Own 17 handguns, only six are not stainless/nickel.
My CZ SP-01 might get a nickel finish in the years to come, but already did the barrel, guide rod, and grip screws. My SIG P228 likely will stay stock, being I consider it a collectible. My two M&P40s (5" Pro and Compact) are mostly black... but barrels, controls, and magazines are nickel plated. And my two surplus pistols (Nagant revolver and Yugo Tokarev) are in their original finish.
I prefer stainless when I can get it. Not a fan of shiny, and prefer matte. Most of my carry guns are stainless and/or nickel plated for rust resistance. My LCP needed to be plated as soon as possible, as it would rust in my pocket.
I use two companies for refinishing; Robar and CCR. Robar is more costly, but do long guns (did my 870 and Ithaca) and alloy frames (did my 642-1, as well as the 9mm cylinder I got). CCR has better pricing, but don't strip anodizing. They did not do long guns (in their plating), but the have alluded to doing it recently. Would love to send my PW87 and IAC 97 in for that. But CCR did most of my guns. All of my polymer frames (except the M&P slides) were done by them. They did a ton of magazines, bolts in a few guns (have more to send them; Remington 7, probably the Tavor, and maybe the WASR), and clips for my Garand. I bought a SUB-2000 Gen 2 (.40 and already nickel plated) to use my M&P magazines, and got a few more to have matched to the rest.
Since I guess a few pictures are in order..