Having provided synchronous online learning courses for years and now having taken several asynchronous courses, I think that asynchronous is more beneficial for the learner.
I am a avid proponent of microlearning, or chunking large, blocks of learning into smaller courses or modules that make them more palatable for the learner. In the synchronous courses that I led we provided online learning 8 hours a day for 4 days straight. I could tell in many cases that the learner hit a limit on their capability to stay focused every few hours (or less).
We had to build in activities that would re-engage them and bring them back to the present. We were forced to provide this style of training by the demands of the contracting companies and the compliance mandates of the industry. We were always searching for ways that we could spread out the learning over days, weeks or even months. Most of the asynchronous courses I've been a part of allow the user to work at their own pace, move from the shallow end of the pool, rather than throwing them into the deep end, hoping that that can swim. Asynchronous seems to allow for a slower more managed pace, which lends itself to smaller more manageable intake of information. This is what I think the benefit of asynchronous over synchronous course delivery.
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