i prefer real plants. i like the way they look, and since i do have somewhat of a green thumb, its not too hard for me to care for live plants. right now in my cycling 10 gallon, i have some bulbs that i dropped in. you buy them dormant and dry. you drop them in the water and they sprout in 20 days. i have 2 different kinds. one kind is a lilly of some sort that i've had for at least a year. it was in a betta bowl and the betta died, but i just left the plant in there and forgot about it. the foliage all but died, but when i went to set up my 10 gallon, i pulled the dead parts off, washed the bulb of algae and everything else, and tossed it in my 10 gallon while i cycled, and its already sprouting new growth about 2 weeks later. i also bought some new bulbs of a different kind. there were 6 bulbs, 3 appear dead (one floated to the surface after a few days, the other two are growing mold, so i took them out) but one is already about 5" tall and growing roots into the gravel, a second one is just sprouting, and i'm not sure about the third.
they're VERY easy to care for, i've done nothing with either and they're doing very well so far. i'm not sure on the species of the plants, i'll have to check. i'll probably get a few more already live growing plants like a java fern or something.
i think they look nicer, and if your fish are well fed with a good variety of foods, they should mostly leave the plants alone.