to decide if one is better than the other for him. Like:
Where is he located?
What does his signal report look like?
What antenna is he using?
Where is the antenna located?
How long is the coax from the antenna to the splitter?
How long are the coax lines from the splitter to the TVs?
What channels are most important to him?
Are all the channels he wants OK for just one TV without the splitter?
Are all channels equally poor with the splitter, or are only some worse?
A preamp is designed to be mounted near the antenna with its power supply inside the house. With the preamp near the antenna, the signals are amplified BEFORE they travel down the coax. A preamp has a power inserter inside that sends DC power up to the preamp on the same coax that sends the signals down.
A distribution amp is usually mounted inside to make the signals stronger before splitting. It's the best choice if the signals are strong enough for one TV, but too weak after splitting for more than one TV. The distribution amp contains an amp and a splitter all in one housing. It is usually near an AC outlet for power, but it can be fed DC power using a power inserter in the same manner as a preamp.
A preamp can be used inside with a splitter to do the same thing as a distribution amp, but its gain must be properly selected for that particular location to avoid overload.
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