“The biggest difference is WordPress.com offers controlled customization within its managed hosting environment, whereas self-hosted WordPress gives you much more direct access to the underlying code and website files.”
+ managed hosting
“You want managed hosting.”
+ automatic backups and managed security
“You value automatic backups and managed security.”
+ developer-friendly plugin-enabled plans and developer tools
“WordPress.com has become considerably more developer-friendly, particularly with its plugin-enabled plans and developer tools.”
+ custom code freedom
“Self-hosted WordPress gives you substantially more freedom.”
+ complete website export
“Self-hosted WordPress gives you direct access to the website's files and database.”
+ flexibility for custom development
“For a website involving substantial custom development, I'd lean toward self-hosted WordPress.”
− restricted custom code
“WordPress.com restricts custom code depending on your subscription and whether hosting features have been activated.”
− limited export of full website
“The standard XML export does not export your entire website.”
− platform restrictions
“However, it remains a managed hosting platform with certain restrictions.”