First off, it's a deduction, not a credit. You're still spending money.

Second, your mortgage interest (plus other deductions) need to be high enough to warrant itemizing deductions. At the start of 2021, my mortgage balance was $270K with a rate of 2.275%. Even including a $7,000 donation to charity, it wasn't enough for my wife and I to itemize.

That said, it's much better to mortgage than pay cash for reasons outlined already in this thread.