Active Directory VS Microsoft Entra Connect
As of 30 October 2026, Microsoft Entra Connect is named by 158 companies and Active Directory by 5,917; Active Directory skews to companies under 200 people (35% vs 23%), Microsoft Entra Connect to companies over 1,000 (43% 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, Microsoft Entra Connect 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%
- Microsoft Entra Connect: 2–200 employees
- 23%
- Active Directory: 1,000+ employees
- 35%
- Microsoft Entra Connect: 1,000+ employees
- 43%
- Postings per company, 90 days
- 2.8 · 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 | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Self-employed | 36 | 1% | 2 | 1% | even |
| 2-10 employees | 262 | 4% | 1 | 1% | Active Directory |
| 11-50 employees | 693 | 12% | 14 | 9% | Active Directory |
| 51-200 employees | 1,103 | 19% | 22 | 14% | Active Directory |
| 201-500 employees | 1,002 | 17% | 31 | 20% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| 501-1000 employees | 754 | 13% | 20 | 13% | even |
| 1001-5000 employees | 1,124 | 19% | 32 | 20% | even |
| 5001-10000 employees | 307 | 5% | 7 | 4% | even |
| 10,001+ employees | 636 | 11% | 29 | 18% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Segment | Active Directory | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Technology & software | 1,896 | 32% | 57 | 36% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Business & finance services | 1,089 | 18% | 32 | 20% | even |
| Manufacturing & industry | 945 | 16% | 26 | 16% | even |
| Health care | 341 | 6% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Commerce & trade | 266 | 4% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Utilities & infrastructure | 234 | 4% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Public, community & associations | 232 | 4% | 4 | 3% | even |
| Property & construction | 232 | 4% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Consumer services & leisure | 196 | 3% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Transport, logistics & rental | 151 | 3% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Automotive | 128 | 2% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Media & content | 125 | 2% | 4 | 3% | even |
| Hospitality & travel | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 3,282 | 55% | 93 | 59% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Germany | 739 | 12% | 10 | 6% | Active Directory |
| United Kingdom | 348 | 6% | 11 | 7% | even |
| France | 220 | 4% | 6 | 4% | even |
| Canada | 194 | 3% | 7 | 4% | even |
| Australia | 93 | 2% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Netherlands | 82 | 1% | 3 | 2% | even |
| Switzerland | 78 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Austria | 76 | 1% | 3 | 2% | even |
| India | 71 | 1% | 5 | 3% | even |
| Italy | 66 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Poland | 62 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Norway | – | – | 3 | 2% | outside top 12 |
| Denmark | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Hungary | – | – | 2 | 1% | outside top 12 |
| Segment | Active Directory | share | Microsoft Entra Connect | share | Leans |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| IT operations & business systems | 16,418 | 70% | 365 | 77% | Microsoft Entra Connect |
| Software engineering | 985 | 4% | 6 | 1% | Active Directory |
| Engineering (non-software) | 937 | 4% | 22 | 5% | even |
| Customer service & success | 684 | 3% | 7 | 1% | even |
| Sales | 288 | 1% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Product, program & project management | 263 | 1% | 1 | 0% | even |
| Skilled trades and field service | 158 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| Data & AI | 142 | 1% | – | – | outside top 12 |
| 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 |
| 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 →
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 by 5,917; 246 name both. (Breaknorm, 30 October 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/active-directory-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 vs Microsoft Entra Connect: questions
Which is more used, Active Directory or Microsoft Entra Connect?
By companies naming it in their own job postings, Active Directory (5,917) 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?
35% of Active Directory companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 23% for Microsoft Entra Connect. 35% of Active Directory companies have over 1,000 employees, against 43% for Microsoft Entra Connect.
Do companies run both?
246 companies name both in their postings, usually Active Directory 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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