This feels like a topic which writers and readers can discuss forever and never settle for a definitive answer. Might as well add my opinion even though it'll end up as different as everyone else's... and probably longer than what anyone asked for.
The fate of inflatees for me tends to be a little up in the air (stop laughing) because it does seem entirely situational. I personally do prefer popping most of the time, for the reason that a lot of people often say it's like a climax, a peak of arousal, a satisfying release. On the other hand, I can totally understand where other inflationists find more stimulation in an inflated body that hasn't popped because there's fun to be had with it. Sometimes I do step back and think, like, what good does it do to have an inflatee explode and be wiped out of the picture? The inflator can't do much anymore. But this is sort of where my mental programming ends up disregarding this thought, because I'm hooked on the process, and the tension, and the bursting-- and that's all I really need.
A type of trend I see in writing with burst victims is the inflator going overboard, and sometimes it's the inflatee giving into the lust and driving themselves to popping. Occasionally a bitchy character is being one-upped and taken revenge upon. The way I see it, the first two scenarios are mostly satisfaction-driven, you know? And the revenge plot can feel satisfying too in a way, but it's more of a karma effect; it's something an author does as a result of a character acting the way they do, and that sort of popped victim is a go-to, tried-and-true way of "resolving" a story conflict in a lot of cases. So I think the choice in writing is always deliberate. The same goal seems to apply with inflatees who don't burst and remain there, whether it's outright pleasure for the sex, or it's another character marvelling at the other's size and the story reaches a happy love story note. Where I'm going with this is: I can't choose either way because both inflatees, popped or unpopped, can serve a good purpose. I believe the best inflation writing captures the process as clear and stylistically as possible, and the fate doesn't always matter because that's just what the stream of events calls for.
As a writer, I realize within the stories I generate that I do have to consider the decision between a survival and a burst for each character. People are plot devices, so I think what happens to them depends on whether I want the character to stick around, or if there was only one end I could imagine. I hate to be kind of selfish and talk about grounding my theory in practice, but for example, I'll have an inflatee burst because getting rid of them is what another character wants. Also, sometimes an inflatee reaches such a large size where I have to think, okay, there's not much useful stuff I can have a character do in this state, so I might as well come up with a believable way to wrap it up-- satisfaction (from the burst) not necessarily guaranteed. I can't always try to go for what I think is the sexiest ending for me, even if it's technically "the same" ending, because it's more tailored to the plot rather than what pleases me.
I've been drafting a story for months where I plan to keep an inflatee unburst. I built up her character carefully, and like I was saying, if I were to end up wiping it all away in an explosion, it wouldn't seem right to me. Plus, I can find the value of an inflatee still "narrating" and relating how it feels to be so full. The inflator isn't evil, and the inflation isn't an accident, so I believe I'll keep it pretty non-destructive. Like I keep reiterating, to pop or not to pop, for me, is all a matter of design and creating the proper effect.
...Sorry to take a simple poll and turn it into a theory of the universe. To summarize: fate can be flexible, and sometimes the plot overrules an individual's preference.
I'd rather the character survived even after being inflated to their limits. From a story standpoint, there'd be more potential to see where the inflation leads. You could have them float like a balloon, cuddled and squished by someone else, or perhaps even engage in more explicit acts using their inflated-ness as a starting point for their arousal. And besides, having the character remain swollen feels more magical and enticing than simply popping them to normal/nothing.
Now THIS is love!