Active Directory freelancers:
What the market really pays and wants.
Demand, rates and trends for Active Directory – calculated from 310 real project and job postings of the last 90 days. No survey, no guesswork without data.
- Listings (90 d)
- 310
- Rank 36 of 531 skills
- Trend (90 d)
- ▲ 21 %
- Market share compared with the 90 days before. IT postings overall: ▲ 42 %
- Of which must-have
- 65 %
- Rated for 310 postings (AI analysis), otherwise “nice to have”
- Median hourly rate
- €69
- 52 data points, incl. converted salaries
- Remote possible
- 76 %
- 5 % fully remote · stated in 91 % of postings
In demand and growing.
Active Directory is among the most in-demand skills, at rank 36 of 531. Its market share is rising (▲ 21 % vs. the 90 days before).
What is Active Directory – and why do companies hire Active Directory freelancers?
The postings that mention Active Directory fall into these types of project (share of the classified postings):
Typical roles
The roles hired most often are System Administrator (75 %) and Security Specialist (10 %). Of the postings that state an experience level, 39 % explicitly ask for senior profiles.
Demand over the last 12 weeks
new listings per weekWeekly postings for Active Directory are rising: from an average of 22 to 31 per week (+41 %). Volume is developing better than the IT market overall (▲ 42 %).
What do Active Directory freelancers earn?
The median is €69 per hour. The middle 50 % of all figures lie between €63 and €75.
| Segment | Median | Middle 50 % | Data points |
|---|---|---|---|
| All figures | €69 | €63–75 | 52 |
| Senior | – | not enough data | 17 |
| Mid-level | – | not enough data | 28 |
| Junior | – | not enough data | 5 |
| Partly remote | €69 | €63–75 | 50 |
| On site | – | not enough data | 2 |
Basis: 52 figures of the last 90 days – 6 hourly rates from postings and 46 converted annual salaries from job ads (salary ÷ 1,000). We do not show segments with fewer than 30 data points. Figures in CHF are not included.
Which skills Active Directory is wanted with – and which ones pay off
Windows Server appears in 29 % of Active Directory postings.
Often named together
Windows Server29 %(opens in new tab)Microsoft 36527 %(opens in new tab)PowerShell17 %(opens in new tab)Entra ID16 %(opens in new tab)IT Security15 %(opens in new tab)DNS15 %(opens in new tab)System Administration14 %(opens in new tab)VMware13 %(opens in new tab)Share of Active Directory postings that also name the skill.Who wants Active Directory – and under which conditions
Seniority
Mid-level dominates (51 %).
Stated in 98 % of listings
Industries
it_software dominates (67 %).
Stated in 70 % of listings
Contract type
Permanent dominates (58 %). 41 % of postings are aimed directly at freelancers.
Stated in 100 % of listings
Workplace
Partly remote dominates (71 %). Anyone working fully remote only reaches 5 % of postings.
Stated in 91 % of listings
Regions (on site)
Frankfurt am Main leads (19 %).
Stated in 85 % of listings
Project language
German dominates (95 %).
Stated in 100 % of listings
Market dynamics: how contested is Active Directory?
Who posts Active Directory projects
Postings of the last 90 days.Current Active Directory projects
- Do you fit? Check
- Do you fit? Check
- Do you fit? CheckFrankfurt am Main · 50 % remote
- Do you fit? CheckKöln · 50 % remote
- Do you fit? CheckRostock · 40 % remote
- Do you fit? CheckLausanne · asap
Frequently asked questions about Active Directory freelancing
How much does a Active Directory freelancer earn per hour?
The median is currently €69 per hour, with the middle 50 % between €63 and €75.
How many Active Directory projects are there right now?
In the last 90 days, 310 projects and jobs mentioning Active Directory were posted. That is around 24 per week. The market share changed by ▲ 21 % compared with the previous quarter.
Is Active Directory still in demand for freelancers?
Active Directory ranks 36 of 531 skills.
Are Active Directory projects possible remotely?
76 % of Active Directory postings allow remote work. 5 % are fully remote.
Which skills should I learn as a Active Directory freelancer?
Windows Server (29 %), Microsoft 365 (27 %) and PowerShell (17 %) are most often required together with Active Directory. What actually pays off for your profile is shown by the free CV check.
Who posts Active Directory projects?
The 3 most active recruiters account for 44 % of all Active Directory postings of the last 90 days.
Methodology: We count IT postings of the last 90 days that mention Active Directory. Projects posted several times that are detected as duplicates count once; postings without an assignable IT category are missing, so the figures are a lower bound. The trend compares the share of all IT postings with the 90 days before and only appears with enough comparison data. We do not show figures based on fewer than 30 data points. The rating “must have” or “nice to have” comes from an AI analysis of the posting texts. Hourly rates come from postings and from annual salaries in job ads that we convert into hourly rates (salary ÷ 1,000); we state the basis for each analysis. Distributions only refer to postings that state the respective attribute; we state the coverage alongside. Recruiters are the posters of the listing according to the source, only above a minimum number of postings. An AI assigns the project type and role of each posting from its title, category and skills; the shares are counted postings, not estimates, and only appear with enough classified postings.
Basis: 10,565 IT listings in the window
You now know the Active Directory market.
Now let the jury judge your profile.
Your CV against 310 Active Directory listings – with findings, strengths and an hourly-rate check.