My first attempt at cloth diapering was gDiapers. It's basically a cloth pant with snap-in waterproof liner and a flushable insert. You can machine wash and dry the cloth part, machine wash and line-dry the liner, and flush or toss the insert. It's much less messy than the typical cloth diaper experience. I did this for a few months, and once I was used to it, I switched to reusable cloth inserts instead. Personally, I found gDiapers to be the best overall diaper (with the cloth insert). Because it separates into three parts, it's very easy to clean and dry. And it's not much work at all to assemble a 3-piece diaper and have it ready for the next diaper change.
My second-favorite was the pocket diapers. It's basically a regular diaper, except it has a pocket where you slip the absorbent insert. You can machine wash the whole thing, but they get cleaner and dry faster if you separate the diaper and insert when you wash them (obviously). The only disadvantage is that the waterproof outer material is sewn onto the cloth pocket. This means that the water isn't able to go all the way through the material when you wash it, so it doesn't get as clean. I mean, it's better than a true all-in-one diaper where even the insert is sewn in, but I found it's much easier to clean when you can separate the layers.
Unfortunately, I never liked the cloth diapers where the waterproof layer is just plastic pants that fit over the diaper. Those just never achieve a good fit, though I guess they are the easiest to wash. So that's why I like the gDiaper design best; the waterproof liner is removable, but fits snugly into the diaper when worn. I know there are many styles that attempt a similar goal (like Haute Pockets), but it was not in my budget to try out a lot of different brands. You kind of have to stick to one set if you expect to save money over disposable diapers. I can honestly say I don't regret cloth diapering, and I was able to do it with my son from age 2 months till he potty-trained. (Before that, we used disposables we were given at his baby shower.) I recommend having disposables on hand until you're completely comfortable with it; I used them overnight and when I went out. But once I got the hang of it, I used cloth exclusively. Good luck!