Should I choose a custom ROM with or without GApps?

This may be considered an extension of a question I recently posted.
Does an appstore like F-Droid offer the same variety as the Google Play Store? What if I need a Google app(like the appstore,maps,google app etc.) later on, do I need to do any "Flashing" to separately install them?
Will it be better to use a custom ROM version with Gapps or try to live without Google first?
I did try searching around online but there seems to be nothing substantial. Please provide your valuable suggestion on how I can improve my questions here since I am still very new to Android-rooting as well as Stack Exchange.