In a lot of cases with the &#x27;hosted&#x27; platforms, you&#x27;re limited to a handful of &#x27;approved&#x27; plugins that have been vetted and are kept up to date for you.  So... you&#x27;re getting protected, but losing out on one of the primary reasons people choose WP in the first place - customizability.  But it&#x27;s not the reason everyone does, hence the hosted places can still thrive.