Features
Decentralization
In order to take full advantage of a peer-to-peer system, you should actually be a peer. This means running your own node
Privacy
Public supernodes require that you place a certain level of trust in the service provider to not monitor your transactions, or even block them from reaching the network
Autonomy
By operating your own node, you get to chose which software you wish to run, and which network rules you wish to follow. If a transaction breaks consensus rules, you can’t be forced to accept it. If the network hard forks, you won’t automatically follow the chain with the biggest accumulated difficulty