You don't have to it is your kitchen and checkbook. The look of a slide in is what makes it popular & pricey. That falls under personal preference. Also since there is not a control panel in the rear of the stove top, you have more space for wider cookware. Obviously you are going to sacrifice BTU going from your pro-style to a traditional residential range. Check out Electrolux,Bosch and GE Cafe.
Don't get to captivated by the 5 burners on stove tops because when you use the center burner you are limited on the size of the pan that you can use on other burner simultaneously.

We cannot see your backsplash to determine if you need a slide-in. If you have no countertop behind your range area, you would not need a slide-in. If you have a 1" - 3" strip of counter running behind your range, you will need a slide-in. But your counter can usually be changed by removing the section of counter behind the range to accommodate a freestanding range if you would rather not have a slide-in. I like the way a slide-in looks because the controls are up front and there is not a tall control panel along the back of the range. This lets you show off the backsplash, and gives a cleaner, built-in look. But slide-ins usually cost a little more.

Thank you. There is no backsplash behind the current range -- it's almost at the wall, so I will be going with free-standing. Now :)--which.

I like the cleaner, built-in look of the slide-in with counter cook-top. My biggest issue with a freestanding range is its tendency to trap crud in the small space between it and the end of the counter top. However, I can save a lot with a range with integral warming tray and induction "burners," which I sorely want.

We bought a Bosch free standing gas range a couple of years ago, got the model one notch below the top of the line. We're very happy with it, but I think if you're used to the power of a real commercial style range, you should consider the top of the line which throws off more BTUs than ours.

We love the convection oven and broiler. The guy who installed the range for us said, "Wow, I've only seen this in restaurant stoves," when he looked into the oven gas jets.

ONE WORD OF CAUTION: Make sure you get your measurements right. The Bosch is EXACTLY 30 inches wide. Many ranges for 30 spaces are actually 29 15/16 inches wide. If your space is exactly 30 inches wide, the Bosch will not fit. We had that problem and had to scramble around to get a Coran countertop guy come to shave off a little bit of the counter top so the range would fit. Plan ahead.

You will get occasional morsels fall into the cracks between the range and countertop. The good news is that the range has really smooth feet, so you can pull it out without damaging your floor and clean up the space once in a while -- maybe once or twice a year. No big deal.

Don't forget that a slide in has a cooling fan that is over and above the convection fan. Had lots of trouble with my GE Cafe cooling fan (sounds like the microwave fan)The free standers with controls on the backsplash do not have such a fan. Mine is supposed to only go on when the oven temp reaches 450F BUT !!!

Thank you, all. Definitely free-standing for me! I've lived with a 3/4" gap and uneven counters, so the ease and less complications of free-standing seem definitely worth it. Thanks for all the help.