Compare · Identity

Active Directory VS Microsoft Entra ID_

As of 4 November 2026, Microsoft Entra ID is named by 6,276 companies and Active Directory by 8,045; Active Directory skews to companies under 200 people (34% vs 34%), Microsoft Entra ID to companies over 1,000 (34% vs 35%).

As of 4 November 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 ID rarely leaves a trace outside its own apps. Compare on the job-posting numbers; use the footprint for reach.

Active Directory: 2–200 employees
34%
Microsoft Entra ID: 2–200 employees
34%
Active Directory: 1,000+ employees
35%
Microsoft Entra ID: 1,000+ employees
34%
Postings per company, 90 days
2.5 · 2.6
Website or DNS footprint
0 · 1,236,999
8,045companies name Active Directory
6,276companies name Microsoft Entra ID
4,028name both
20,501 · 16,203postings in 90 days, Active Directory · Microsoft Entra ID
02 — Side by side

Who chooses which

Share of each tool's companies in every segment. "Leans" marks a gap of more than two points.

By company size
SegmentActive DirectoryshareMicrosoft Entra IDshareLeans
Self-employed1262%791%even
2-10 employees4355%3305%even
11-50 employees86511%60210%even
51-200 employees1,46618%1,22119%even
201-500 employees1,36917%1,10318%even
501-1000 employees98012%81313%even
1001-5000 employees1,51119%1,14018%even
5001-10000 employees4105%3185%even
10,001+ employees88311%67011%even
By industry
SegmentActive DirectoryshareMicrosoft Entra IDshareLeans
Technology & software2,47031%1,91430%even
Business & finance services1,52619%1,33121%Microsoft Entra ID
Manufacturing & industry1,21515%91815%even
Health care4636%2534%even
Commerce & trade3935%2925%even
Public, community & associations3624%2885%even
Consumer services & leisure3294%2434%even
Utilities & infrastructure3014%2504%even
Property & construction2974%2674%even
Transport, logistics & rental1972%1603%even
Media & content1932%1392%even
Automotive1812%1222%even
By country
SegmentActive DirectoryshareMicrosoft Entra IDshareLeans
United States4,33854%3,39554%even
Germany86011%59710%even
United Kingdom4506%4647%even
France2964%1633%even
Canada2453%2193%even
Australia1262%1252%even
Brazil1161%621%even
India1061%721%even
Switzerland1001%801%even
Netherlands991%1402%even
Austria901%––outside top 12
Italy801%––outside top 12
Sweden––881%outside top 12
Belgium––601%outside top 12
Postings by team (share of each tool's postings)
SegmentActive DirectoryshareMicrosoft Entra IDshareLeans
IT operations & business systems19,53970%12,33663%Active Directory
Software engineering1,2234%2,34012%Microsoft Entra ID
Engineering (non-software)1,0904%4572%even
Customer service & success8213%4122%even
Sales3151%2931%even
Product, program & project management2951%3242%even
Data & AI2261%7424%Microsoft Entra ID
skilled trades and field service1761%390%even
General management & consulting750%870%even
Administration & office710%240%even
Unclassified670%320%even
Finance & accounting480%110%even
arts media and entertainment440%20%even
facilities cleaning and security310%280%even
Education & training290%120%even
Human resources290%40%even
Legal, compliance & risk280%260%even
Marketing & communications190%160%even
construction and civil170%130%even
Quality, safety & environment160%130%even
logistics warehouse and transport140%10%even
Business development & strategy60%140%even
healthcare clinical60%10%even
hospitality and food service60%40%even
manufacturing and production60%10%even
Design & UX20%50%even
procurement and purchasing20%10%even
real estate and property20%––outside top 12
research and science20%––outside top 12
Retail & store operations20%––outside top 12
Travel, leisure & events––10%outside top 12
Cite this

Quote the sentence with the date and the link. The numbers change daily; the link always shows the current ones.

Microsoft Entra ID is named by 6,276 companies in job postings and Active Directory by 8,045; 4,028 name both. (Breaknorm, 4 November 2026, https://breaknorm.co/compare/active-directory-vs-microsoft-entra-id)
How we know

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.
FAQ

Active Directory vs Microsoft Entra ID: questions

Which is more used, Active Directory or Microsoft Entra ID?

By companies naming it in their own job postings, Active Directory (8,045) over Microsoft Entra ID (6,276). By website-and-DNS footprint, Microsoft Entra ID (1,236,999 vs 0), because its scripts and mail records sit on many small company sites.

Who chooses Active Directory?

34% of Active Directory companies have 2 to 200 employees, against 34% for Microsoft Entra ID. 35% of Active Directory companies have over 1,000 employees, against 34% for Microsoft Entra ID.

Do companies run both?

4,028 companies name both in their postings, usually Active Directory in marketing and Microsoft Entra ID 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.

Companies and people

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