Short Answer 
Communism distributes power and resources among the community, ensuring shared wealth and common ownership, while dictatorship centralizes power in a single individual, leading to unilateral decision-making and economic disparity. The key differences lie in power distribution, economic control, and the principles of ownership and equality.
1. Power Distribution
In communism, the power lies with the society or community, which collectively has ownership over resources and production. This means that decisions are made jointly, reflecting the interests of the community as a whole. In contrast, a dictatorship centres power in a single individual—the dictator—who governs with little regard for societal input, making unilateral decisions that affect all aspects of life.
2. Economic Control
Communism promotes the idea of shared wealth, where profits are distributed equally among all members of society. This ensures that everyone benefits from the economy’s outcomes. In a dictatorship, however, the dictator retains all profits for themselves, leading to economic disparity where wealth is concentrated in the hands of one individual, resulting in a stark contrast between the rich and the rest of the population.
3. Ownership and Equality
In a communist system, the principle of common ownership prevails, meaning resources and means of production belong to the community at large, and everyone is considered equal. Conversely, a dictatorship thrives on individual ownership, where the dictator controls all means of production and resources. This creates a society where equality is nonexistent, and the general populace has little to no power.