ng-show/ng-hide will always insert the DOM element, but will display/hide it based on the condition. ng-if will not insert the DOM element until the condition is not fulfilled.

ng-if is better when we needed the DOM to be loaded conditionally, as it will help load page bit faster compared to ng-show/ng-hide.

We only need to keep in mind what the difference between these directives is, so deciding which one to use totally depends on the task requirements.