Most of the ground has been covered - but I will try to summarize...
1 Cost - A pellet stove will cost more than a comparable wood stove for the appliance itself, although there is a considerable range in cost for both. Wood stoves can start at under 1K for a plate steel Englander, to well over 3K for a fancy soapstone heater. I haven't priced pellet stoves as much, but my impression is that they start around $1500 and go to about $2500, as the range of models is less. However the pellet stove uses a simpler, less expensive venting system so installation will be considerably less. If you have an existing chimney that can be used (possibly with a liner install) the costs would be less, and you can also save a bundle by doing as much of the work yourself as you can, but if you have everything installed from scratch, including a new Class A chimney, I would say your stove dealers estimate of 5K isn't totally unreasonable depending on what you pick for a stove.
2. Quality of heat - as mentioned, many pellet stoves have, or can be equipped with thermostats which will maintain the temperature just like a fossil burner, along with push button starting - so it is basically a matter of dumping in the pellets and the stove maintains the constant setting you put on the thermostat. A wood stove will vary in temperature as it goes through it's burning cycle (soapstone stoves will vary less, but still) so you house temperature will also, how much is mostly going to depend on how you burn the stove and the quality of your insulation. It is also much more difficult to set an exact temperature w/ a wood stove; you can control how much heat it puts out to some degree, but there is no house style thermostat, it's more like the heat lever in a non-fancy car.
3. Fuel cost and storage - Pellets are expensive, and require "premium" storage - they MUST be kept totally dry, either indoors, in the garage or basement or in a very well waterproofed shed. There have been times when pellets were either not available or VERY expensive. However you are limited in your fuel options, as pellet stoves can only burn pellets or other "pellet size" biomass fuels such as corn. Exact cost comparisons are difficult, but most indications are that a pellet stove will save somewhat over LP or electric, but will be about the same as oil or natural gas. Wood will be less expensive, depending on how much work you want to put into it (note that processing your own does add costs for equipment) and is much less fussy about storage. Many people build woodsheds, but these are low cost structures just to keep the worst of the rain and snow off. Others just throw a tarp or other cover over the top of the pile, or even leave the pile uncovered. Stoves are more flexible about fuels - Ideally you should ONLY burn cordwood, but if you have to, a stove will burn almost anything combustible you can get in the firebox (NOT RECCOMENDED!), even in normal times, while there are preferred woods to burn, you can (and many do) burn any kind of wood they can get into their piles.
4. Work on fuel - Pellets are easy to handle, just pick up a bag and dump into the hopper. Repeat once or twice a day. Pretty neat, simple, etc. Cordwood will be more work to handle, stack, bring into the house, and the stove will probably need feeding more often. If you process your own, then the amount of work goes up greatly, as you may need to bring the wood home, cut it into stove length rounds, split it, etc. OTOH, if you process your own wood, I'll just about guarantee that you won't need to go to the "health club" for exersize.
5. Maintainence - Pellet stoves are much more maintenance intensive. You will need to regularly scrape out the burn pot, the stove will need frequent cleanings (typically weekly) and other service. A Pellet stove has a lot of complex moving parts and electronics, all of which are prone to expensive failure, often requiring expensive service calls from the stove shop. Like a pellet stove, a wood stove will periodically require ash removal, probably more often than the pellet stove does, but otherwise requires minimal maintainance beyond having the chimney swept once or twice a year (This is something that many people get a pro for, but you can do it yourself and save a lot, it usually isn't hard.) Aside from possibly a blower, a woodstove has very few moving parts, and those are pretty reliable.
6. Ambiance - As said, a pellet stove is about as much fun to watch as a bunsen burner. A wood stove will give you a real fire, and some of the secondary combustion tube style stoves will really give a great light show.
The decision is up to you, as the different factors have different levels of importance to different people.
Gooserider