How stuck do you get? There's a huge difference between practical use, and lets go play and see how stuck we can get. I'd imagine that most fullsizes don't need a playtime sized winch, unless they're a towing company.
My work truck had an Xd9000i winch. It was an 11,000# F350 with an enclosed utility body and stock size GY Duratracs. Powerlines, fireroads, gas line roads, railroads, city water plants, are all places that truck had to go. Grab a shovel and some tire chains as well. The Xd9000i is the most popular winch for Telecom in my area as well. And those trucks are 12-13,000#.
12,000 is plenty, 16.5 is overkill unless your a wheeler. A washed out sand road on the way to a Florida campground, or being stuck in a farm field in slick clay after breaking through the grass, only 3" deep, doesn't require a heavy 16.5 winch. A quality Warn winch is all I need. I don't need more than 5000# of force, a decent sized horse could pull me out of most of the stucks I've been in. I like having both my eyes and all of my limbs, so I shovel as needed.
Steel cable is best for practical use that often has a pointy rock in the worst possible spot. Or some rude shmuck runs over your cable after/before winching (Texans). Rope is best for playtime 4x4's that need winching 3 times a day because your trying to challenge yourself and get stuck as often as possible. Because your exposed to more winch use in that type of use, the safety of rope is huge.
How much does each winch weigh? I wouldn't use price decide between the two. Weight, durability, and ease of disassembly are things I want in a winch. Keep in mind you have to pop it apart from time to time to grease, clean, and get any salt out.