Do live plants or fake plants work better as decoration?

This is the single biggest disagreement we found. In r/Aquariums and r/aquarium threads, some verified hobbyists insist real plants are '10000% worth the money' for water health, while others point out well-made silk and plastic plants are nearly indistinguishable, never melt, and give fish identical hiding cover. The practical takeaway: live plants like Amazon sword or java fern help with nitrates in a planted tank, but fake plants are a legitimate low-maintenance choice for small or hard-to-light tanks.