There are many differences,
The stock Traxxas radio is cheap but, works fine for everyday bashing! The high end radio's have a lot of "Gadgits" that are great for people that race! I just sold my $175 Hitec radio because I just don't need all that extra stuff on it! You can get a good Futaba,Hitec or JR for about $80-$100 which should make anyone happy! I will just use the cheap stock radio's until they break and replace them with a good but, not too expensive one!