What is the best for staining/painting exterior cement?

I think whatever you choose will be a personal preference on the look you like. There are lots of great ideas on painting and staining cement here:

https://www.hometalk.com/search/all?filter=painting%20cement

https://www.hometalk.com/search/all?filter=stain%20cement

Go to your local paint/home improvement store and ask for masonry paint.

Buying the correct paint for masonry is key to having a long lasting paint job. You should buy BOTH masonry primer and paint.

https://www.houselogic.com/remodel/painting-lighting/concrete-painting

Susan: maybe this will help

https://www.homedepot.com/c/ab/best-outdoor-paint-for-patios-and-concrete/9ba683603be9fa5395fab9088b3c1e9

You can always visit your local stand alone paint for best advice on situations such as this for the best products available and how to apply. They are far more knowledgeable than the large hardware stores plus they will most likely carry what you need.

here is some info for your project

https://www.hunker.com/13412454/what-is-better-concrete-paint-or-concrete-stain

This is what we used on our cement: https://www.aratariathome.com/blog/how-to-update-concrete-steps

Visit your local paint store to get recommendations - sherwin williams or benjamin moore.