I've not used cat litter since my lot were kittens. (They're seven years old now and, thankfully, make use of the cat flap and go outside to wee and poo). At that time I just used the cheapest I could buy, simply because I was hard up. (It was Asda's own 'value' brand, which was incredibly dusty but seemed to do the job).
In earlier days though, when I had a few quid in the bank, I'd always opt for a clumping type, preferably with an anti-pong treatment added to it. However, as your post indicates, those types of cat litter usually don't come cheap. If I needed to buy the stuff these days, I'd probably give this a try. (Wood pellet-based products tend to get very good reviews for their clumping properties and also for their ability to lock in odours).
https://groceries.morrisons.com/products/cat-s-best-original-clumping-cat-litter-430441011