"trim tabs are a better choice"
"whale tails/foils are cheaper and do more for hole shot"
Lastly - will they really help more than the tabs did for hole shot?

I wouldn't think that tabs or hydrofoil would do much to help the hole shot,
since they don't deflect much water until the boat gets up to speed, but
either will allow you to plane somewhat faster and maintain a plane at a
slower speed.
If you want a better hole shot, changing the prop pitch will have much more
effect. Everyone says that you should select a prop that produces a WOT rpm
near the top of the recommended range, but I have a different theory. I
have a prop that produces a WOT rpm that is several hundred rpm over the
"desired" range, and it gives me a much better hole shot, as well as the
ability to bust over a wave or leap off of a wake that I encounter. I don't
do a lot of long-range high-speed cruising, so the reduction in
efficiency(mpg) is not as important to me as performance at lower speeds.
Think of it this way......if you had a car with a 5-speed transmission that
was stuck in one gear, would you rather have it stuck in 5th gear to get the
best performance at the highest speed, or have it stuck in third or fourth
gear for all-around performance? Boats have a similar scenario, except for
the prop slippage issue during the hole shot that you can reduce by
selecting a larger diameter or four-blade prop.