# Technology Comparison

> Depending on your environment, type of automations, and applications used, you can choose one of the two available PiP technologies.

Depending on your environment, type of automations, and applications used, you can choose one of the two available PiP technologies.

**PiP - Child Session** is best suited for complex automations that make use of hardware events and image-based automation, while **PiP - Virtual Desktop** provides a faster process start time and can run on more Windows operating systems.

If both PiP technologies are compatible with your environment and automations, **PiP - Virtual Desktop** is recommended as it is faster and uses less resources to start the automation. You can also keep a **PiP - Child Session** instance open throughout the day to achieve similar performance when starting an automation.

The main differences are presented below:

## Session authentication and VPN compatibility

| Scenario | PiP - Child Session | PiP - Virtual Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Normal Password Authentication | ✅ | ✅ |
| PIN Authentication | ✅<sup>1</sup> | ✅ |
| Smart Card Authentication | ✅<sup>1</sup> | ✅ |
| VPN Configurations | ✅<sup>2</sup> | ✅ |

<sup>1</sup> Only works the first time a PiP session is spawned. After that, the PiP session can be authenticated only using username and password until the next restart of the machine.

<sup>2</sup> More information on how PiP - Child Session works with VPN can be found [here](https://docs.uipath.com/assistant/standalone/latest/user-guide/pip-child-session#known-issues-and-limitations).

## UI Automation compatibility

| Scenario | PiP - Child Session | PiP - Virtual Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Edge/Chrome Browser Automation | ✅ | ✅<sup>1</sup> |
| Hardware Events UIAutomation | ✅ | ❌ |
| Image-Based Automation | ✅ | ❌ |
| Windows Messages<sup>2</sup> | ✅ | ✅ |
| Simulate<sup>2</sup> | ✅ | ✅ |

<sup>1</sup> UIAutomation Activities v22.4 and above is required for Edge/Chrome browser automation when using PiP - Virtual Desktop.

<sup>2</sup> These input methods may not work on all applications. Check the [Input methods](https://docs.uipath.com/studio/standalone/latest/user-guide/input-methods) table for the overall compatibility with applications.

## Applications and integrations usage

| Scenario | PiP - Child Session | PiP - Virtual Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Microsoft Office Suite | ✅ | ✅ |
| Other UiPath Activities/Integrations | ✅ | ✅ |

## Supported Operating Systems and Virtualization

| OS | PiP - Child Session | PiP - Virtual Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Windows 8/10/11 - Home Edition | ❌ | ✅ |
| Windows 8/10/11 - Pro/Enterprise Edition | ✅ | ✅ |
| Windows Server 2012/2016/2019/2022 | ❌ | ✅ |
| Mac OS X | ❌ | ❌ |
| Remote Desktop | ✅ | ✅ |
| App-V | ❌ | ✅ |

## Miscellaneous

| Scenario | PiP - Child Session | PiP - Virtual Desktop |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Ability to run an executable as administrator | ❌ | ✅ |
| Recording execution or taking screenshots | ✅ | ❌ |