Conda virtual environments and Pip are orthogonal. Pip can be used to install into venvs. But as to why use conda rather than just the standard library venv module (python3 -m venv venv): conda can easily manage multiple python versions. In my experience, it's the most hassle-free option compared to something like pyenv. I personally use conda just for managing venvs, and don't use its package manager functionality at all.