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Here it is,
I have been tossing up whether or not to use genestealers or hormagaunts in my new nid list [i like to mix things up ^^].

Here the pros and cons of each.
Hormagaunts:
Pros
-can be taken in broods of 32
-for hormagaunts at I5 only cost +1pts [that makes a basic with I5 11pts]
-have 2 attacks and are cheap
-have the beast rule
-have leaping [12" assault range]
-have a BS skill? [dont know why]
-for a fully kitted out hormagaunt costs 16pts each and has the following profile:
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
5 3 4 3 1 5 2 5 5+

Cons
-no scuttlers
-are very fragile
-T3
-cost a fair bit
-Ld5, need synapse

Genestealers:
Pros
-can take scuttlers
-can take feeder tendrills and only for +1pts
-rendering
-can take scything talons
-WS6
-I6
-dont need synapse

Cons
-base cost is 16pts
-no BS? lol
-you need some biomorphs and this usually takes you around 22pts
-can only take 12 in a brood
-no leaping
-for a fully kitted out genestealer costs [im taking feeder tendrills out of the 3 options] 34pts and has the profile:
WS BS S T W I A Ld Sv
6 0 5 4 1 6 3 10 4+

Now i ,love numbers in a nid list, but stealer fill a good roll but cost heaps and have limited numbers.

What to choose, note i already include one of each in my list so it's not as if im not taking them full stop.

i say genestealers every time, 19pts for a model that gets a free move before the start of the game and with T4 they can survive bolter fire a little better than hormies making them more survivable, also in 5th ed in regards to taking objectives genestealers will stay on your objective in your deployment zone and with hormagaunts you have to be careful to keep them in synapse range to make them stay put,

that an if IIRC a hormagaunt with I5 Str 4 works out at nearly the same points as a space marine with a lower toughness and in most cases non-existent armor save

still if you like hormies your going to have to take loads of them as say out of a brood of 20 you are lucky if 10 will reach CC and without the added punch of rending which whilst it has been nerfed can be quite useful when added on to squads with loads of attacks (Stealers and Daemonettes being to good examples)

There's really no contest. The base 16 point Genestealer is better than any Hormagaunt you can build. From there, you can upgrade them in many ways, most of which are a good value.

Feeder Tendrils is broken for the points. The ONLY strike against it is that Flesh Hooks is also very useful.

They can get a 4+ save, which is critical. A 5+ save isn't a save at all, as most any shooting worth having is AP5 or better.

Bottom line, Genestealers are one of the most feared units in the game, while Hormagaunts are one of the more subpar.

Stealers every time!

would it be worth including one brood of 32 mid range hormagaunts. like +1I +1WS and +1S?

I used my hormagaunts with upped strength and iniative. +1S is always better than Ws even if it costs more, because S4 can damage vehicles and it will help you against opponents with Ws5 or more unlike +1Ws. Taking both +1S and +1Ws is too much in my opinion. You should include hormagaunts.

with +1S, +1WS and +1I a hormagaunt comes out at 14pts. for 2 points more i can have a model with higher WS, higher T, higher I, higher Ld and rending, with the possibility of scouts, more attaks and a better armour save. genestealers are better than hormagaunts in all cases.

stealers can also climb stairs, where as hormagaunts are limited to the bottom floor of a building.

question don't beast get a 12" assualt any way?(also get fleet which is nice) so they only bonus of leaping boimorph is getting to attack if within 3"

still i think the smart money has got to go with genestealers ... they go first against most eldar ... for 1pt each they can get preferred enemy (feeder tendrals) rerolling all to hits makes them devistating ... also one unit infiltrating in with a broodlord and toxin sacs (on just him or all of them) is a nightmare ... oh and flesh hooks are also a bargin