My understanding is ground almonds is actually finer than almond flour - at least it is in Australia and Aotearoa/NZ.
I bake extensively with almond flour, and ground almonds are definitely my choice. Yes they are pricey, but the same price as meal and flour almond products. Almond meal can be a good choice in certain recipes, for a grittier texture and look (as in 'oatmeal' substitute cookie recipes for instance), but for normal baking, Fathead pizza/cheese sticks dough - absolutely the finer ground almonds.