I like both options a lot! Personally I lean more towards sticks for an arcade feel primarily, but you really cannot beat the portability and simplicity of a leverless. Not to mention buttons are fairly cheap and plentiful compared to levers, so even if you need to get replacements, you're not gonna break the bank unless you're in a place where you gotta pay big for shipping.
I use a Hori Fighting Stick Alpha with the parts swapped out with Sanwa buttons and a JLF with the EX-Groove quick release shaft as my daily driver, but when it comes to stuff I wanna pull leverless out for like Tekken, I just use my Haute42. Those little things are perfect for if you wanna get a taste of it without committing to a full-price piece of equipment (the durability of those kinda suck though...) I've also heard decent things about Snackboxes, but I've never used them myself.
If you already got your heart set on a leverless, I'd recommend paying a bit more to get something nicer, especially if you're switching over completely. However I will say PLEASE CHECK TO SEE WHAT YOUR LEVERLESS OF CHOICE IS COMPATIBLE WITH! You may need to get a brook adapter alongside it.