Check out cultured stone. The look of real stone but a lot cheaper. There is a paver sand on the market that is made for, well, pavers. It used be to so many parts sand mixed w/ mortar.The occasional weed can be knocked down w/ vinegar. What ever you do,do not use embossed concrete w/ a stain. A close friend had it done on a very expensive house and looks like who did it and ran.
I am partial to pavers because of the variations that can be mixed and matched.Go to a masonry supply house,not a box store and browse.

While the look of natural stone is "natural" the installation problem is it's varied and uneven thickness. Pieces must be individually set.

The success of a patio is dependent upon your climate (frost zone) and the drainage base provided. Where I reside, northern IL, mortar between stone or pavers would not work due to seasonal movement.

I've had our paver patio for 14 years. It was a DIY project which is fairly simple with pavers. The only growth between the brick is the inevitable moss. Annually I pressure wash and sweep fresh sand over the surface as maintenance. Any weed can simply be plucked away as it isn't able to obtain a good rooting.

Your best bet for a flexible, non-mortared installation would probably be pavers with polymeric sand.

If you prefer the "brick look" over the "paver look" then you could use clay brick pavers.

As far as economy, it can go either way.

My favorite patios are made from bluestone set over a stone dust base. I'm on a freeze/thaw climate, so the stone dust base allows excellent drainage to prevent frost heaving. The rectangular slabs of bluestone get gapped about 1/2" or 3/4" or so, the joints get packed with stonedust too. Over time moss will grow in the joints or a low creeping thyme can be planted in the joints.

Bluestone is about $4-$5 a sqft.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions! Think i'm going to go the paver route w/ brick-look pavers.