Laser sensors prefer cloth; optical sensors don't care as much.

Basically, yes. But the difference matters less than you’d think.

Optical (LED) sensors — older or budget mice — track best on opaque, textured surfaces. A standard cloth pad is ideal. Shiny or glass surfaces confuse them.

Laser sensors are more picky in the opposite direction. They work on glossy surfaces and glass, but can have jitter or acceleration issues on certain hard pads (especially those with a shiny coating). The classic example: laser mice on aluminum or some plastic hard pads feel floaty.

So if you have a laser mouse, stick with cloth or matte hard pads. If you have optical, any decent mousepad works — just avoid glass or glossy surfaces.

Tl;dr: Go cloth for both unless you know your mouse likes hard surfaces. That covers almost everyone.