Composite worktops are slowly porous and therefore they are intolerable to staining and the only way to remove that staining is by rubbing the surface down a little with abrasive papers again. Something you've never got to do with laminate worktops as they are completely stain resistant.
Granite and Marble works can look fantastic and the price of them has been tipping now for quite some time. The trouble is that they are a natural product and you can never be quite sure of exactly what you are going to get. With laminate worktops the pattern is predictable even if some of the patterns are only reproducible every metre or so along the length of the worktop.
Granite and Marble worktops are also porous and have to be sealed against staining ~ there is a tendency for the sealing to wear down and even wear off as time goes by. Granite and Marble works are also extremely heavy ~ this makes installation a specialist job and it is impossible to cut a little bit off here and there to get the exact fit required ~ this again is never a problem when installing laminate worktops.
Stainless Steel worktops can look fantastic when new but soon dull down as a myriad of scratches occurs ~ this is unavoidable and indeed the worktops acquire certain sheen. Stainless Steel worktops, though, can not be cut to size on site and that is a disadvantage. Cost is also an issue with Stainless Steel worktops costing much more than laminate worktops.
Glass worktops are also offered theses days and there are some fabulous finishes available though they have to be made exactly to size off site and can not be trimmed to size on site. Glass worktops are sooner to scratching and thermal shock is not unknown either, laminate worktops are then again a better and more economic choice here too. Concrete worktops are also available but who would want to buy or use this option when there are concrete look-a-likes in laminate worktops?
So you would be well advised to think carefully how your worktops might look two or three years down the line and also consider the cost benefits of laminate worktops over the alternatives.