Active Directory VS Azure Managed Identity
As of 30 October 2026, Azure Managed Identity is named by 119 companies and Active Directory by 5,917; Active Directory skews to companies under 200 people (35% vs 21%), Azure Managed Identity to companies over 1,000 (50% vs 35%).
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's script and mail records show on hundreds of thousands of small sites, Azure Managed Identity rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.
- Active Directory: 2–200 employees
- 35%
- Azure Managed Identity: 2–200 employees
- 21%
- Active Directory: 1,000+ employees
- 35%
- Azure Managed Identity: 1,000+ employees
- 50%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.8 · 2.3
- 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 | share | Azure Managed Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 36 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| 2-10 employees | 262 | 4% | 4 | 3% | even |
| 11-50 employees | 693 | 12% | 9 | 8% | Active Directory |
| 51-200 employees | 1,103 | 19% | 12 | 10% | Active Directory |
| 201-500 employees | 1,002 | 17% | 22 | 18% | even |
| 501-1000 employees | 754 | 13% | 13 | 11% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 1,124 | 19% | 23 | 19% | even |
| 5001-10000 employees | 307 | 5% | 13 | 11% | Azure Managed Identity |
| 10,001+ employees | 636 | 11% | 23 | 19% | Azure Managed Identity |
| Segment | Active Directory | share | Azure Managed Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 1,896 | 32% | 55 | 46% | Azure Managed Identity |
| Business & finance services | 1,089 | 18% | 36 | 30% | Azure Managed Identity |
| Manufacturing & industry | 945 | 16% | 11 | 9% | Active Directory |
| Health care | 341 | 6% | 1 | 1% | Active Directory |
| Commerce & trade | 266 | 4% | 2 | 2% | Active Directory |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 234 | 4% | 2 | 2% | Active Directory |
| Public, community & associations | 232 | 4% | 1 | 1% | Active Directory |
| Property & construction | 232 | 4% | 3 | 3% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 196 | 3% | 3 | 3% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 151 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Automotive | 128 | 2% | 1 | 1% | even |
| Media & content | 125 | 2% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Agriculture & forestry | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Hospitality & travel | – | – | 1 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory | share | Azure Managed Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,282 | 55% | 62 | 52% | Active Directory |
| Germany | 739 | 12% | 7 | 6% | Active Directory |
| United Kingdom | 348 | 6% | 12 | 10% | Azure Managed Identity |
| France | 220 | 4% | 2 | 2% | Active Directory |
| Canada | 194 | 3% | 5 | 4% | even |
| Australia | 93 | 2% | 4 | 3% | even |
| Netherlands | 82 | 1% | 3 | 3% | even |
| Switzerland | 78 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Austria | 76 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| India | 71 | 1% | 4 | 3% | Azure Managed Identity |
| Italy | 66 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Poland | 62 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Belgium | – | – | 3 | 3% | outside top 12 |
| Spain | – | – | 3 | 3% | outside top 12 |
| Sweden | – | – | 3 | 3% | outside top 12 |
| Norway | – | – | 2 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory | share | Azure Managed Identity | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 16,418 | 70% | 79 | 25% | Active Directory |
| Software engineering | 985 | 4% | 140 | 45% | Azure Managed Identity |
| Engineering (non-software) | 937 | 4% | 2 | 1% | Active Directory |
| Customer service & success | 684 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Sales | 288 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 263 | 1% | 4 | 1% | even |
| Skilled trades and field service | 158 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Data & AI | 142 | 1% | 53 | 17% | Azure Managed Identity |
| General management & consulting | 64 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Administration & office | 60 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Arts media and entertainment | 40 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Finance & accounting | 38 | 0% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Construction and civil | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
| Facilities cleaning and security | – | – | 1 | 0% | outside top 12 |
The companies behind each column
Companies using Active Directory →
Companies using Azure Managed Identity →
Identity ranked →
Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.
Azure Managed Identity is named by 119 companies in job postings and Active Directory by 5,917; 0 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/active-directory-vs-azure-managed-identity)
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 vs Azure Managed Identity: questions
Which is more used, Active Directory or Azure Managed Identity?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Active Directory (5,917) over Azure Managed Identity (119). By website-and-DNS footprint, Azure Managed Identity (0 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.
Who chooses Active Directory?
35% of Active Directory companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 21% for Azure Managed Identity. 35% of Active Directory companies have over 1,000 employees, against 50% for Azure Managed Identity.
Do companies run both?
0 companies name both in their postings, usually Active Directory in marketing and Azure Managed Identity 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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