Adaptive
Adaptive replication mode selects the best source for inbound replication packages. When starting a transfer, Replicator picks the best connection to use from the available connections with the packages.
Picking the Right Replication Mode
This section will cover some of the considerations you should take into account when deciding when to use Direct or Adaptive mode for replication.
Remapping Site Structure
The custom binding feature is used to remap site structure when replicating. You can use custom binding to replicate from http://corporateoffice/public to http://extranet/ or from http://londonoffice/sites/finance to http://corporateoffice/sites/finance_london.
Custom binding can only be used in Direct mode.
Connectivity
In the event that there is intermittent connectivity between web applications, then adaptive mode can help by finding the best available path to transfer packages in a replication topology that includes more than two farms. With direct mode, replication will not continue until the connection is re-established.