Are variable speed pumps overhyped

[Palmtrees29]

My pump died yesterday and I desperately need a new one. I’ve been told my options are the pentair intelliflo or the superflo vs. I can’t seem to find any info online comparing the two. All I know is that the intelliflo is more expensive. I’m also reading that people actually have been struggling keeping their pools clean with vs pumps and that in the long run they don’t really save money. Does anyone have experience with the intelliflo and or superflo? My analog timer also broke so getting a VS pump is somewhat beneficial because I think it has the timer on the pump itself so I wouldn’t need to get my timer fixed as well. Thank you for any advise you have!

[Teapot1]

No experience with those two pumps as I buy much better ones for my clients.
As to not being able to keep their pools clean we dont know enough about "these" people to pass judgement, they may not for instance understand real pool chemistry and the critical relationship between CYA and Chlorine as a lot of pool shops don't and therefore a lot of customers will not.
As to really saving money, again how do we know how they operate their pools? On this forum we have people who want massive high pressures on their setups so they can feel huge return jet pressure and they have big pumps and tiny filters which is the exact reverse of what you want, you want flow not pressure. By example, I setup my pool and my client's pools to run very efficiently.
My pool on filtration is 0.08hp, around 65 watts of electricity and been like that for 12 years with very high quality water and never a green swamp.
Another client runs a pool nearly twice the size of mine, we removed the 2kw pump and he runs filtration at 124 watts. Slower filtration is better filtration, I have saved over $6000 in that time and had better quality water with less maintenance. You only need full speed for backwashing not filtration.

[Simonspraggtechpools]

Variable speed pumps are good.
Inverter flow pumps with on board logic are excellent.
The biggest hurdle is that owners buy a variable speed pump set the speed low and then run it for only short hours.
The inverter has its own on board controller. So now you can program it over 24 hours to run at variable flow rates.
Pools that go bad usually have incorrect disinfectant balance and abused LSI (constant addition of pH minus because people believe pH controls chlorine...(it does indoors but outdoors it's CYA that does the controlling).
As relates to circulation the problem is generally poor filters...media can last for years....but not if floc gets in the filter causing media coagulation. Now the filter behaves as if much smaller than its real capacity.
I agree with teapot, oversize the filter and if possible oversize pipework. If the pool is built using 50mm pipes at least upgrade to 63mm around the pump, especially suction..