I have strong ankles and that's what makes the difference as to what you should wear. I advocate light hikers (the old Army adage of 1 lb. on the foot equals 3 on the back is true, in my book) to everyone, unless ankle support is a problem, then it's not worth the worries of getting an ankle injury 20 miles from the trailhead and your vehicle.
When I was younger I couldn't afford $400 mountaineering boots so I used cheap ultralight hikers and did just find with them, despite the books and other knowledgeable and seasoned climbers telling me how dangerous that is. When I finally could afford those boots I found them to be a disadvantage and switched back to lighter footwear. But again, my ankles can take it and not everyone's can.
I only wear heavy boots when I'm mountaineering in the winter, when I need extra insulation from the cold or when ice climbing (need the rigidity of the boot to support the crampons). For summer mountaineering I use trail runners or approach shoes, and sometimes light hikers (dependent on terrain) and universal crampons.
Other than that I tend to use trail runners or approach shoes. They breath better and they leave much more energy at the end of the day. I'm a light to ultra light backpacker, so it doesn't make sense to me to get an ultralight pack and sleeping bag and tarp and then strap on 4 lbs boots. I hiked a 600+ mile circuit using 2 pairs of trail runners. I found that after 200-300 miles most trail runners are shot, depending on the shoe, so I mailed myself a 2nd pair to the halfway point before I left on my trip and threw away the first pair. It worked out really well for me.
That's the disadvantage of trail runners...durability. I've got mountaineering boots with probably close to 1000 miles on them and they can be easily resoled (although they never feel quite the same after they're resoled), but some of my ultralight trail runners (2 pairs of Teva X-1's, which were the lightest in the world at the time) only lasted 70-100 miles before becoming broken down to the point of being detrimental to your feet, knees and lower back.
I use good insoles in all of my shoes (SuperFeet, InSoles or Montrail).
Just as an FYI, but the longest lasting trail runners for me have been different models of Montrails, which also tend to fit me better than most of the others (I have used Soloman's, La Sportiva, The North Face, One Sport, Nike [which can be surpisingly good, so don't discount them as just a basketball shoe company], Merrel, and on and on).
My hands down favorite boots are La Sportiva, of which I've owned over a dozen pair (I used to be in the military and a professional international mountain guide, so no it's not a foot or shoe fetish). They fit me better and they're very well made and thoughtfully designed. I also have used Asolo, Raichle, Montrail, One Sport, Black Diamond, and on and on.
YMMV.
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