implementation wise, count(*) is faster. Very easy to test: SELECT COUNT(*) FROM generate_series(1,100) a, generate_series(1,1000) b; SELECT COUNT(a) FROM generate_series(1,100) a, generate_series(1,1000) b; ;]
pgsql-performance by date:
Соглашаюсь с условиями обработки персональных данных