A traditional tripod mainly gives you more stability and more positioning options.

Compared with a GorillaPod, a decent tripod typically offers:

• greater stability for long exposures
• more usable height
• easier portrait orientation and steep head angles
• smoother panning for video
• more repeatable framing if you’re taking multiple exposures

A GorillaPod’s strengths are portability and the ability to attach to railings, branches, and other objects. Its weaknesses are that setup can be fiddly, it may droop with heavier gear, and pressing camera controls can shift composition more easily.

On shutter shake: yes, even traditional tripods can transmit vibration, but they are usually much less affected than a GorillaPod. For very long exposures, shutter-press vibration often matters less, but using a self-timer or remote release is still good practice on either support.

So you’re mostly giving up stability, height, and ease of precise positioning. In return, you gain a support that’s much easier to carry and can be mounted where a normal tripod can’t go.