ADS-B receiver, dongle vs SBS-3 or Garmin
Most ADS-B receivers in the market (including USB sticks such FlightAware Pro Stick USB) are receiving the same data using the standardized GDL-90 protocol. There is not a lot of data available on their amplifier characteristics.

Both in the air and on the ground, the main differenciator will be the quality of the antenna and its positioning. In that respect, avoid some USB sticks with a tiny embedded antenna without an antenna connector, as they will lead to lower performances than those of devices that are connected to much more efficient antenna.

Furthermore, with any device with an antenna connector, you will be able if needed to install the antenna at a more convenient location, as it is important the antenna has unobstructed view of the sky and when installed the ground be located as high as possible. According Garmin GLD-5x installation manual, ADS-B receiver antenna should be a standard 50 Ω vertically polarized antenna with a VSWR &lt; 1.7:1 at 978 MHz and &lt; 1.5:1 at 1090 MHz.

On that respect, the FlightAware Pro Stick USB, Kinetic SBS-3 and Garmin GDL-5x are all supplied with an external antenna connector, so I guess the cheapest one will do the job.