Atlassian Crowd vs Microsoft Active Directory comparison

Atlassian and Microsoft are both solutions in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category. Atlassian is ranked #24, while Microsoft is ranked #9 with an average rating of 8.4. Atlassian holds a 1.2% mindshare in SSO, compared to Microsoft’s 3.1% mindshare. Additionally, 100% of Atlassian users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 97% of Microsoft users who would recommend it.

Atlassian Crowd

Read 4 Atlassian Crowd reviews

394 Views
359 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Microsoft Active Directory

Read 47 Microsoft Active Directory reviews

1,845 Views
1,218 Comparison Views

97% willing to recommend

Atlassian Crowd

Microsoft Active Directory

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Executive SummaryUpdated on Sep 18, 2024

Atlassian Crowd and Microsoft Active Directory are both identity management solutions. Microsoft Active Directory seems to have the upper hand due to its broader feature set and long-term market presence.

Features: Atlassian Crowd integrates seamlessly with other Atlassian products and efficiently handles large-scale user management. Microsoft Active Directory offers comprehensive security features, extensive compatibility with various applications, and a broader feature set.

Room for Improvement: Atlassian Crowd needs faster synchronization and more detailed error logs. Microsoft Active Directory users look for a simpler configuration process and better documentation for advanced features. Atlassian Crowd's integration issues and Microsoft Active Directory's complexity are significant concerns.

Ease of Deployment and Customer Service: Atlassian Crowd has a straightforward deployment process, though integration issues may cause delays. Its customer service is responsive and helpful. Microsoft Active Directory requires intricate setup and specialized knowledge, but its customer support is professional and knowledgeable.

Pricing and ROI: Atlassian Crowd is cost-effective for smaller enterprises, offering a good ROI with lower setup costs and efficient user management. Microsoft Active Directory has higher setup costs but provides significant long-term value, justifying the investment for larger organizations.

To learn more, read our detailed Atlassian Crowd vs. Microsoft Active Directory Report (Updated: December 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Atlassian Crowd vs. Microsoft Active Directory

December 2025

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Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Atlassian Crowd

Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)

24th

Average Rating

9.2

Reviews Sentiment

7.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

No ranking in other categories

Microsoft Active Directory

Ranking in Single Sign-On (SSO)

9th

Average Rating

8.6

Reviews Sentiment

6.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Active Directory Management (2nd)

Mindshare comparison

As of January 2026, in the Single Sign-On (SSO) category, the mindshare of Atlassian Crowd is 1.2%, up from 0.3% compared to the previous year. The mindshare of Microsoft Active Directory is 3.1%, up from 2.8% compared to the previous year. It is calculated based on PeerSpot user engagement data.

Single Sign-On (SSO) Market Share Distribution
Product	Market Share (%)
Microsoft Active Directory	3.1%
Atlassian Crowd	1.2%
Other	95.7%

Single Sign-On (SSO)

Featured Reviews

Grigoriy Kneller

General Manager at HDI Systeme AG

Enhanced user management offering seamless single sign-on, scalability for large enterprises, and improved configurability through integration with various user sources and directories

For organizations using various Atlassian products and dealing with multiple user sources or directories, implementing Atlassian Crowd for single sign-on proves highly beneficial. This is especially true for companies that have instances of Atlassian product installations across different entities, each with its own Active Directory and user directory. Crowd significantly streamlines user and directory management, making it more efficient for larger enterprises. It is particularly advisable and recommended for big companies, especially those that have undergone acquisitions or mergers, as it enhances user management, transparency, and configurability. While it's incredibly useful for enterprise-level businesses, it may also be suitable for mid-sized companies with a substantial user base. Overall, I would rate it nine out of ten.

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Eko Kurniawan

IT Operations & Security at veris

Has simplified credential management and improved secure access control across departments

The features I find most useful in Microsoft Active Directory are especially for the Single Sign-On. This is very useful for users, particularly if they have plenty of applications, such as tablet applications. When they log in to their computer, the application will automatically log in with their credentials. They don't need to remember another user and password to log in to the application because it's already maintained with Microsoft Active Directory using Single Sign-On. To assess the impact of Microsoft Active Directory's centralized domain management on security protocols and access permissions, Microsoft Active Directory itself has constraints with security because when we have a solution such as SSO or Single Sign-On, which makes it easier for users to log in, some parts have security openings. When their computer is compromised with a threat, malware, or other cyber threats, it becomes easier to enter the application without login permission.

Read full review

Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"The most valuable features are predominantly in the directory and development spaces."

"One standout feature is the capability to configure various authentication and authorization methods from diverse user directories."

"We can also have separate domain controllers in different Active Directory sites based on their location."

"The most valuable features are it is easy to use, manage, create a repository, and create the OM."

"The most valuable features of Microsoft Active Directory are the management of user and group policies."

"The product is very stable and flexible. You can also integrate the solution with other products like mail solutions."

"I think the main reason we are using Active Directory for SSO Office for single time and for intake integrity capability to other services."

"Stability and performance are good. So far, we have not observed any major downtime or performance issues since we deployed it."

"It's useful in bringing order to the system."

"Microsoft Active Directory is the most centralized tool for my organization, which has impacted us positively—we can reset passwords for all users at once, add anyone to any group, and check the members tab, making it really easy for us to troubleshoot end-user issues and beneficial for our information technology needs."

More Microsoft Active Directory pros

Cons

"There's a need for effective group membership management, especially for corporate programs."

"It makes you more efficient, but you have to optimize what you're doing before you get into the software."

"If Microsoft is going to add anything to the on-prem solution, it should be an updated GUI."

"I would like to see improvements in the solution’s security filtering feature. It can include machines and filter some users. There is no option to exclude a particular user or system."

"Perhaps the synchronization could be simpler and more controllable."

"Perhaps the synchronization could be simpler and more controllable. There are some features that need improvements in terms of ease of use and frequency of updates."

"There is room for improvement."

"Sometimes, it can be overly complicated, and when you apply Group Policy in an Active Directory environment, sometimes those settings apply and sometimes they don't."

"Even better group management would be beneficial."

"There could be enough material to learn about the product."

More Microsoft Active Directory cons

Pricing and Cost Advice

"While it may seem affordable for larger enterprises, it tends to become more expensive as you move up the scale."

"It's pretty cheap. I would rate the price as three out of five."

"Active Directory is an expensive solution, primarily due to Microsoft's licensing model. This licensing approach includes paying for server licenses as well as for each computer that connects to it. However, when working with the Azure cloud, there is no cost for the server. This is profitable and one of the main reasons why Azure Cloud and other cloud-based solutions are being used more."

"I rate the product’s pricing a five out of ten."

"The product's premium support services are expensive."

"On a scale from one to ten, where one is cheap and ten is expensive, I rate the solution's pricing a four out of ten."

"I'm unsure about the cost of the solution, as I was never involved in that aspect. However, I don't think it would be expensive. It might be average, around four or five out of ten."

"Active Directory is built-in into Microsoft Windows 10. I'm not an administrator and would not be involved in purchasing decisions for new versions of the software. I have only used the client portion of it, I do not know if there is a cost to using the solution."

"The license is perpetual and the cost is minimal. If you purchase Microsoft Windows then Microsoft Active Directory comes with the package."

"Its price is reasonable."

More Microsoft Active Directory pricing and cost advice

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

No data available

Computer Software Company

11%

Manufacturing Company

11%

Financial Services Firm

11%

Healthcare Company

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

No data available

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	20
Midsize Enterprise	7
Large Enterprise	20

Questions from the Community

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What do you like most about Microsoft Active Directory?

The solution is easy to install and has good reliability.

See all answers

What needs improvement with Microsoft Active Directory?

The best way to protect this is to use Microsoft Defender. For Microsoft support for Microsoft Active Directory, I would rate it as eight. If I give it 10, it would be too perfect. Eight is fair. M...

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What is your primary use case for Microsoft Active Directory?

My main use cases for Microsoft Active Directory are to manage user access and credentials.

See all answers

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Compared 8% of the time

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Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Single Sign-On (SSO)

December 2025

Download Atlassian Crowd product report

Buyer's Guide

Microsoft Active Directory

December 2025

Download Microsoft Active Directory product report

Also Known As

Crowd

No data available

Overview

Atlassian Crowd is a single sign-on and user identity tool that's easy to use, administer, and integrate. Users can come from anywhere: Active Directory, LDAP, Crowd itself, or any mix thereof. Control permissions to all your applications in one place Ð Atlassian, Subversion, Google Apps, or your own apps.

Atlassian

Active Directory stores information about objects on the network and makes this information easy for administrators and users to find and use. Active Directory uses a structured data store as the basis for a logical, hierarchical organization of directory information.

This data store, also known as the directory, contains information about Active Directory objects. These objects typically include shared resources such as servers, volumes, printers, and the network user and computer accounts.

Security is integrated with Active Directory through logon authentication and access control to objects in the directory. With a single network logon, administrators can manage directory data and organization throughout their network, and authorized network users can access resources anywhere on the network. Policy-based administration eases the management of even the most complex network.

Microsoft

Sample Customers

NHL, Interspire, Appfire

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Atlassian Crowd vs. Microsoft Active Directory

December 2025

Free Report: Atlassian Crowd vs. Microsoft Active Directory

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