They are not exactly equivalent, but the practical answer depends a lot on film format and how you shoot.

Development changes the negative itself, affecting density/contrast before scanning. Software contrast changes only the scan data afterward. So altered development can produce a different negative, not just a digital re-map.

That said, the classic N/N+1/N-1 approach is most useful when each sheet can be developed individually, which is why it’s mainly associated with large format. There, grain is less of a concern because enlargement is smaller relative to the negative size.

For medium format, many photographers are better off developing normally and adjusting the scan, unless they dedicate whole rolls/magazines to a specific development scheme. For 35mm, this kind of per-scene contrast control is generally impractical.

As for visible grain/noise: increasing negative contrast through development can also make grain more apparent, and digital contrast adjustment can do the same to the scan. From the provided answers, there’s no basis to say altered development will reliably give lower noise than a normal development plus scan adjustment. If your goal is just a scan, normal development and software adjustment is usually the more flexible choice unless you can control development per negative or per roll.