Mushers use those stoves for safety because you don't have moving parts/fiddly bits to deal with.
Roughly ,all other things equal (stove efficiency) it takes about twice the weight in alcohol to boil the same amount as it does with white gas, but again that is not a (big) problem for the mushers.
I have used a short Caldera Cone and a 1.3L pot to melt snow but it would not be my choice if I were out more than two or three days.
Franco