Both are acceptable. It is purely a matter of preference, and no editor should complain about either version.
English grammar developed in much the same way: A particular preference becomes the most used, and then becomes the standard rule. Some American usage is being absorbed into UK usage through TV programmes (or programs if you are American)

The word 'a' does NOT always indicate a singular. You always say 'a pair of face cards in a hand, indicating two. The same applies to all these collective nouns for a group of creatures: a flock of geese, a herd of cattle, a pack of dogs, a school of fish.

Americans tend to use 'different than' on its own, but correctly, the 'than' is the other half of 'more', thus: more different than (something else).