In the BMX world there are 2 main types of hubs you can buy. Cassette and Freecoaster.
What are Hubs?
Hubs are the cylindrical parts of wheels that connect the spokes to the rim that fit on the frame.
Rear Hubs are different then front hubs because the back wheel has a gear on it that makes it possible for the bike to be pedaled. When you pedal, it turns the gear which turns the rear wheel, making the bike go forward. Below, you can see one of the hubs has a gear on it, this is the rear hub.
So here's the big difference between the two types of hubs:
Cassette Hubs
These hubs are the more common of the two. These hubs are found on 95 percent of bikes. As you know, you can coast on a bike without pedaling, where the cranks don't move but the wheel moves freely. Try and coast backwards though, and you'll find that the hub wont allow you to coast, and this makes your pedals go in reverse (the opposite of you pedaling forward) but unlike pedaling forward, you don't engage the hub so you only have momentum to take you. In BMX terms, when you are riding backwards in tricks, you have to follow the path of the pedals and control your speed by controlling how fast your pedals go. This can be tricky and difficult for riders at first and requires more skill. A distinct way to tell if you have a cassette hub is if you hear the clicky noise when you are coasting.
Freecoaster Hubs
These hubs are similar to Cassette hubs but have a few major differences. when pedaling forward and coasting forward, the freecoaster is the same as a cassette hub, except there is no clicky noise, it is silent. When trying to coast backwards though, you'll find that you can actually coast backwards without pedaling. This makes riding backwards in BMX trick riding easy and less complex.
Which hub to use?
It's really all personal preference and what feels better to you. I've ridden both hubs and I prefer using a cassette hub.
Here's some freecoaster riding so you can see how it looks;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ARqWi2MDvEE
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