Both of you are correct, but some people might not know what you mean by SAVE STATES and SRAM SAVES.
SAVE STATES is a feature that many emulators offer in which you can save AT ANY POINT during the game.
SRAM SAVES are the save points offered BY THE GAME ITSELF, so like when you play ZELDA or POKEMON and when you pause the game, the GAME ITSELF offers a SAVE GAME feature before you shut down your system so that you can continue where you left off next time.
In SNES9xGP you only have SRAM SAVES. You play your games as you would play them on a real SNES and save ONLY when the game allows you to save. When you want to turn off your system, you go to the menu and click on SAVE SRAM. This way next time you turn on your system and select the same ROM, it will load the available SRAM SAVE.