Active Directory Federation Services VS Microsoft Entra Connect
As of 30 October 2026, Microsoft Entra Connect is named by 158 companies and Active Directory Federation Services by 189; Active Directory Federation Services skews to companies under 200 people (28% vs 23%), Microsoft Entra Connect to companies over 1,000 (43% vs 50%).
As of 30 October 2026 · refreshed daily · counts move as websites, DNS and career sites are re-read.
The website-and-DNS footprint is not comparable between a marketing suite and a CRM: Active Directory Federation Services's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Microsoft Entra Connect rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Active Directory Federation Services: 2–200 employees
- 28%
- Microsoft Entra Connect: 2–200 employees
- 23%
- Active Directory Federation Services: 1,000+ employees
- 50%
- Microsoft Entra Connect: 1,000+ employees
- 43%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.6 · 2.4
- Website or DNS footprint
- 0 · 0
Who chooses which
Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.
| Segment | Active Directory Federation Services | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2-10 employees | 9 | 5% | 1 | 1% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| 11-50 employees | 22 | 12% | 14 | 9% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| 51-200 employees | 21 | 11% | 22 | 14% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| 201-500 employees | 31 | 16% | 31 | 20% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| 501-1000 employees | 12 | 6% | 20 | 13% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| 1001-5000 employees | 46 | 24% | 32 | 20% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| 5001-10000 employees | 14 | 7% | 7 | 4% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| 10,001+ employees | 34 | 18% | 29 | 18% | even |
| Self-employed | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory Federation Services | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 85 | 45% | 57 | 36% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| Business & finance services | 36 | 19% | 32 | 20% | even |
| Manufacturing & industry | 20 | 11% | 26 | 16% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Public, community & associations | 11 | 6% | 4 | 3% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| Health care | 10 | 5% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 6 | 3% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Media & content | 5 | 3% | 4 | 3% | even |
| Property & construction | 4 | 2% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 3 | 2% | 6 | 4% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Consumer services & leisure | 3 | 2% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Hospitality & travel | 3 | 2% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Automotive | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory Federation Services | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 96 | 51% | 93 | 59% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| France | 15 | 8% | 6 | 4% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| United Kingdom | 15 | 8% | 11 | 7% | even |
| Canada | 11 | 6% | 7 | 4% | even |
| Belgium | 8 | 4% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Germany | 7 | 4% | 10 | 6% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Switzerland | 5 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Sweden | 5 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Singapore | 3 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Australia | 2 | 1% | 5 | 3% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Brazil | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Spain | 2 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| India | – | – | 5 | 3% | outside top 12 |
| Austria | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Netherlands | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Norway | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Denmark | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Hungary | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory Federation Services | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 463 | 63% | 365 | 77% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Software engineering | 90 | 12% | 6 | 1% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| Sales | 29 | 4% | 1 | 0% | Active Directory Federation Services |
| Engineering (non-software) | 18 | 2% | 22 | 5% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Customer service & success | 10 | 1% | 7 | 1% | even |
| Data & AI | 6 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Product, program & project management | 5 | 1% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Skilled trades and field service | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Unclassified | 2 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Administration & office | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Finance & accounting | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| General management & consulting | 1 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Facilities cleaning and security | – | – | 2 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Hospitality and food service | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Marketing & communications | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Active Directory Federation Services →
Companies using Microsoft Entra Connect →
Identity ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Microsoft Entra Connect is named by 158 companies in job postings and Active Directory Federation Services by 189; 62 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/active-directory-federation-services-vs-microsoft-entra-connect)
Read from the source, not self-reported
Every number on this page can be traced to a page we crawled or a posting we read. Full methodology →
- Job postingsRead hourly from career sites. A tool counts when the employer's own text names it as the team's system; both tools can count for one company.
- Website and DNSScripts and embeds on the company's pages, plus SPF, DKIM, MX and CNAME records of its domain that point at the vendor.
- SegmentsCountry, size and industry from the company profile built from its website.
- Not a reviewNo ratings, prices or feature claims. For those, read the vendors.
Active Directory Federation Services vs Microsoft Entra Connect: questions
Which is more used, Active Directory Federation Services or Microsoft Entra Connect?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Active Directory Federation Services (189) over Microsoft Entra Connect (158). By website-and-DNS footprint, Microsoft Entra Connect (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Active Directory Federation Services?
28% of Active Directory Federation Services companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 23% for Microsoft Entra Connect. 50% of Active Directory Federation Services companies have over 1,000 employees, against 43% for Microsoft Entra Connect.
Do companies run both?
62 companies name both in their postings, usually Active Directory Federation Services in marketing and Microsoft Entra Connect in sales, or during a migration.
Where do these numbers come from?
From the employer's own text in job postings read hourly from career sites, and from scripts found on company websites in our crawl. No vendor data, no surveys.
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