Also,
Bear in mind, that Merge By Distance and the Weld Modifier are meant for when Vertices are already (almost) on top of each other.
Otherwise, the behavior might be unexpected and almost certainly unwanted.
Here is a simple example; top row used Merge By Distance and the bottom row the Weld Modifier (both with the same Values):

When you have more complicated Meshes (which will be almost always the case), the chaotic behavior can (and often wil)l result in horrible messes.